What is it exactly?

Lately, I’ve been asked variations on the theme of: “Paul, what is it exactly that you do?”

Seems my work is all over the place; Architecture, public art, painting, poetry, film, installations, urban design, research, graphics, photography, sound works, etc. etc…. et. all off into the sunset. I just recently created this blog and started posting with little idea of how to organize past work. Seems I am in the midst of asking myself the same question.

The short answer is that I am educated as an architect. I went to schools that are more art based than engineering based. I work in a variety of mediums. I believe the most successful endeavors are ones that respond to the context in which they stand. I am not a specialist.

I was recently described as being “cavalier” in my attitude towards licensure. I took this to mean that I am not serious about my work. My immediate argument was that the majority of my work has come through extended thought and certainly through hard work. Rarely do I work from a position of superiority. It is the nature of my process to first understand, then act. I agree with L. Cohen when he says, “You get it, but you get it after sweating.”, in that good work rarely comes in a flash. It requires work.

Upon further thought, that argument is my attitude towards the work I do, not my attitude towards a license. It is true, that I have not actively pursued licensure requirements beyond obtaining a Master of Architecture. Not all arch grads do. Still, I was surprised when this fact was used against me.

So today, in order to move forward, I start to post work beyond photography. Work that will help me answer the age old questions of:

  • Who am I?
  • Among what do I move?
  • What are my relations to these things?

Why does anyone care? Maybe you don’t. In the words of Sooo Corrente, all I can do is, “put it out there..”

 

0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *