Personal Development Plan

I cant believe how fast has the time went by, I am now on the final months within my studies in Landscape Architecture. During my studies and visits on the Focus Week's I believe I have achieved valuable lessons. 

This year as it's my final year, within my Focus Weeks I  mostly questioned myself in to understand my style of work, how I approach designs, what are my weakness and strengthens, what I like and dislike and may more questions. The reason why I questioned myself is because I need to know my own pathway, so I could take the right direction when I finish university. 

Within the 4 Focus Weeks, I intended to look in to different fields of Art and Design based areas into narrow down my style within my design works. I have always been more artistic within my designs, so I needed to understand the inspiration behind my artistic side. Within all my visits and tasks I set out myself during Focus Weeks I have strengthened myself a lot more. On of the  thing's I took on is the different ways in to express my style of work, through colour, scale, simplicity, materials, models and mainly to have a certain style that define myself only. And I believe that's important as a future landscape designer to have a signature style.

Obviously my learning and progressing stage isn't going to end here, I will be interacting more with the design world, visiting  more exhibitions, widening my reading materials, developing my knowledge not only within Landscape but also within other art and design fields as well in order to become an successful future Landscape Architecture.

A other area of subject that caught my attention was about Rain Gardens, which I found very interesting and would benefit me within my design ideas for my studio work.

Part 1 - Christian Spencer Davies - AModels

''What is Landscape''

AModels is not like any other model making firms, the reason why AModel stands out from the rest is because they have they own way of producing abstract,transcendent, creative inspired models. The inspiration of the models can be of absolute anything that can inspire the model maker to produce an unique, exclusive model to represent the concept of the brief at it's high standard. 

AModels are against models which are fully white, bland models, or un-realistic models, they are dedicated, devotedly model makers who believe in producing models that will engage with it's viewers. Their work does not have boundaries or limitations with scale, materials or imagination, it's all about creating something that is unique and bringing the architectural design, landscape design etc to live. 

One of the things that has stood out for me while listening to Christian was the respectful, trustworthy relationship he has with his clients. His clients wouldn't have much say in how they want the model, Christian prefers to approach the brief in his own artistic way and suitable way, and the best way the model will engage with the views.

Christian has gave me the interest in model making again, he has bought back my interest I had in secondary school. I took on Resident Materials as my technology topic and always loved experimenting with different types of wood, metals, and plastic, I enjoyed every brief we got. I always gave a lot of attention to detail, and finishes, but moving on to college I dis-continued with the topic and moved on from model making. I did wish I continued in pursuing in developing my model making skills, and developed them from first year of my study in Landscape Architecture. 

One of the advantages in model making for myself is that I am not verbally good in explaining myself due to nervous every time, so my model use to always speak for it self. This should have been one of the first skills I developed from the start of Landscape Architecture. But it's never to late thanks to Christian who has inspired me :)

 

Aims for Focus Week 3

What is Landscape? 

''The idea of landscape is always changing. James Corner states that the “landscape construct is inherently unstable, an indeterminate dimension that can be opened up through artistic practices and mad to reveal alternative sets of possibility.”(1999:158). ''

All the Focus Weeks I have completed over my three year study in Landscape Architecture in Kingston University, I am more then looking forward to this Focus week to begin. The Theme or shall I say the topic of conversation is ''What is Landscape'' with presentations and discussions planned for two days on the 25th and 27th should bring an good insight for us students in what directions to take after we graduate from university. 

The reasons why I am looking forward to these lectures by people involved within different areas of Landscape Architecture, is because defining What is Landscape can be difficult, explaining to people when they say What is Landscape is difficult, as the only thing people say is are you going to become an ''GARDENER'' it is pretty annoying hearing the same thing again and again.. hopefully after these series of lectures  will gain an more solid answer while answering people.

Within these two days individuals will be presenting and discussing about their personal experinaces they have learnt within their work field in the context of What is Landscape. It will be great to hear what are people are experiancing and the different types and fields we could approach after university as Landscape Designer/Architects.

