This has been a difficult two weeks for me coming to terms with my professional "blog." As a first experience in writing on line, I realize that there is an audience. In writing this web log, I would like to share content that is substantive and of value to the reader. This feeling that I need to be putting a well-thought out essay on line each week has been intimidating for me and has slowed me down considerably. I know I am able to write about interesting ideas, but I have not found the time for doing short papers with well-thought out ideas. As a professor at a college, there are many different responsibilities involving teaching and advising students, service on university committees, service to the professional field, and professional/scholarly work. Even after teaching for over twenty-five years, I still have not adjusted to finding the time, or managing my time in a way to do all of it well.
Therefore, the addition of a web log to these activities has been difficult. I do see the value in the experience of doing the journal or log on line and will continue to attempt to integrate it into my schedule. In trying to make an entry every week, my plans have changed to include ideas that are in progress or beginning in their development. Instead of well-thought out studies in essays, that might be presented as ideas in a poster session at a conference, my new analogy for this writing is like a transcript of a dialogue in a café. It would be similar to sitting down with a colleague over a cup of coffee sharing an idea. As one does this, in an informal setting such as a café, the ideas are able to be more fluid and flexible, open to change and to collaboration.
As I continue this web log on design sketching, I will be dropping in to my “web café” to share a thought or two on what I have been working on that week. I welcome comments and look forward to being invited to someone else’s blog site to read about their ideas on design process and sketching/drawing and other related areas. My main objective at this time is to focus on the relationship between sketching and understanding the use of a variety of places by people in a variety of ways. How the designer perceives the place is reflected in the design sketch. The sketch can also attempt to indicate how the people perceive the place through their use of it. The sketch can also be thought of as a type of building evaluation by the designer. While observing the place to do the sketch, the designer’s drawing can indicate actual use and include comments on that use. As I continue contributing thoughts to this web log, the relationship between sketching and observation, perception and evaluation will be some of the ideas that I intend to expand upon.
My first sketch posting is of my downtown. It is an observation of a north side section of Main Street in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. As a sketch, it attempts to show an overall view of several buildings in a row. It is basically an observation of the basic building shapes. Its value is simple at this stage: observing existing forms. Further work for it would be in the area of including people in the sketch and expressing more feeling in the sketch (to indicate the designer’s impression of the place and its use).
Therefore, the addition of a web log to these activities has been difficult. I do see the value in the experience of doing the journal or log on line and will continue to attempt to integrate it into my schedule. In trying to make an entry every week, my plans have changed to include ideas that are in progress or beginning in their development. Instead of well-thought out studies in essays, that might be presented as ideas in a poster session at a conference, my new analogy for this writing is like a transcript of a dialogue in a café. It would be similar to sitting down with a colleague over a cup of coffee sharing an idea. As one does this, in an informal setting such as a café, the ideas are able to be more fluid and flexible, open to change and to collaboration.
As I continue this web log on design sketching, I will be dropping in to my “web café” to share a thought or two on what I have been working on that week. I welcome comments and look forward to being invited to someone else’s blog site to read about their ideas on design process and sketching/drawing and other related areas. My main objective at this time is to focus on the relationship between sketching and understanding the use of a variety of places by people in a variety of ways. How the designer perceives the place is reflected in the design sketch. The sketch can also attempt to indicate how the people perceive the place through their use of it. The sketch can also be thought of as a type of building evaluation by the designer. While observing the place to do the sketch, the designer’s drawing can indicate actual use and include comments on that use. As I continue contributing thoughts to this web log, the relationship between sketching and observation, perception and evaluation will be some of the ideas that I intend to expand upon.
My first sketch posting is of my downtown. It is an observation of a north side section of Main Street in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. As a sketch, it attempts to show an overall view of several buildings in a row. It is basically an observation of the basic building shapes. Its value is simple at this stage: observing existing forms. Further work for it would be in the area of including people in the sketch and expressing more feeling in the sketch (to indicate the designer’s impression of the place and its use).
