About me
THE TOO SHORT VERSION
I am a designer currently pursuing an architecture license, with a Bachelor’s Degree of Architecture from Cal Poly and 7 years experience in residential design. My other interests include writing and photography - both of which I won competitions for at Cal Poly - as well as acting, filmmaking, game design, and a myriad of other things (see below for more info). I wrote my undergraduate thesis on the intersection of storytelling psychology and experiential design (Link), a topic I’m very passionate about, because above all else I am a storyteller. So sit back, make yourself a cup of tea, and enjoy the long version (or skip to the “just right” version at the bottom if you feel so inclined).
THE TOO LONG VERSION
My path toward architecture licensure has not been a normal one.
After finding my love of acting at the end of high school, I entered Cal Poly in 2014 determined to change my major from Architectural Engineering to Theater. I just didn’t think calculating loads and beam sizes was for me. But having been raised by two accountants, I was hesitant to throw away a viable career path and risk it all on an acting degree from a Polytechnic university. Perhaps there was some other career path out there that was perfect for me.
This is the truth: I have always been interested in far too many things for my own good. This was my downfall. There were too many options, and oh how I loved to agonize over them, because this is also the truth: deep in my bones I believed, for reasons still unknown to me, that each person only gets to pick one thing to become great at. I felt like I was running out of time.
This was my headspace when I entered my first year architecture studio and was drawn into the magical world of design. It was scientific, yet artistic and creative, yet also reasoned and logical. It felt like the perfect blend of art and science and I quickly switched my major. For a time, I thought architecture was my one thing.
My love affair with architecture was brief and fiery, but soon I was back to thinking about other options. During my 4th year of college I had the opportunity to work an internship at Studio 2G Architects rather than take studio classes, and I eagerly seized upon my newfound free time by taking electives. The most profitable of these was a creative writing class, where I learned a deep truth about myself: I am a storyteller. In hindsight, it’s unfathomable that it took me so long to realize this. I had loved books and movies my entire life. I had wanted to change my major to theater. I had even structured one of my architecture portfolios as a story. How could I not have seen it?
I entered my 5th year utterly convinced that I wanted to become a writer and wrote my undergraduate thesis on the psychological power of storytelling and its potential impact on design, something I’m quite passionate about. I wanted to figure out how we could use this psychological power to make designs more meaningful to people. All of us are wired to tell stories, so much so that our identity and the world around us is actually a constructed set of stories we tell ourselves, which is how we as a species make meaning in our lives. A good story can be the difference between a house and a home, a space and a place. By seeking to design experiences rather than buildings or objects, and thinking about the stories attached to those experiences, we can better harness this power to create places that really connect with people. (If you want to read more about this, check out my thesis book here: Link.)
I could (and did) write a lot more about that. To be honest, at that time in my life I wanted to write about storytelling more than I wanted to actually design anything. I spent the next 5 years gaining invaluable experience in high-end residential design (thanks to the wonderful people at John Lum Architecture who greatly enjoyed hearing about my ever-changing goals each year during our annual employee review) but most of that time I was also searching hopelessly for my one true career path. A non-inclusive list of all the things I considered includes: a structural engineer, an architect, a landscape photographer, a production designer, a cinematographer, a scuba diving instructor, a director, an actor, a screenwriter, a journalist, a deep sea diver, a game designer, an oceanic engineer, a comedian, an EMT helicopter pilot, a professor (of what, who knows), a bartender, a baker, a film composer, a novelist, a park ranger, a dog trainer, a podcaster, a Lego master. Yeah, it’s a lot.
It took a while, but eventually I had 2 epiphanies. (I wish I could say that I had some profound life event, where the puzzle pieces of my life suddenly fell into place and became clear in one shining moment - that would really end the story on a bang. But the truth is it just sort of clicked one day. Anticlimactic, but the truth.)
People can be two things (or more): I always envied people who knew that they were interested in one thing from a young age and just did it. Sometimes, stupidly, I wanted to be good at only one thing because then I wouldn’t have to decide what to do. Having so many interests used to feel like a handicap to me, because how could I ever become good enough in one area if I was always bouncing around? I now realize it’s my superpower, because careers are not identities! People can be two things, or three, or seven, and the best things in life come when those things synergize with each other. Brian May is the lead guitarist of Queen AND an astrophysicist. When you combine those two things, you get a mournful rock and roll love song about time dilation, AKA magic. Designers benefit from this magic more than just about anyone because they synthesize diverse ideas into solutions. Every hobby and skill and random bit of knowledge is a building block, and if you have more blocks at your disposal, you can build more interesting things. Plus, if you’re curious about so many things, how can life ever be boring?
I am a designer: Even when I was convinced that I wasn’t and didn’t want to be an architect, I still approached all my other interests as a designer, because I AM ONE. “Design” isn’t a job, it’s a way of thinking in terms of problems and solutions, approaching problems with optimism and creativity, looking at a piece of the world and thinking “how can I make this better?” I’m not a designer because I draw buildings all day. I’m a designer because it’s how I think and who I am.
So I decided, at long last, to pursue an architecture license. My path towards architecture licensure has not been a normal one, but I’ve realized that I can continue to be and do all those other things as an architect. Gaining licensure will not limit my horizons but expand them. At long last the winding road has led me here and I will be a better architect and person for having taken the journey.
THE just right VERSION (and my design philosophy)
I suppose that was a long-winded and dramatic way to explain that I am a designer, currently pursuing an architecture license. But I’m also an actor, a writer, a chef, a baker, a runner, an aspiring game designer, a photographer, a husband, a pet-dad, a swimmer, a furniture designer, and an avid D&D player - and these pursuits enrich my approach to design as well as my life. The philosophy (design and otherwise) that I have today is a product of all of it, and some of it follows here:
Storytelling is a valuable part of life and design and can be used to create more meaningful places and things.
I don’t want to design things or spaces, I want to craft experiences. When you seek to design an object or a space, it’s sometimes easy to forget the people who may interact with it. When you set out to create an experience, your design process becomes inherently people-centric.
The best part of making a cool thing is the opportunity it can provide for connection through shared experience - connection to me, connection to each other, connection to nature.
The most beautiful places are often found in nature and the most beautiful experiences are often shared with others.
The best creations are those that guide your attention outward, not those that pull it inward.
If you must choose, plain and useful is more valuable than beautiful and useless.
There is no better feeling than making someone laugh.
The surest way to happiness is to enjoy the journey more than the destination. After reading all of this, I hope you feel the same.