StudioCK

When I saw ‘Beauty’ in this post’s title, I immediately wondered if David Brooks would be referenced and sure enough, there he is! Mr. Brooks is, of course, the compassionate conservative commentator on the PBS NewsHour and other media outlets as well as an Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times. He occasionally writes about culture. Several years ago, he wrote a column entitled, “When Beauty Strikes”, for the Times. In this column, he quotes Leon Wieseltier, who in a Times Book Review stated, “We live in a post-humanist moment”. Brooks argues that in this ‘moment’ we are “beauty poor and meaning-deprived”. The post-humanist moment is perhaps better understood as the worldview we currently hold which Brooks considers to be the opposite of one based on beauty. Beauty, according to Brooks is, “… a big transformational thing, the proper goal of art and maybe civilization itself”. To say this another way, our current worldview is to make money, buy lots of stuff, live unsustainably, rely on technology for happiness, and occasionally include beauty in our lives as an afterthought.

Maybe if we embraced humanism a little more, we wouldn’t have to, “lead the discourse on mitigating climate change, fostering community, and enacting social change”.

Good stuff Caleb, and great tips for those first assembling a portfolio. I love your suggestion for demonstrating “hands on experience”.

I’ve hired quite a few designers in my career and one additional suggestion is to clearly acknowledge team projects and what your role was. Whether academic or professional.

Hi Robert – thanks for your comments. I do state that “UAV technology can’t replace the skill and experience of an in-person site review”, so you’d get no argument from me. With regards to privacy I also point out multiple times the importance of FAA rules and regulations, which includes privacy concerns.

Visiting local nurseries with plants tagged and identified is probably the most efficient way to familiarize yourself with regional plant material. Also, tending your own garden as well as getting out in nature at various times in the season will provide firsthand experience on plant growth and habit.

Planting design software and databases are very poor options for full understanding and make for the weak knowledge we’re now seeing.

Hi Jack: Thanks for your thoughtful response. Visiting regional nurseries is a fantastic way to figure out what’s commonly available in your area. It’s important to pair observation of nursery stock with observation of established plants – your public gardens are a great resource for this practice. And the more time you can spend physically dealing with plants, the better!

I agree that you can’t expect software and databases to be very useful for education about plants and how they grow – however they’re a fantastic tool for more effectively managing the design and documentation process.

Very informative and useful article. Thank you so much for writing. This is a great idea.

Nice article with sound ideas. One tangent to Public Gardens are Cemeteries. It’s amazing how many of them function like a formal garden/park space.