SunDay Forecast - March 5th

Welcome to the SunDay Forecast (on a Tuesday), the weekly blog where we look at the week ahead and chat about general designer lifestyle topics. Last week, I talked about a recent ARE (Architectural Registration Exam) fail, and how I came back from it to pass 2 tests later on.

It’s the beginning of March, which starts to mark the transition from Winter to Spring. Each year, this transition is always exciting to me and reminds me on how to transition myself from the slow, dark, Winter months, to the brighter, fuller days of Spring and Summer. I always find myself becoming more focused and energized during this time of the year. I am looking for ways to better myself and reset my routine to something more beneficial to what I want to accomplish.

Revising your own routine takes some self-reflection and honesty about what is most important to you. I think it's important to have a few main personal goals that drive your routine and directly benefit the path to your goal. This could be anything from eating healthier, getting in better shape, working towards building a company, or even something like relaxation and time for hobbies. Simplifying these goals is also key so you aren’t trying to do too much, and creating unrealistic expectations. It starts with looking at your current routine and identifying areas that are not aiding in achieving your goal. Maybe this is too much screen time, or maybe it’s how you transition from work to your home life, and seeing how you can make this time even more productive.

At the end of the day, we are all searching for what makes us happy, and I think that identifying a few of your ideal goals and finding slots of time each day to work towards those, whether it's 15 minutes or 2 hours, lets us actually see those things come to fruition. It’s the day to day steps, and mundane routine that allows us to build up habits and see results, because nothing really happens overnight.

I have started to do this process as we transition from Winter to Spring, and I think it will really help me get to where I want to be for the remainder of the year. Since I am starting a new job soon, this time period is serving as a great transition period for me to change things up and start a new routine. I am structuring my time to work towards a few different things, including becoming a licensed architect, writing blogs and social media posts, adding physical activity to my day-to-day, and a healthier diet.

Finding the energy to focus on all of these goals is one of the hardest things to do on a daily basis. Some days I know I will be tired and not interested in doing physical activity, studying for exams, or making a healthy meal. These are the days where it's important to push through, and rely on your built-up routine to get you through it. If it truly is a habit, it should be easier to muster up the energy to do it, but as you build those habits there is sure to be some road bumps.

With that being said, it is also important to listen to yourself and take breaks when needed. After a long period of pushing yourself, it’s okay to cut yourself some slack and enjoy the fruits of your labor! This week, I took some much needed rest and time off from studying and pushing myself to do more with my time after work. I had been constantly studying with my free time for 2 months, and having free time was a little strange, but it felt like I needed a reset from this grind, and I think it helped energize me to start back up again.

The balance of an ultra productive routine and taking breaks when needed is tough to figure out, but if you can get it right, I think it makes for a really rewarding and enjoyable life and one that you can be proud of yourself for.

This week, I am resetting my routine and preparing to start my new job next week. I am enjoying the final week in my current position, and tying up loose ends.

Monday: Vibe of the Week

Tuesday: Sunday Forecast (on a Tuesday)

Wednesday: Begin studying again

Thursday: The Daybreak Blog

Friday: Last day at current position

Have you made any adjustments to your daily routine lately, or is there something you would like to add to it during this transition from Winter to Spring? Drop a comment below, I’d love to hear about it!

SunDay Forecast - Feb. 25th

Welcome to the SunDay Forecast, where we look at the week ahead and chat about general designer lifestyle topics. Last week, I talked about having to take 2 AREs (Architectural Registration Exam), and putting in my two week notice at my day job.

It was a stressful week to say the least, and now that I am on the other side, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I ended up passing both of the exams that I took, which is a great relief! I am now 2 exams away from becoming a licensed architect, it feels within reach, and I am aiming to complete them in the next two months.

I had a minor setback in December when I took the Construction Evaluation exam, and failed. I had passed two exams on my first try before that one, so I felt confident going in that I would be on my way to my 3rd passed exam. But, the ARE always seems to humble you when you least expect it, and after leaving with a failed exam, I had to reflect on how I had been studying. After passing my first two exams on the first try, I think I got a little too comfortable and did not take the studying as seriously as I should have, which left many holes in my understanding of the material.