Lectures will be given by : 

First Day

Christain Spencer Davies - AModels

Heather Ring - Wayward Plants

Maria Smith - Studio Weave

Second Day:

Sam Johnston - Gustafson Porter

Will Sandy - Three Green Dots

Trenton Oldfield - This is Not A Gataeway

Critical Illustrated Essay Writing :Title Decided

For my Critical Essay writing as I said in my previous posts I was interested in the topic of art and design within Landscape Architecture. So after all my research's and tutorials with my tutor, the title of my essay is:

''The invasion of Artists taking over Landscape Architecture: Are Landscape Architects Artistic Enough? ''

I have included my on Abstract and Intentions within the essay below, we only had 5,000 words of limit for this essay, I will say I did have difficulties in reducing my research's and trying to explain everything in short hand as possible. And thanks to my Dyslexia it didn't help at all, but I did get through it and hopefully it will be a great read. I enjoyed it very much I will say even though it was stressful with  the amount of reading and research I have completed, but it was all worth it.

Abstract

Landscape architecture a profession only as little over 100years old and Art may be old as old as human existence; at the present time the two are bee compared as one. Landscape architecture been a design based profession, on the other hand Art is filled with history and long existence in the world with hundreds of definitions from its developments and movements till this present time.

With not only landscape architecture having a low profile definition in actual what the profession is, it’s not been credited for its full propose, to be more parses landscape architecture is the art, or the science or even arranging of the land for engaging human use. So a profession still growing may have a definition that doesn’t credit it’s propose at the present time, but surely relates to a background of thousands of years back. 

Intentions

The intentions and purposes within this study are to understand and explore how art comes into landscape architecture at the present time. With many Artists using the landscape in different scales exploring in different ways to express their work to the world and to point their own opinions across more clearly has bought the term of Land Art, Artscapes and even if landscape architecture is the new Art of the present time.

It brings in to mind the terms of Art and Design, what is Art? And what is Design? What are the boundaries of these two and the similarities? 

Landscape architecture been a profession of mainly design with functionality and having purpose to its surrounding human use, and where to art been on the side of creativity, imaginations, freedom, no limitations, does not need to function or to have a purpose to its surroundings. So the question here is asked how artists comes to be designing landscapes when their own profession has barely any boundaries to a profession with boundaries, or are landscape architects not been as artistic and creative enough with their designs and been over powered by the works of artists. I will be looking in to the answers for these questions.

Also nowadays artists collaborated with landscape architects and landscape architects collaborated with Artists they combine their artistic ideas and design ideas together for one piece of work. I will be exploring the success behind the collaboration work by the two professions.

Every artist has a signature for each piece of work they produce to make the work recognisable and that it belongs to them. Architects tend to take over the site, with their designs over shadowing and dominating the landscape, which this tends to be the signature of their designs. Where to a landscape Architect, we have to work around the site which has already been already dominated or already has been taken over by the surrounding architecture or maybe a landscape that has been isolated by its surrounding, and for landscape architect to design a landscape, defining the designer is more complex, so this is where art may develop within the design process, so the signature of the landscape architect may be the artistic aspect within their design.

The rest of the essay will be available for those who are interested to read.. :) 

Aims for Focus Week 2

As two years flied by, when I can still remember my first day in university sacred and not knowing what to expect and thinking how three years where going to go by and with what obstacles I was going to face and if I was going to over come these obstacles, and how I was going to over come with the stress of work load.

Now it's my final year and I am more aware of how an landscape architect/designer should think, work and approach designs, I am bit more confident with myself when approaching, analysing and investigating landscape designs, where I could reflect these approaches to my own way of style and design work, with the two years experience and knowledge I will putting everything I have learnt  to the test on my final year as well as strengthen myself.

 As a final year student and the time for Year Out is approaching I have to find and define myself as a landscape architect/design, I have to look in to How I work, What's my style of work, How I approach designs, What are my inspirations, How I engage with landscape designs. And a way of finding the answers for these questions will be by visiting sites, exhibitions and etc to see how I approach and question other people's works such as artist, landscape architects, architects and etc.

So within this Focus Week 2 I will be visiting exhibitions, site's where I tend to go often  but I don't analysis the site but this time I will be visiting to analysis/explore and to see how I engage with the site. I will be critical about what I see and will be questioning the designs/art works.

