When in a muddle - work with a friend.

Was having one of those days. You know the kind.. So many jobs to do and you just don't know where to begin.. While I was busy procrastinating and trying not to think about it I got a call from a good friend. We had not spoken for a few months and she called just to catch up and see what was happening. Apparently she had read some of my posts and as we talked it became clear that she too had been thinking a lot about renovation and renewal. It was a long conversation, deep and meaningful in the best of ways. So I may not have got any of the jobs I wanted done, but going and spending some time working with my friend helped me to get some energy back. It is interesting how helping a friend can actually help you to clarify some of the design elements that have been a bit esoteric or intangible.

There are many good reasons for renovating, but when it comes right down to it the very best one is that you can no longer continue in the space you are in. That while there is a great deal that you like about the place it is actually not working well for you. You know this when you realise that you spend a lot of time compromising in order to keep things running.

We talked a lot about safe spaces today and we meant much more than simply conforming to OHS. I think when we talked about safe we were actually saying that we wanted a place that was affirming, life-giving and where we could know beyond doubt that we belonged. We had reached a point where we no longer wanted to settle for what appeared to be fairly good. We wanted better. We wanted more. We admitted, and this is hard to do, that while we rejected the worst aspects of societies greed and selfishness, we needed, dare I say deserved to ask for the the best possible environment that would allow us to thrive and to grow.

This of course led to a conversation on ecological factors. How your design fits with the environment in which the building is positioned. How adjacent buildings and the community in general are affected, and what adjustments you need to embrace to make the end product better. We agreed that the process needs to be organic. It must be a living breathing organism that adapts to what is happening around it, because if the plans are rigid and set in concrete, the potential damage to the surroundings is severe.

One of the best things about working with someone else for a while is that your shared ideas and the very conversation itself helps you to clarify those aspects that may have been a little foggy... The ones that you keep putting in the to-do pile because you can't clearly visualise what is involved. I have had many occasions this week to remember what I think was a quote..'How do I know what I am thinking until I hear it coming out of my mouth.' This is what working with others allows, the opportunity to make thoughts concrete by speaking them aloud. And, of course, it is always good to be reminded that there are others who are also in the midst of the same process.