thoughts unedited

It’s been a while

It’s been a while since I’ve last written something on Tumblr, but since it’s the end of the semester and beginning of summer, I feel the need to update myself in writing.

I have learned quite a bit this semester, and it’s probably been my busiest, yet. I’ve learned the basics about the industry, and what it takes to design and construct a building and I think I need some time to meditate on all this information. The workload may seem impossible at times, but at the end of the day, I’m still here and passionate about what I do. 

Perhaps this summer I can focus on more conceptual things, and go back to that creativity and freeness that I’ve lost a bit. Designing a “real” building considering structure, MEP, and sustainability issues is definitely overwhelming for a semester long project. But, what’s done is done and I can only move forward. Re-visiting past critiques and comments on my work and myself as a designer, I am reminded that this is what I am meant to do. There is an intuitive quality about my work that I sometimes feel gets lost (especially this year with having a partner in comprehensive design). So next year should be an exciting time to work on design, and maybe this summer I will work on more personal projects. 

What challenges will come my way? What books will I read? and what will be my inspiration? Maybe I will fill up a sketchbook full of drawings. Maybe I will paint more. Maybe I will try sculpture. Maybe I will fulfill my calling as an artist, or maybe it won’t work out. 

I’m a thinker, passionate about what I do, and always questioning. I’m coming to realization that this is who I am, and always have been.

# reflection end of semester writing personal

Posted 2 weeks ago

stumbling upon the past

while packing up my things to move into my new apartment, i found these mixed CDs i made freshman year for a semi-spontaneous road trip with a couple of my friends. our plans kinda failed that day because none of us had a credit card to rent out the car for the day, and we woke up super early that day for nothing, and ended up eating guacamole for breakfast somewhere by the water near cobble hill or something, and then went to galleries in chelsea. it was also the first time i ever went to the highline and it was a great day out of our initial failure of a day trip out of nyc. 