I had to wait 60 days to retake this exam, and while I was waiting, I began studying for another exam, called Programming & Analysis (PA). Near the end of the 60 days, I began brushing up on the CE material I had previously studied, taking extra time to ensure I understood the information. Also, during this 60 day period, I began working on the construction admin phase of a project at work, which gave me real life experience to apply to this exam.

I went into this weekend feeling confident about both exams, and felt like I was really able to understand the questions on the exam. I ended up passing both, and am now way ahead of where I was last December when I had failed. This process is not an exact science, but I think the important thing is to keep forging ahead, pass or fail, and always striving to make progress in some way.

After the sprint of two exams this weekend, and the stress of putting in my notice at my job, I think I need a week to regroup and ease my mind. This week, I am going to be putting a focus on my personal goals and give myself a week to enjoy my free time, a much needed reward for the progress I have made over the last month. It’s always a good reminder to enjoy the fruits of your labor, no matter how big or small, these moments in life are what makes it special!

Daybreak Blog - Feb. 22nd

Happy Thursday! Today, I wanted to chat about the ARE (Architectural Registration Exam) in general, and what makes it difficult for those who don’t know!

For those of you who are not familiar, the ARE is the suite of exams required to become a licensed architect. This is just one of a few hurdles needed to become licensed. You also need to receive a Master’s degree from an accredited university, and complete 3,740 hours of professional experience in different areas. It is a long road to licensure, but the exams are particularly difficult for a few reasons. 

1. It takes time to find the time

The first reason is that it takes time to find the time to start studying for them and understanding the time commitment of studying. During the education portion, that is your main life focus and you complete all of your assignments because you have to. The experience requirements come naturally as you work in an architectural office for so long, you likely will gain experience in all of the right areas at some point. The exams, however, are an additional effort that you have to attempt to fit into everything else going on in your life, and it is completely up to you if you even want to pursue the exams. This is easier said than done, and it is difficult to fit 2 hours of studying into each day after already working 8 hours in an office.

2. Amount of study material available

Another reason the exams are difficult to complete or start, is the amount of study material available. It was a little overwhelming to choose a path of studying that I thought could work for me. There is no one size fits all studying resource for the most part (even though there are many resources that claim there is). In reality, you’re going to have to mix bits and pieces of many different materials to fully get a grasp on the information you’re trying to learn. This makes it hard in the beginning because you truly don’t know what will work best for you, and there is a high cost for a lot of the materials out there. You really just have to dive in and try a few out to see what will benefit you the most.

3. Amount of information

Lastly, what makes the ARE difficult is the amount of topics covered in the relatively small amount of questions. Over-studying is typically the case when it comes to an ARE exam. You are expected to know a wide range of information and how to apply that information under many different circumstances. This level of understanding takes a lot of studying to achieve, but it is necessary if you want to be able to answer whatever they throw at you. Sometimes you will have studied a topic for days, and not even see it on the exam! You truly need to be prepared for everything.

I’ll continue to talk about the ARE and my experience with it so far, what I’ve used for studying, and more! Are you in the process of taking the ARE? I’d love to hear what you think about it in the comments!

Join our community for future posts about navigating the ARE, and to chat with others: https://links.geneva.com/invite/a98f1e3b-ef2d-423a-9a09-19851f254946

SunDay Forecast - Feb. 18th

Happy Sunday! Welcome to the SunDay Forecast, where we take a look at the week ahead and chat about general design lifestyle topics. This week, I have an extra day off my regular job on Monday with the US holiday, President’s Day. This isn’t very common among businesses other than banks/federal buildings, but I am grateful for it!

I do have a day job at the moment while I begin to build House of Daylight. I work at a high-end architectural firm and am still absorbing all I can within an established firm. This week is a bit of a weird one as I have to put in my two weeks notice on Friday.

An opportunity recently came up to work in my local area with more responsibility than my current role, and it was something I couldn’t pass up. I didn’t necessarily want to make a change in jobs at this time, but sometimes you have to make a change in order to move forward in your career and grow as a professional. I can talk more about this in a dedicated post, but it is an interesting situation to be in!

I have had to quit jobs before, but it makes it a little harder when you aren't looking to make a change, and you like the people you work with.

