The blank page, the empty file, the blinking cursor. Lately these have been some of the scariest things I face. Whether it be at my sketch book, the architectural software at work, or even this blog; the ideas for anything new just aren’t coming.
Where do you look for inspiration when you are stuck? I typically have gone to the internet to see what other architects are talking about or what new software is the latest buzz. But lately, even that feels a little lacking in inspiration. All of these things that I normally look too are filled with ideas and content that have been created by some of the most amazing people. Talking to these people online or, if your lucky enough, in real life is an amazing experience. You are blown away by their passion and insight into everything they do. How can I tap into that? Where do I find that thing that I am so excited about, people can’t help but want to listen to me?
Help….
The Emerging Architect 
The blank page is intimidating to everyone – you are not unique in that regard so I wouldn’t beat yourself up over it. The thing that makes telling a story interesting is the authenticity of it – it needs to come from someplace where you are currently at in real life. Very few of the stories I share are completely made up. Simply take what you are doing and tell people what it is, why you are doing it, and why it’s worth doing. Most people connect to the shared experience rather than the actual storytelling, and once you get into a groove of telling your tale, you will find all of a sudden that you have a “voice” to how you communicate that is uniquely your own. I think that’s really important because it will shape not only what you talk about, but how you share it. People generally discover that I am in person exactly as I am in real life – that’s no accident. When I first started, I quickly learned that I wouldn’t be able to maintain the charade of being something I’m not, once I got past that, the rest came together pretty quickly.
Stick with it, and you’ll get there and you realize that there are no shortages to what you have to offer others.
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Thanks Bob, good advice as always.
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