# nostalgia mixed cds freshman year college

Posted 3 months ago
brooklynfollies: kmeltonphoto: At 2:21 am on Friday, February 15, 2013, the sixth floor of Pratt’s Main building caught fire for reasons unknown.  I awoke to the sounds of sirens and shouts from the crowd that had already grown outside. After digesting the initial shock, I could think of nothing else to do but go out and document this tragic event.  The fire was contained by 4 am, and the NYFD reported that sixth floor studios were unoccupied.  This floor is home to the work of the senior and graduate painting students.  Although this is a great loss to the fine art department, as well as the individuals who have lost work, it is also a blessing that no lives were taken tonight.Tonight was the most terrible and humbling experience that I have ever witnessed.  We can never forget the impermanence of feelings, material possessions, and most importantly ourselves.  We must always remember that there are things far worse than our daily issues, and to not take the negative in our lives so seriously.  There is always room for improvement and good will come in due time; be thankful for what you have today, for the future is uncertain.   All photos are © Kim Melton.  All rights reserved.  Please do not claim these photos as your own, distribute, or market them. :( how ironic to have a building services assignment on fire codes, fire safety, and sprinkler systems due today…brooklynfollies: kmeltonphoto: At 2:21 am on Friday, February 15, 2013, the sixth floor of Pratt’s Main building caught fire for reasons unknown.  I awoke to the sounds of sirens and shouts from the crowd that had already grown outside. After digesting the initial shock, I could think of nothing else to do but go out and document this tragic event.  The fire was contained by 4 am, and the NYFD reported that sixth floor studios were unoccupied.  This floor is home to the work of the senior and graduate painting students.  Although this is a great loss to the fine art department, as well as the individuals who have lost work, it is also a blessing that no lives were taken tonight.Tonight was the most terrible and humbling experience that I have ever witnessed.  We can never forget the impermanence of feelings, material possessions, and most importantly ourselves.  We must always remember that there are things far worse than our daily issues, and to not take the negative in our lives so seriously.  There is always room for improvement and good will come in due time; be thankful for what you have today, for the future is uncertain.   All photos are © Kim Melton.  All rights reserved.  Please do not claim these photos as your own, distribute, or market them. :( how ironic to have a building services assignment on fire codes, fire safety, and sprinkler systems due today…brooklynfollies: kmeltonphoto: At 2:21 am on Friday, February 15, 2013, the sixth floor of Pratt’s Main building caught fire for reasons unknown.  I awoke to the sounds of sirens and shouts from the crowd that had already grown outside. After digesting the initial shock, I could think of nothing else to do but go out and document this tragic event.  The fire was contained by 4 am, and the NYFD reported that sixth floor studios were unoccupied.  This floor is home to the work of the senior and graduate painting students.  Although this is a great loss to the fine art department, as well as the individuals who have lost work, it is also a blessing that no lives were taken tonight.Tonight was the most terrible and humbling experience that I have ever witnessed.  We can never forget the impermanence of feelings, material possessions, and most importantly ourselves.  We must always remember that there are things far worse than our daily issues, and to not take the negative in our lives so seriously.  There is always room for improvement and good will come in due time; be thankful for what you have today, for the future is uncertain.   All photos are © Kim Melton.  All rights reserved.  Please do not claim these photos as your own, distribute, or market them. :( how ironic to have a building services assignment on fire codes, fire safety, and sprinkler systems due today…brooklynfollies: kmeltonphoto: At 2:21 am on Friday, February 15, 2013, the sixth floor of Pratt’s Main building caught fire for reasons unknown.  I awoke to the sounds of sirens and shouts from the crowd that had already grown outside. After digesting the initial shock, I could think of nothing else to do but go out and document this tragic event.  The fire was contained by 4 am, and the NYFD reported that sixth floor studios were unoccupied.  This floor is home to the work of the senior and graduate painting students.  Although this is a great loss to the fine art department, as well as the individuals who have lost work, it is also a blessing that no lives were taken tonight.Tonight was the most terrible and humbling experience that I have ever witnessed.  We can never forget the impermanence of feelings, material possessions, and most importantly ourselves.  We must always remember that there are things far worse than our daily issues, and to not take the negative in our lives so seriously.  There is always room for improvement and good will come in due time; be thankful for what you have today, for the future is uncertain.   All photos are © Kim Melton.  All rights reserved.  Please do not claim these photos as your own, distribute, or market them. :( how ironic to have a building services assignment on fire codes, fire safety, and sprinkler systems due today…brooklynfollies: kmeltonphoto: At 2:21 am on Friday, February 15, 2013, the sixth floor of Pratt’s Main building caught fire for reasons unknown.  I awoke to the sounds of sirens and shouts from the crowd that had already grown outside. After digesting the initial shock, I could think of nothing else to do but go out and document this tragic event.  The fire was contained by 4 am, and the NYFD reported that sixth floor studios were unoccupied.  This floor is home to the work of the senior and graduate painting students.  Although this is a great loss to the fine art department, as well as the individuals who have lost work, it is also a blessing that no lives were taken tonight.Tonight was the most terrible and humbling experience that I have ever witnessed.  We can never forget the impermanence of feelings, material possessions, and most importantly ourselves.  We must always remember that there are things far worse than our daily issues, and to not take the negative in our lives so seriously.  There is always room for improvement and good will come in due time; be thankful for what you have today, for the future is uncertain.   All photos are © Kim Melton.  All rights reserved.  