Life of a Saluki Architecture Grad Student

By John Svast

Howdy Readers!

Today I want to talk about:

My Computer Crutches

A few weeks ago I was furiously working on my thesis at a speed that sent sparks flying from my keystrokes as I typed and clicked my next masterpiece when all of a sudden my computer shuttered and shutdown.  I went through the steps of an architecture student going through this possible meltdown.

step one… try to turn computer back on again

step two… check my connections and try to turn the computer back on

step three… recheck connections and try to turn computer back on

step four… pick up laptop and inspect with the curiosity of a monkey inspecting a football and try to turn computer back on

step five… panic

...and like that *poof* I had no computer… I sent it to the computer gods ,a.k.a. the computer repair guys in town, and I attempted to live my life as a graduate student with a thesis without a computer.  I was miserable and extraordinarily unproductive.  I tried to read as much as I could to expand my mind on theoretical topics of space, communication, and hegemony.  I attempted to draw glorious diagrams to help explain my complex network of ideas to my grandma.  I attempted to hand draw all of my sections, elevations, site plans, concept sketches, and renderings… I ATTEMPTED all of theses thing.  But what happened?  I froze… I did read a few books, I have a handful of sketches, and I got a big old goose egg of actual building drawings.  You know why?

I needed that computer as my crutch

Last semester I had no issues with this, I had all sorts of hand drawn items at the end of the semester.  But I also had a head full of steam of analysis and cad drawings before I had the confidence to start up my hand drawings.  Hand drawings out of the gate are pretty tough.  I ask myself “you have all these years of experience working on studio work, why didn’t you just start?”

I wish I knew the answer to this...

Well, As of yesterday, I have a shiny new laptop.  

what do I not have?... progress on my thesis.

what is the morale of the story?… learn from Uncle John… Don’t be scared to start without a computer.