thanks!

thanks!

@unknownuser said:

There were two camps those that went to graduate school after undergraduate degrees and those that went to work in architecture firms. So which one are you?

I've been in this industry long enough to have seen it's ups and down and to understand what are some of it's pitfalls.

Going to graduate school will be a benefit to you if you are already a talented designer. Having both the talent and the degree will translate into more opportunities in the real world practice. However if you lack talent a degree will not be of much use to you in the real world, it may open some doors but you will still need to perform once inside.

So the long and short of it is what do you hope to gain from a masters degree? I mean if it is purely to enhance your current design skills and learn some new ones or is it motivated to get a better job etc., etc. If ultimately you want to practice architecture and get your license as an architect then possibly entering the work force and getting your IDP credits and taking the exam would be more wise.

OK so after saying all that do I have any regrets for not going to a masters program, Yes.

Again, I'm presented with two paths, get into the field or go to grad school. I'm not sure which one I am... I don't lack talent (at risk of pridefulness:), but I'm not sure if that alone tells me whether this is the right path. It's less about getting my license and practicing architecture, more about enhancing skills and learning new ones - that's it for sure.

Good questions, Phil. Thanks for helping me to process this, however indecisive I may be.

peace,
Nick

This is invaluable input. Sorry I've been MIA - just moved to MN and got over a week of sickness, still getting on my feet here.

Wow, Lewis, "likely-frauds", "drudge-serf", that is cynical - but real. I appreciate your candor, it's exactly what I was looking for (whether good or bad). You present two paths, professional and academic - neither is appealing from what you describe. Maybe I should just avoid it all and build my modeling business, keep my eyes open for the next business opportunity... patrol the fringe of the architectural world, pursuing and enjoying the parts of it that I love but not getting sucked into it. I've been pondering all along whether what I really want is "to be an architect" or if it just came across my path. I know that I must have significant motivation to make it through the gauntlet, so I want to be more sure than I am that it's what I want before I set out.

Bruce, thanks for the encouragement. To try to answer your question (where is your love? - you're so deep, I like it:) I love the creative process, I love the process of freely translating my ideas through my hands and into being, I love excessive detail and perfection, I love the beauty of profound simplicity in God's creation. What that leads me to do is what I'm trying to discover. I know that 3d modeling/rendering allowed me to channel more of my passions than anything I've done before - it brings together artistic and technical, creation, construction, photography, digital painting... I love it! This is what pointed me toward architecture, I would guess because much of the 3d modeling/rendering market is architectural.

I've learned to use the 'Subscribe Topic' feature now too, so I won't miss out on the convo.

peace!
Nick

another shot... thanks for the input - great suggestions.
-updated glass tex thanks to Rayman on Kerky forum.
-updated other textures here and there
-dialed down concrete and asphalt textures to de-emphasize the bad patterns I was getting before
-added a little dirt to the streets in PS
-changed color of pink trees (I agree, they were ugly - also distracting/cluttering down there)
-slight blur and fade on background buildings (bg buildings from FormFonts)

ha! I'm not sure a cynical perspective would be such a bad thing to get a full spectrum view of the experience.

I've had opportunity to chat with a couple professionals in the field and also have appointments with two profs at different universities.

My understanding is that there are different ways you can go about pursuing a career as an architect - pursuing creativity, design, awards, etc. or pursuing money, clients, work, etc. Gross generalizations recognized, I want to be the former. It fits my personality and philosophy of life in general. I'm not going to live my life chasing money - God will provide for me and I'll see what good I can do in the meantime.

I'm also not clear on what it takes to get into a program. I imagine, like anything else, there are many variables among many different schools. My undergrad grades aren't fantastic, but I don't think they'll make it impossible either. I've heard that at least some schools place high value on creativity, interest in architecture, and artistic ability. Those are some things I can work on - those are the things I'm excited about

Hope you are doing well. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Peace!
Nick

just playin'

working on getting rid of the patterned concrete on the street and sidewalk...

also thinking about playing with some depth map to de-emphasize the surrounding buildings - I don't like the way they crowd the featured building. better yet, maybe I can figure out a perspective that doesn't need the other buildings and yet doesn't feel like the main building is sitting by itself out in a field. hmmmm...

c&c welcome and appreciated.

peace!
Nick

beautiful work, Mateo. The subtle color grabs me too. I like the first one best. love the interplay of the triangle point of the boat, canopy, and umbrellas. I definitely want to take a little walk around.

poppin' the wheelie. feelin' the flow.

apart from the cartoony kid and some very subtle color/tone adjustments (people a bit washed out, leaves upper left a little light, grass repeating pattern), this is a very realistic base to start with. The flowers and sign, etc look great. That's the focal point of the image. The evergreens are maybe a touch dark, but I think they look good in the image overall. That's what I think of when I see a big fancy sign in the "front yard" of a big business or golf course or whatever - maybe it's a regional thing...

peace!
Nick

Lewis, I appreciate it! Looking forward to your reply. No rush, this isn't a tight deadline kind of consideration.

peace,
Nick