Julie Murphy, Landscape Architect
  • About
  • Sketchbook
  • Blog
  • Photography
  • Contact

It matters.

6/3/2014

 
Here's a truth: things don't always get built the way the designer had in mind. In grant work that supports causes without a whole lot of independent capital, that is especially true.

"But we are designers!" (I probably should capitalize that "d", forgive me, design professors, for the heresy) "What we envision is supposed to be created the way we envision it! We are the experts! That's what people pay us to do!" Yes, yes, I know. It's true. Those designs, fully realized, are our best spaces. How can we expect a design to succeed if it is never actually implemented correctly and given the chance to be a success? I understand all of this. And we shouldn't stop fighting for our designs to be enacted the Right Way. We should always keep designing, and keep holding tight to the details that make all the difference in the way a place is used and perceived.

But it's worth celebrating the little victories, too, even when the big victories aren't visible. One flower, one tomato plant, one new tree in the ground. Did they put it in the right spot? Maybe. Will it make a difference? Definitely.

It's a success when a three-year-old grabs your arm to give you a tour of their garden. When four-year-olds have to be told to wait and not eat all the sweet peas right away because they won't have a chance to grow big. When a child absentmindedly leans on a redbud, pausing in the shade for a moment.

Here's to the small successes.

Picture

    Author

    I'm Julie Murphy, a landscape architect pursuing a master's degree in urban and environmental planning in Charlottesville, VA

    Archives

    February 2017
    January 2017
    August 2016
    June 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    February 2015
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.