To preface this thread, my name is not Chris Farley and I’m not a motivational speaker. I don’t live in a van down by the river, but when I joined this site about three months ago I was unemployed. I visit this site as
a means of expanding my understanding of how our industry has been affected by
the economic situation and what indicators there might be towards its recovery.
I’ve found many in the same situation with whom to commiserate. But lately
there have been several threads that seem to only have this purpose in mind,
not that it’s surprising since ‘misery loves company’.
Although I have not worked in a firm since November 2008 (performed site maintenance at a country club and worked in a landscape nursery in the time since), I’ve done my best to stay optimistic. I believe that if
landscape architecture expects to return with any real resilience, its
professors—we who champion its cause—must find ways to continue to ponder,
create, and innovate now in preparation for when the market re-emerges from
recession. There are, of course, logistical constraints for many, particularly
those of us barely scraping by as it is.
How are you motivating yourself to continue to do innovative work?
What ideas, processes, or techniques are you exploring in your ‘downtime’?
Is there an emerging trend that excites you and that you are learning how it could be implemented in your region (green infrastructure, smart growth, new urbanism, sustainable sites, etc.)?
In order set ourselves above our related industries, we have to prove that our solutions are better. How are you turning your frustrations with the status quo into efforts towards positive change?
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