In the Middle of the Endless Marathon Called Architectural Design

This is just a late-night memo.

The job of architectural design is, honestly, exhausting. I truly understand why so many people get discouraged and leave.

It feels like running through an endless tunnel. Even for a small project, it takes one to two years, and for large ones, it is common for it to take five to six years. Moreover, as long as the site is different, there is no such thing as the same project in this world.

In other words, every time is a 'first meeting,' and every day is a continuous process of learning. Days where new information keeps flowing into your brain. That is exactly why it is fun, and that is exactly why it is deathly exhausting.

Where can one find a compromise between this 'fun' and this 'exhaustion'? Will you become numb and only feel the 'fun,' or will you become unable to think of anything but the 'exhaustion'? Since the stress of human relationships is added on top of that, perhaps it would be strange if your heart did not wear down.

Even so, there is a reason why I am clinging to this world. It is because I have come to know the drug-like joy of 'completion'.

The moment when lines you have spent years drawing rise up as a space. That joy is irreplaceable by anything else. Once you have tasted that feeling, which cannot be expressed in words, you will want to dedicate another few years to it.

So, if there is someone out there right now who is in despair because they cannot see the path ahead. If there is someone who is crushed by anger toward their boss or their own helplessness.

It may not fit the current era, but I dare to say, 'Hang in there.'

Once you reach completion, the scenery changes. The fog of the project clears, and there will surely come a moment when the path you should take becomes clearly visible. The only way to be liberated from that suffering is to complete it. If you have decided to live in this world, I want you to go that far, even if you have to grit your teeth.

……Having said that. I also feel just as strongly about something else. No one will blame you for 'choosing to protect yourself'.

Escaping before you break. Whether it is changing jobs or taking a leave of absence, there is no problem with using legitimate means to protect yourself. Architecture will not run away. As long as you are healthy, you can always draw lines again.

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I wrote that I can continue running the marathon of design because of the 'drug of completion,' but then how can one protect their heart from the 'endless work without a manual' that occurs every day?

Click here for how to build a defensive wall for your mental health ↓