This week, I am also taking two AREs (Architectural Registration Exams) and have to prepare and study for those. I will explain more about the ARE later this week on the Daybreak blog, but I have 4 tests left, and am looking to complete two this week! My free time has been consumed with studying for these exams, so I am hoping it pays off.

Here is an overview of the week ahead:

Monday: Vibe of the Week - A playlist of songs that fit the mood, outlook, and general energy of the studio that week. We really enjoy finding new music, and sharing music we are currently listening to. Music has been a powerful memory tool for me over the years. When I listen to a song that I have loved in the past, it brings me right back to that time period and the memories around it. We would love to hear songs from you as well, either leave a comment, or post in the community to share your favorite songs or “vibe of the week”!

Tuesday: ARE Studying

Wednesday: ARE Studying

Thursday: Daybreak Blog - What makes the ARE difficult?

Friday: ARE Exam - Two Week’s Notice

Saturday: ARE Exam

Have you ever had to make a job change to move forward in your career? I want to hear about it, and what made it necessary! Drop a comment below!

Daybreak Blog - February 15th

Welcome to the Daybreak, and Happy Post-Valentine’s Day. Today, I want to go over some of the services House of Daylight will be offering as a design studio, and services we want to add in the future.

We are a design studio focused in architecture and interior design, and primarily offer services in these fields. In the future, we hope to expand our offerings into more creative outlets, and collaborate with others to be able to create one-of-a-kind experiences for clients.

Currently, we offer the following services:

1 - Design Services

Architectural design services and interior design services are our main expertise. Our design services can range from small single design packages to fully detailed drawing sets. We work with clients to take their idea of a dream home and make it a reality with full-service design through construction.

Interior design packages are available for projects that need interior material selections, furnishings, appliances, and more. We can provide packages that detail selections, model numbers, materials, and everything else you need to have a complete interior design.

Exterior refreshes are a popular service that allows us to take a client’s aging exterior and re-evaluate its features and materials in order to create something new. These packages include drawings of a new design concept as well as specified materials.

Lastly, we offer graphic design services to assist clients in creating eye-catching graphics for anything they need. As designers, we are able to use the visual, aesthetic, and technical knowledge we have built up to deliver fun and captivating graphics for social media, presentations, or business concepts.

2 - Detailing

Detailing is a service that focuses on the finer things of a project. This can include material selections and specifications to meet the needs of a space, detail drafting to coordinate different elements in a design, or project coordination to get a project through construction. We look to offer a detail oriented service that allows clients to be eased from in-depth and complicated questions in their projects.

3 - Visualizations

Visualizations are important pieces to projects for marketing purposes, understanding a design, and general excitement about a project. We offer this service to allow clients to bring their own ideas or previously designed projects, and see them come to life. We can capture the correct style to match the project, whether that be realistic or illustrative, and display the details that make a project feel alive.

4 - Design Consultations

We offer general design consultations for those who just need someone to talk to and bounce ideas off of. We can give our professional opinion on design issues, potential projects, or other design ideas. This service allows clients to feel free to bring up their needs and talk through solutions, while sometimes leading to other services we offer.

This is our main suite of services as we start our journey as a design studio. We hope to expand and hone these as time goes on so we can become more focused and unique. 

Starting the House of Daylight community will allow us to learn more about creatives in other areas, and start to learn how we can implement these creative services into our studio. Bringing mediums like art, graphic design, branding design, experiential design, and more into our studio allows us to design so many more aspects of an idea, and truly make it one-of-a-kind. We would love to be able to design a brand and logo, its experience, its graphics and physical pieces, its physical space or building, and fill that space with uniquely designed art or interior design. This all encompassing design process would give a business or brand full cohesion of an experience for their customers.

What kinds of services do you offer? Are there any services that make you unique? Are we missing anything in our offerings? We would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below, or join our community here to share your ideas: https://links.geneva.com/invite/a98f1e3b-ef2d-423a-9a09-19851f254946

SunDay Forecast - February 11th

Welcome to the SunDay Forecast, a weekly blog that takes a look at the week ahead in our studio and lifestyle, and a format to get our thoughts and plans down on a regular basis. Since we are a new studio, we will begin by focusing on a few personal professional goals, building the design studio business, and starting the House of Daylight community of designers and creatives. Here are 5 topics to look out for in the coming weeks in our weekly blogs:

1. Design Studio Building

We are just getting started in our journey to becoming an established design studio. There are many steps to creating a studio that is able to offer great work and building a process that ends in successful projects. We are excited to be able to share this beginning journey with our community! We will be posting past projects, new projects, behind the scenes process, and more.