Please do not claim these photos as your own, distribute, or market them. :( how ironic to have a building services assignment on fire codes, fire safety, and sprinkler systems due today…brooklynfollies: kmeltonphoto: At 2:21 am on Friday, February 15, 2013, the sixth floor of Pratt’s Main building caught fire for reasons unknown.  I awoke to the sounds of sirens and shouts from the crowd that had already grown outside. After digesting the initial shock, I could think of nothing else to do but go out and document this tragic event.  The fire was contained by 4 am, and the NYFD reported that sixth floor studios were unoccupied.  This floor is home to the work of the senior and graduate painting students.  Although this is a great loss to the fine art department, as well as the individuals who have lost work, it is also a blessing that no lives were taken tonight.Tonight was the most terrible and humbling experience that I have ever witnessed.  We can never forget the impermanence of feelings, material possessions, and most importantly ourselves.  We must always remember that there are things far worse than our daily issues, and to not take the negative in our lives so seriously.  There is always room for improvement and good will come in due time; be thankful for what you have today, for the future is uncertain.   All photos are © Kim Melton.  All rights reserved.  Please do not claim these photos as your own, distribute, or market them. :( how ironic to have a building services assignment on fire codes, fire safety, and sprinkler systems due today…brooklynfollies: kmeltonphoto: At 2:21 am on Friday, February 15, 2013, the sixth floor of Pratt’s Main building caught fire for reasons unknown.  I awoke to the sounds of sirens and shouts from the crowd that had already grown outside. After digesting the initial shock, I could think of nothing else to do but go out and document this tragic event.  The fire was contained by 4 am, and the NYFD reported that sixth floor studios were unoccupied.  This floor is home to the work of the senior and graduate painting students.  Although this is a great loss to the fine art department, as well as the individuals who have lost work, it is also a blessing that no lives were taken tonight.Tonight was the most terrible and humbling experience that I have ever witnessed.  We can never forget the impermanence of feelings, material possessions, and most importantly ourselves.  We must always remember that there are things far worse than our daily issues, and to not take the negative in our lives so seriously.  There is always room for improvement and good will come in due time; be thankful for what you have today, for the future is uncertain.   All photos are © Kim Melton.  All rights reserved.  Please do not claim these photos as your own, distribute, or market them. :( how ironic to have a building services assignment on fire codes, fire safety, and sprinkler systems due today…brooklynfollies: kmeltonphoto: At 2:21 am on Friday, February 15, 2013, the sixth floor of Pratt’s Main building caught fire for reasons unknown.  I awoke to the sounds of sirens and shouts from the crowd that had already grown outside. After digesting the initial shock, I could think of nothing else to do but go out and document this tragic event.  The fire was contained by 4 am, and the NYFD reported that sixth floor studios were unoccupied.  This floor is home to the work of the senior and graduate painting students.  Although this is a great loss to the fine art department, as well as the individuals who have lost work, it is also a blessing that no lives were taken tonight.Tonight was the most terrible and humbling experience that I have ever witnessed.  We can never forget the impermanence of feelings, material possessions, and most importantly ourselves.  We must always remember that there are things far worse than our daily issues, and to not take the negative in our lives so seriously.  There is always room for improvement and good will come in due time; be thankful for what you have today, for the future is uncertain.   All photos are © Kim Melton.  All rights reserved.  Please do not claim these photos as your own, distribute, or market them. :( how ironic to have a building services assignment on fire codes, fire safety, and sprinkler systems due today…brooklynfollies: kmeltonphoto: At 2:21 am on Friday, February 15, 2013, the sixth floor of Pratt’s Main building caught fire for reasons unknown.  I awoke to the sounds of sirens and shouts from the crowd that had already grown outside. After digesting the initial shock, I could think of nothing else to do but go out and document this tragic event.  The fire was contained by 4 am, and the NYFD reported that sixth floor studios were unoccupied.  This floor is home to the work of the senior and graduate painting students.  Although this is a great loss to the fine art department, as well as the individuals who have lost work, it is also a blessing that no lives were taken tonight.Tonight was the most terrible and humbling experience that I have ever witnessed.  We can never forget the impermanence of feelings, material possessions, and most importantly ourselves.  We must always remember that there are things far worse than our daily issues, and to not take the negative in our lives so seriously.  There is always room for improvement and good will come in due time; be thankful for what you have today, for the future is uncertain.   All photos are © Kim Melton.  All rights reserved.  Please do not claim these photos as your own, distribute, or market them. :( how ironic to have a building services assignment on fire codes, fire safety, and sprinkler systems due today…brooklynfollies: kmeltonphoto: At 2:21 am on Friday, February 15, 2013, the sixth floor of Pratt’s Main building caught fire for reasons unknown.  I awoke to the sounds of sirens and shouts from the crowd that had already grown outside. After digesting the initial shock, I could think of nothing else to do but go out and document this tragic event.  The fire was contained by 4 am, and the NYFD reported that sixth floor studios were unoccupied.  This floor is home to the work of the senior and graduate painting students.  Although this is a great loss to the fine art department, as well as the individuals who have lost work, it is also a blessing that no lives were taken tonight.Tonight was the most terrible and humbling experience that I have ever witnessed.  We can never forget the impermanence of feelings, material possessions, and most importantly ourselves.  We must always remember that there are things far worse than our daily issues, and to not take the negative in our lives so seriously.  There is always room for improvement and good will come in due time; be thankful for what you have today, for the future is uncertain.   All photos are © Kim Melton.  All rights reserved.  Please do not claim these photos as your own, distribute, or market them. :( how ironic to have a building services assignment on fire codes, fire safety, and sprinkler systems due today…

