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yeah andrew…we took a ride around the big island…but our karma must be lacking. 😉

Did you really try taking a trip to Hawaii?

God,
This is depressing. 🙁 Sorry…I am just DOWN today. Good advice…but we have done this stuff and not even gotten calls back.

Thomas you touched on the area where I really feel that this passage is interesting.  While there are those in the personal residential sector who will higher a Landscape Architect to design their property, I find that we as a profession can have a greater influence is in the building of communities, and I’m not referring to traditional master p…[Read more]

I would not utilize buffalograss in a green roof application. It’s major issue is that it has a narrow precipitation window: too dry and it will expire like any plant, too wet and it will be out-competed by invasive species. Buffalograss also prefers dense clay soils contrary to the lightweight sandy soils you typically see on a green roof. I…[Read more]

Yeah, I would bet that there is a direct correlation between intelligence/life-experience/education and the effectiveness of marketing/advertising. i.e. it’s easier to influence the buying behavior / manipulate people of lower intelligence / less experience (children).
This is one reason why advertising for Landscape Architecture is so difficult,…[Read more]

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is a great read on this exact subject. In it he writes about why people believe what they believe, buy what they buy and how fads and belief-sets come in and out of fashion. He writes about everything from Paul Revere’s midnight ride (did you know there was another rider who failed to get the warning out to…[Read more]

In science, the acceptance of new ideas follows a predictable, four-stage sequence. In Stage 1, skeptics confidently proclaim that the idea is impossible because it violates the Laws of Science. This stage can last from years to centuries, depending on how much the idea challenges conventional wisdom. In Stage 2, skeptics reluctantly concede that…[Read more]

90% of all the jobs I have ever had (LA and otherwise) was to print out my resume, walk/drive to an office and hand it to a person of importance (if they are not immediately available, patiently wait or come back).  The combination of personal contact, initiative and the opportunity to create a first impression has been beneficial. 
I would r…[Read more]

Getting in front of people is the most important. I learned that showing up unannounced annoys people. Calling to arrange a meeting is often unproductive. I needed to find a way to make it easy to let me in.
I put a list together of every LA within my limited geographic area (where there are no big firms). Then I made up several resume/portfolio…[Read more]

Thanks for the encouraging news Frank & Fremont!

Sending out “a gazillion resumes” is never a good idea in my humble opinion. You are wasting time! Why send a resume to a firm in Alaska or Minnesota when no way on God’s green earth would I ever consider living there? Better to post an online resume on Monster or ASLA than mass mailing. Instead, target regions of where you would prefer to…[Read more]

Evocative in overall planting design, but provocative in use of certain species of plants! The provocative plants are your specimen or focal points in the landscape.

Read my comment in the UILA Vandal message board in regards to making money other than landscape architecture. You and nrschimd’s conversations veered off the subject. Ahh yes…the old “I wanna change the world” attitude often said from recent graduates. Been there, done that. In 10 years, ask yourself that question again. All of your goals can…[Read more]

I just picked up one of those about about a month ago and I’ve been thrilled with the performance thus far.