2. Career Advice

The first few years upon entering a creative profession are all about learning and absorbing as much as you can, while also trying to make a name for yourself. This time period isn’t as exciting or result oriented as later in careers, but it lays the foundation for where your career can head. I am in this time period myself, and want to share my experiences to hopefully help other young creatives in their career paths. It is easy to feel lonely or discouraged early on, and we want to let people know they are not alone! We will talk about navigating job offers, interviews, choosing a firm or office to work for, raise negotiations, professional development, and more.

3. Lifestyle

We look forward to sharing the general lifestyle and interests of our studio, such as music, life thoughts, office/design supplies, work and life balance, architecture/design school thoughts and memories, studio coffee comparisons, and really any other topic that fits into our daily life. These interests are fun to talk about and hear others opinions on, as well as offer a break from the daily design work that we focus on for the majority of our time.

4. Design Features and Process

Design features and the process of design is a topic we will share as well. We will dive into features we find important or pleasing and love to hear thoughts from the community as well. The process of design is just as interesting as the final product, maybe even more-so. We will share tips and how-to’s from our process as we move through projects.

5. Community and Inspiration

We will also share inspiration from outside of our studio, and hopefully directly from our growing community. It is important for us to celebrate and share work from like-minded creatives and design professionals. We can all learn so much from each other’s work and processes, and we look forward to sharing throughout our community. Building a community of creative individuals is also a main goal of our studio. We want there to be a place where everyone can be open and honest about their work, career paths, and process, while being supported by others in the community. This community will take time to grow and establish itself, and we are excited to share how we plan to build it along the way!

This overview of topics will hopefully give everyone an idea of what to expect from us moving forward, we are excited for all that is to come and for you to join us in the journey! If you have any suggestions, or want to join our community and not miss any topics, click here: 

The Week Ahead:

This week is the beginning of our normal posting schedule, and it feels like an exciting time for me personally. I have always wanted a creative outlet such as this, where I can get my thoughts out into the world and share what I’m working on at the time. Here is what is on the calendar this week:

Monday: House of Daylight Vibe of the Week - A playlist of songs that fit the mood, outlook, and general energy of the studio that week. We really enjoy finding new music, and sharing music we are currently listening to. Music has been a powerful memory tool for me over the years. When I listen to a song that I have loved in the past, it brings me right back to that time period and the memories around it. We would love to hear songs from you as well, either leave a comment, or post in the community to share your favorite songs or “vibe of the week”!

Wednesday: Valentine’s Day - Some people love it, others hate it. I think any day that promotes more love around each other is a good thing. Say something kind to someone, or pay-it-forward in the Starbucks line, it is nice to spread kindness and love whenever we have the energy!

Thursday: The Daybreak Blog - This week we will focus on some of the design services we are looking to offer at House of Daylight, as well as our thoughts around selecting which services to offer as a studio. We also take a look at what services we hope to offer in the future as we grow!

Thank you to all who have taken the time to read through this introductory SunDay Forecast post. It will be a bit more personalized in the future, but I wanted to introduce some of the topics we are interested in sharing and hopefully get others excited about what we are doing.

I hope everyone has a great week, thanks again, and see you in the next post!

Join our community here, we would love to have you: https://links.geneva.com/invite/a98f1e3b-ef2d-423a-9a09-19851f254946

Daybreak Blog - February 8th

A little bit more about me: I am a design professional in the field of architecture (legally, I cannot call myself an “architectural designer” or “architect” until fully licensed by the national board). I held my first position in a professional firm in 2019, and graduated with my master’s degree in architecture in 2021. I’ve worked in three different offices since 2019 and have had very different experiences in all of them.