Aims I set myself for this week are:

- To find and define my own personal style of work 

       i. What are my weakness and strengths within a design?

         ii. What would help me in developing my weakness? 

          iii. How I approach designs?

           iiii. What are the examples of contemporary practices that interest me the most?

- Improving and developing my analysis / survey skills when visiting sites/exhibitions.

- I will also be improving my knowledge within Landscape Architecture, reseraching  about Landscape Architects, their approaches to designs, the combination within their designs, the style they produce.

Reading and Writing

During Summer we were told to look in to a topic that inspired, excited, and motivated yourselves, the topic had to refer to or related to the practice  Landscape Architecture. It had to be an study that related to yourselves.

The Illustrated Essay had to identify s specific I'm and reflect it within it's title. As well as researching about a topic that interested ourselves, one of the other aims within this essay writing it to improve and develop our research skills rather then relying just on the Internet resources.  

Writing our own personal proposal for the critical study will motivate ourselves more and will help us understand our own way of approaches to Landscape Architecture.

My topic will be based on Art of Landscape Architecture, I will be looking in to aspects of how much of Art is involved within Landscape Architecture? Will be looking in to areas such as the differences between what is called Art and Design, how Landscape Architecture Designs may be interpreted as Art forms of the present time. The reason why I'm interested in this topic is because I want to understand the boundary of Art within Landscape and how much artistic can we be when designing, it is argued that Art does not have to function all the time, but an design has to function, so what are the limitations when designing an Landscape? Can Landscape Architects be artistic as well as having an functional design. And also can Artists do the jobs of an Landscape Architect?

There is many questions going through my mind about this topic so I believe it will be an interesting essay to write and to seek answers  for those questions.

One of my worries with writing this essay is my Dyslexia problem, I know I will be having problems in writing this essay but to over come this matter I will be starting early with my essay and orgnising myself well in to getting this essay finished on time.

Aims for Focus Week 1

One of my aims within this Focus Week is to develop my skills in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and AutoCAD. Its takes time to learn and get use to each and every one of the software programs.

Learning how to use these software's takes time, good solid days work sitting in front of the computer and teaching yourself how to use an program might sound so boring and dull, but at the end it will be worth the hours of work in front of the computer, and it's an big advantage for you in the future when applying for jobs. Well as designers we have to know how to use these programs, so the dull hours in front of the computer is a must I guess.

So this Focus Week one of the things I'm aiming for is to develop my digital skills, and with the help of Digital Media for Landscape Architecture  book, which should be fun learning the tricks and easy methods in how to use these programs and should save me a lot of time.

The other aim I have this Focus Week is to my reading knowledge, as well as the Internet been helpful and all the information we look for in on the net, I believe books contain much better information plus primary solid information by the author and you are set to understand and learn from the reading rather with the net you just browse and then we intend to forget about it. One of the books I'm so keen to read is A Landscape Manifesto by Diana Balmori an Landscape Architect from the States, the book looks into Diana Balmori's theory and practice of urban landscape and design as an art that spans the divide between culture and nature. And combines the science of ecology with the formal aspects of aesthetics.
Reason why I am keen to read this book is because I'm currently writing an essay on how Landscape Architecture is been defined at the present time, and going to this talk and listening to a person whom has years of experience, it kind of made me think of how I will define myself one day as an landscape architect in my on style of working.

Diana Balmori's talk can also be listened from the Royal Art website. Just click on the Link below. It's worth listening to =) enjoy.
http://static.royalacademy.org.uk/files/balmori-813.mp3

One of the main ways of teaching yourself an learning things is from books, now a days even dough every thing's there for you on the Internet, with YouTube tutorials, step by step  design tutorials layouts, print screens for us on how to do certain things on design programs we all go for the easy options to save time. But we forget about researching for primary information from books, journals, newspapers, reading and taking notes down might be a classic way of learning and taking in information, but I believe it's a way which information is more assimilated within the brain then browsing on the Internet , or we could get so lazy to go to talks, exhibitions and events, which makes our enthusiasm fade away . where also these things will build on our inspirations and knowledge on our design works and within the career path we're taking,