Introspective: The Road Less Traveled

3-Dimensional representation of the poem “If” by Kipling.

I am really lucky to have pictures of some of the projects I did during my first three years in architecture school.  I don’t even remember having a camera back then.  This photo-montage to the left represents a conceptual drawing and a model  of my 3-Dimensional representation of the poem “If” by Kipling. It was probably done during my first semester in New York.  Looking back at my work, I can say that I was and still am a very concept oriented designer.

We were learning about the basic concepts of architecture, about the grid, the point, the line and the plane and as you can see, even back then, I wanted to break away from the grid.  I wonder what type of architect I would be right now if I had done just that, if I had followed the less traveled road.  But back then, I did not know that there were more than one road to architectural prominence.  Years of practice have thought me that every move you make and every step you take has a tremendous impact on your architectural career. Today, I find myself at a crossroad where I am reconnecting with my creative self, and one way to do so is by looking back on how it all started.  My goal right now, more than 20 years later, is to be able to say like Robert Frost had to say in his poem The Road Not Taken:

…Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled

And that has made all the difference.”                                                                                                                                                                                      

This is the journey I am on, this is the road I am taking. Finally, I am taking the road less traveled and hopefully, that will make all the difference.