Currently, I am studying for the ARE (Architectural Registration Exam) and pursuing architectural licensure. While writing this, I have passed 2 of 6 exams and hope to complete the rest in the coming months. To become licensed, you also need to have experiential hours in different phases of an architectural project, which is called the AXP (Architectural Experience Program). I have submitted close to 5000 hours total amongst the different categories, and am 300 hours away from completing the experience requirements. My path to becoming an architect is coming to an end in the near future, and I am having to practice patience and daily discipline to continue studying and gaining the right experience. 

I am hoping for the House of Daylight community to be a place where young designers, in any profession, can come together and give each other insight on their paths, offer advice, and also learn from more experienced professionals. We can all feel comfort in hearing others going through similar triumphs and trials and how they were able to get through them.

I have had a hard time feeling open to converse with co-workers about these career topics, because of office politics, or the feeling that they think I am on the verge of quitting if I say something negative about a process or the firm in general. It is much easier to vent, and bounce ideas off of other colleagues in the field who do not have the same person writing their checks to them. This community gives everyone the platform to be open about their situations, and feel no shame in receiving feedback from others.

Lastly, my hope for this community is for its members to be honest, open, and non-pretentious (i feel like me using the word “pretentious” makes me pretentious, but hopefully not). The definition of this word for those who do not know (i had to look it up): 

pretentious:

attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.

Wow, that is a great word for how a lot of the architecture profession operates, in my honest opinion. We could all benefit from this type of attitude to be minimized and not try to impress everyone, all the time. Social media has made this idea even harder to find now with the constant editing and selective posting of life moments. We are all in similar situations and can learn from the not-so-great stages of everyone’s careers, or the areas where we need improvement in. It is actually normal to not be perfect, or not know everything about a subject. Offering up humility in this profession seems to be rare, and I hope to practice humility throughout my career.

Now that I have put my current standing in the profession on record here, we can start to get into why I have started House of Daylight and this blog to begin with. I feel that there is a large portion of young designers, especially in the architecture field, that feel their point of view or talent is irrelevant until they are licensed, or have enough experience. This may be better described as imposter syndrome, with a lack of confidence or an unknown that you belong in what you are doing and can contribute as well as any of your peers.

It is completely normal to feel this way, and I’m sure the majority of people, no matter what career path they’ve chosen, have thought similar things at some point. It seems to come with the territory when being new and young in a design profession. When you enter the field and are flooded with new information that you never learned in school and are surrounded by experienced professionals who seem to have forgotten what it's like to be thrown into the real world, expecting you to know everything they do, it is very easy to feel like you are suddenly behind the curve.

I have certainly felt this way throughout my first few years working, but have slowly come to the realization that there is some beauty in this stage of a career and an opportunity to shape the base of knowledge that will serve me for the rest of my time in architecture. I think there is something great about being inexperienced with a fresh perspective and no past to either hinder or help along the way. I also have to imagine there are thousands of others in the same place of their careers, without a community to assist them in navigating this beginning stage.

Anyways, I feel as if I am rambling, and maybe this isn’t the best formatted blog post, but I got all of my thoughts out onto this page, so it’s a win to me. This is my vision for what the House of Daylight community can offer to each other. I hope it is welcoming and appealing for many to join and share their experience.

I am especially curious to hear stories and experiences from other creatives in different design fields such as artists, graphic designers, brand designers, and everything else! If you’d like to join our online community, click here, we’d love to have you: House of Daylight Community

Thank you to those who took the time to read this, we will be talking more about design lifestyle, career experience/tips, and about other aspects of House of Daylight in future posts.

Have a great day.

Welcome to House of Daylight

Welcome to House of Daylight. We are a design studio and lifestyle community that looks to simply create and share great design. 

Design and architecture is flooded with a massive collection of knowledge, experience, and detail, and we want to be a melting pot for all ideas and knowledge to be shared and celebrated.

We aim to provide a place where any creative individual can be heard and appreciated across any creative field. We all have unique minds, opinions, and histories that allow us to see the world differently, and creativity is an outlet for all of our makeup to be expressed. It is one of the most powerful tools we have as humans, and we can all learn from each other by sharing and interacting with each other's projects and ideas.

