Dealing with Rejection

exGreat design work requires dedication and sacrifice.

The architect must commit to create something truly exceptional.

Careful consideration of the overall big picture to the tiniest details of ornamentation is necessary.

As such, Rejection at the end of such hard work can be disheartening.

To overcome rejection, Here are a few principles that have helped me and hopefully you find them useful:👇🏽👇🏽

Dedication to Excellence

We need to zoom out and approach rejection as an opportunity for growth.

Embrace rejection as a sacrifice for your craft.

Channel your dedication into improving your skills, refining your design, and pushing your creative boundaries. Every setback is a chance to sacrifice comfort for excellence.

Honest Evaluation

When faced with rejection, truthfulness is vital.

Take an honest look at the feedback and critique you receive. Embrace constructive criticism, and use it to refine your design.

Truthfulness in evaluating your work will help you create designs that authentically address the needs and expectations of your tutors in a school setting and or clients in the real world.

Harness Emotions:

Rejection can make you feel powerless, but remember to use the power of architecture to evoke emotions.

Convert your frustration into motivation to create designs that captivate and inspire. It is a skill that can be learnt

Use rejection as a driving force to design spaces that empower users and connect on a profound level.

Aesthetic Innovation

Rejection might lead you to doubt your design's beauty, but beauty is subjective.

Use rejection as a catalyst to explore new forms, materials, and aesthetics.

Aim to create designs that not only meet functional requirements but also push the boundaries of beauty, capturing the eye and imagination of those who experience your work.

User-centric approach;

Rejection often stems from a disconnect between design and user needs.

Embrace rejection as an opportunity to enhance the human experience.

Ensure your architecture enriches lives, providing comfort, functionality, and a sense of belonging.

Enduring Legacy;

Rejection can feel like a setback, but it's just a small part of your architectural journey.

Embrace it as a moment in time and think about the lasting legacy the designs you create. Starting with “WHY” you do what you do.

Design with the aim of leaving a positive mark on the built environment, becoming a part of the collective memory that defines our era.

Contextual Ingenuity

Rejection can sometimes be due to a lack of alignment with the project's context.

Embrace obedience by studying the surroundings, culture, and environment more deeply.

Use rejection as an opportunity to create innovative solutions that respond harmoniously to the context, proving that architecture can obey while still pushing creative boundaries.

By applying these principles, architects and other designers can recover from rejection by not allowing it crash the spirit in frustration but by setting up self for excellence.

Most important, the principles become catalyst for extra-ordinary designs.

•Namara Allan