brooklynfollies:

kmeltonphoto:

At 2:21 am on Friday, February 15, 2013, the sixth floor of Pratt’s Main building caught fire for reasons unknown.  I awoke to the sounds of sirens and shouts from the crowd that had already grown outside. After digesting the initial shock, I could think of nothing else to do but go out and document this tragic event.  The fire was contained by 4 am, and the NYFD reported that sixth floor studios were unoccupied.  This floor is home to the work of the senior and graduate painting students.  Although this is a great loss to the fine art department, as well as the individuals who have lost work, it is also a blessing that no lives were taken tonight.
Tonight was the most terrible and humbling experience that I have ever witnessed.  We can never forget the impermanence of feelings, material possessions, and most importantly ourselves.  We must always remember that there are things far worse than our daily issues, and to not take the negative in our lives so seriously.  There is always room for improvement and good will come in due time; be thankful for what you have today, for the future is uncertain.

 

All photos are © Kim Melton.  All rights reserved.  Please do not claim these photos as your own, distribute, or market them.

:(

how ironic to have a building services assignment on fire codes, fire safety, and sprinkler systems due today…

Reblogged 3 months ago from brooklynfollies (Originally from kmeltonphoto) 97 notes

feeling refreshed

This semester I’m learning to relax, take breaks, and not feel guilty about it. School is important, but it’s not everything. I used to make it “my life” and not have time to do things that I enjoyed because I thought that architecture school was “supposed” to take up all of my time. And that I was supposed to be suffering and spending all my time thinking about design, working in studio, and setting up lasercut files on Friday nights. I used to wonder why I never had time to do anything fun. But I was the one stopping myself. No one’s forcing me to work all the time, no one is making me feel “guilty” but myself. Why did I let myself believe that was how it should be? It’s not like I didn’t enjoy learning about architecture, but I let myself believe that I needed to be thinking about it constantly. I was in a suffocating relationship with my work. I guess I didn’t know that I could take some time off and still have good work. I was led to believe that there was “good” and “bad” architecture. But really, there is not definitive answer. Who am I to judge? I know just as much as my peers; we are no experts in anything. We are all entitled to our own ideas and designs, and ask different questions for our architecture. 

I can go into great depth about the creative process. How we shouldn’t judge solely on aesthetics. There is much more to architecture than how it looks. If anything, it is how the human body/mind react to spaces. Think about your favorite place. Think about your memories in that space. This is the magic of architecture, and how it changes all the time according to the viewer. 

Anyway, I digress. The point is, it doesn’t matter how little sleep you get, or how much time you spend thinking about design. Everyone has different ways of working, and over-working may not always be the best. It is true that you must practice your skills over and over again before it becomes natural and effortless. In order to train yourself to become a better designer, you must work at these skills so you will have better control over what you want. However, it is necessary to take breaks. Everything in moderation. And, knowing myself, I just won’t allow for anything less of a high standard. And the work will get done. So why waste half a day in frustration when I can be spending that time doing things I want to do, like running or cooking, or just relaxing and doing nothing?

Finding content in life is all about finding balance in work and leisure. It’s definitely a challenge, but in the end very much worth it. This semester I’ve been cooking a lot more (therefore saving money), exercising at least 3 times a week (trying to train for a half-marathon in may), working more hours at my work-study job, getting enough sleep every night, and paying attention at all my other non-design classes. These are all things that essentially make me happy. I ended last semester with a new hope and outlook on the future, and it’s been pretty great so far. In general I’ve been doing well. And it’s such an amazing feeling after a couple years of sacrifice in architecture school

# personal architecture thoughts new outlook relax refreshed

Posted 3 months ago 1 note

new semester plans

Trying to plan out a whole year is just ridiculous. You never know what’s going to happen, and it’s especially difficult when your (personal) life and school (life) are somewhat interchangeable, and are basically split into the 4 seasons. So I’m going to try and take one season at a time, and see where that takes me. If I think far too in advance, it will only freak me out.

So Spring 2013, here I come. As I finish up winter break, with about another week to go, there are some loose ends I need to tie. Like getting my portfolio done and a website up and running. This is the first winter break I’ve had where I didn’t wake up thinking I had to get some work done, or resolve some issues in my project, or even re-visit my project. Since I moved back to S.I for the break, I haven’t once opened any of my old files, or really organized it all to prepare for my portfolio. Which I believe is a good thing. Maybe my frustration in my own work is rooted from me not really giving it a rest. I’ve been told time and time to step back and “meditate” on what I’ve done, and I’ve never really taken it to heart, until now. I am always hopeful for the new semester and what it will entail- probably even more work, higher standards, but maybe there will be some free time I can spend doing non-architecture things.

Next semester will probably be my busiest semester yet. And despite the possible stress, and lack of free time to just do nothing, I honestly believe I am happiest when I have a full schedule. I love having things to do, and my mind is constantly running. So, on top of all my architecture classes, which will demand a lot of time (if ya know, I want to do well in them) I will be increasing my hours at work so I can earn more money to save for my study abroad trip to Rome in Spring 2014. In addition to the increased work load (in my studies/studio, and at my job), I will be training for the Brooklyn Half Marathon in May. In addition to all of this, I want to be saving money by cooking my own food, which in turn means more time taken away from doing work.

As I write all of this down, I realize I have a lot on my plate. And who knows, it may be really stressful and tiring, but I have faith it will be worth it in the end. 4 months of intensity, and then I’ll have survived another semester at Pratt. Not like I ever think I won’t make it because I would never allow myself to fail so low. This new semester will be exciting, and will be riding the architecture high as soon as studio starts and fully emerse myself in the things I love.

# 2013 new semester plans reflection personal

Posted 4 months ago 1 note