Our focus as a studio is within architecture and design, which will be the majority of what we will talk about and pursue in projects. This area of design is extremely special because it involves countless other design professionals throughout its process. Engineers, urban planners, craftspeople, artists, graphic designers, brand designers, interior designers, and so many more go into making a place unique and giving it its own story.

Architecture is a field full of highly skilled, expert professionals that have chiseled the profession into what it is today. It is a complex and historical profession that has been taught and refined for thousands of years. It’s fascinating that even with its vast history and compounded knowledge, that architecture continues to evolve and grow with new ideas every day. 

My name is Grant, and I am a designer working in architecture. This relatively intimidating and complex field has driven me to forge my own path in design and thinking, and to connect further with other creatives. My experience within the profession ranges from high end commercial & residential, to builder and budget friendly home design. Throughout my time in firms, I have always felt that there is a lack of efficiency and simplicity in the process of design. Being able to simply communicate and focus on the essence of a design is truly a skill and ultra important, especially when dealing with client relationships. Too often, architects and designers use wordy vocabulary, complicated systems, or explain processes that are a bit much for a client to appreciate or digest. Or, the main idea or inspiration behind a pursuit doesn’t come through in the end product. This type of approach can lead to paths of questions from clients that further complicate projects, or make them feel as though they don’t understand the design direction. Taking a step back from the detailed processes of creativity and communicating ideas in a way that is fun, engaging, and clear is what I hope to accomplish with House of Daylight.

What does House of Daylight mean?

House of Daylight was chosen as the name for multiple reasons. The name gives off a sense of warmth and brightness because of the word ‘Daylight’, and the word ‘House’ is associated with a place everyone has and can relate to, their home. Warm, light-filled spaces is a general design feature that we hope to incorporate into our designs, and also made sense for the name.

It also embodies the idea I mentioned earlier of bringing creative individuals together under one roof; a home. This online space (and maybe one day, a physical space) will serve as a home for people to feel comfortable to share and have a common platform for creative thinking and work.

Lastly, the idea of simply creating great design, and clearly communicating the main ideas of a project is based in the name. Imagine the scene of a dark, gray home interior with all of the window shades  closed. In the middle of the room is a burlap sack labeled ‘Ideas’. The house is dark, dusty, and nothing really stands out. One day, somebody walks in, looking to buy the home. They can barely see where they are walking, and trip on the ‘Ideas’ bag. They get frustrated that they can’t see anything and end up not buying the home. Many more people walk through the home, tripping on the ‘Ideas’ bag and squinting to see around every corner, shortly leaving in disgust. One day, a final person enters the home. They slowly walk around, taking careful note of the space they are walking through. They see the bag in the middle of the room and approach it with caution and interest. As they see the bag, they become more curious about what could be inside, but it’s just too dark to be able to see. Eventually, after taking their time walking around the home, they find the window shades and open them all up to let the light in. It is a beautiful, sunny day outside and the light begins to fill the space. The materials of the home begin to regain their color. The wood tones in the floors start warming to a light brown hue, the furniture colors begin to pop, and the walls begin to have light dancing on them. The person opens one last shade, striking a light on the ‘Ideas’ bag. The bag begins to absorb the daylight, and slowly begins to move. It begins to grow, and get larger, until it seems like it's about to burst. Green stems start shooting out of the bag, one by one. Flowers begin to sprout and continue to grow until the whole house becomes lush with greenery and colorful blooms. The person looks at their real estate agent and says, “I’ll take it!”.

This story is a fun way to think about ideas and the fact they need to be nurtured or brought to our attention in order for them to grow. A lot of ideas are just sitting, waiting to be unlocked, and we just have to have the correct environments and attitude to let them flourish.

Simply creating great design starts with shining a light on the main ideas of a creative pursuit or design, and capturing the essence of the project. Keeping these ideas in the front of our minds as you move through a project ensures it doesn’t get lost or muddied up with further development and information.

Thank you to all who ended up reading this, it is the first post of hopefully many. I will continue to build this space into something we can all use to share and collaborate in.

I plan to continue to talk about what House of Daylight has to offer, my own path of professional development, creative lifestyle, design ideas, projects, music, general tips, and anything else that feels right to share. Please leave a comment below saying hello, I’d love to hear from you!

Welcome to House of Daylight!