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Whether it is the economy or not, the underlying thing from the people making the posts is that the profession is not meeting their expectations.

There seems to be two major categories of stress that come out in posts in my opinion. One is the current limitation of opportunity. The other is frustration of idealistic people either not being able…[Read more]

You are getting a cross section of an industry at a downtime, so no matter what industry it is there are going to be upset people. Outside of that I think that in general, unhappy people express their upset feelings on messageboards more than happy people do. Being unhappy makes you want to tell others about it while telling people how happy you…[Read more]

Expression like this has been coming for a loooooong time, it just took the recession to bring it to the fore. It happens every downturn, and even in between (It was a low-spot in the profession when I graduted from college, and a great many of my fellow students never got into the professional at all.) The recognition and ASLA discussions have…[Read more]

Here are a few example of what I’m talking per request.

“So, if I had it all over again I would avoid the whole damned mess by getting a degree in marketing and/or graphic art.”

“This (the new SSI Standards) is the most insane thing that has come down the road.”

“I’m going back to school because there isn’t enough stability in the…[Read more]

Can I choose Both?!

Could I ask for an example of what you’re describing here? Thanks!

I’d start by asking anyone why they pursued the profession and follow it with asking if it is not what he or she thought it was. I think this is the root of the problem.

I first took Mike’s two week workshop in 1991 as a Junior in College. Perhaps because of the way I was brought up – in a sarcastic, joking, accept-everyone kind of family – I loved Mike, his humor and his style from the first moment we met.

I am a Landscape Architect and frustrated artist…as I was when I met Mike. The difference is, back then I…[Read more]

Zach, that is a great question that you raise. I am interested to hear what people have to say, as well…

I discussed this briefly a while back on DUS.

http://www.designundersky.com/dus/2009/12/12/local-codes-real-estates.html

Yeah, Ms. Arieff always seems to find interesting topics and presents them well. This reminds me of when I worked for the NJDOT. With land acquisition for highway projects, you end up with a lot of leftover pieces of land. One of our jobs was to look at those pieces and decide if they served any scenic, buffering or other useful function and…[Read more]

Thanks for sharing Trace. That was a nice opinion piece and the comments were entertaining. I imagine that the cost would be extremely high for cities to try and implement some of the Local Code into their unused spaces, but they do not have to do it all at once.

It would be a nice discussion on whether or not it would improve(value of property,…[Read more]

it has probably been 5+ years that i went to kansas for the 2 week workshop with trepidation.
1) as a design professional with a serious handicap……..i could not draw
2) i had heard stories and rumors about mike’s personality…….would i be able to endure this?

at the introduction i learned to clear my head of preconceived notions, be…[Read more]

This might sound counter intuitive but, I learned Flash before I learned much regarding html and CSS. I started with a Flash how to book in 2007 which I read on the train between Cardiff and Bristol every evening (I tended to sleep in the mornings because I had a cushy Virgin Train on my way to Bristol). Then I story boarded my first site and…[Read more]

I agree, good topic!

Amy, just to clarify, after 35 years of teaching the 2 day workshop, I have worked hard to assure that the curriculum be balanced based on school program and industry standards. Normally I spend half a day on perspective, and the rest of the session on subjects like proper drawing attitude, graphic tricks, how to draw people and tree, and…[Read more]