professional

I’m back. I know you probably haven’t noticed but I haven’t been online for two whole days, and sadly enough I’ve really felt disconnected. I’m such a web addict. My own computer has been with a friend of mine for a while, for him to hopefully find what was wrong with it. He did, though he couldn’t fix all of it. It still behaves a bit strangely at times. So, I’ve had his laptop for two months and suddenly the network card (or whatever you call it) didn’t work Friday, hence the disconnection over the weekend. Today I got my own machine back, limping as it is, but at least I can blog and pay my bills…

Now you’d think I would’ve taken the opportunity to get stuff done offline while I got my connections sorted, but what do I do instead? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Unless sleeping counts as an activity? I’ve been sleeping a lot. Something’s wrong and I have no idea what. I sleep weirdly. I wake up four times a night, but I sleep like a log when finally the alarm goes off and totally miss it. I’ve slept through those fog horn signals three times in a week! I guess I just have a lot on my mind right now.

What is all that on your mind you ask? Well work, mostly. This autumn is looking better every minute. Better meaning busier. I need the money, but perfectionist as I am it also means worrying about being good enough… Damn this self esteem of mine. I’m good damnit! I really wish I could believe that at heart.

Oh, some of you might not even know what I do for a living? Maybe it’s time for “the big presentation of Lisa – the professional”? (Didn’t that sound wonderfully pretentious?) I’ll try to explain what wonderful opportunities my life has given me lately:

In September last year I graduated from Chalmers University of Technology as an architect. My diploma work being a small book about architecture and communication, and about the gap of misunderstanding there seems to be between the architects and the consumers. My mentor loved it and it got me into the world of “communicating architects”.

In Gothenburg there are several projects in which architecture is brought to the schools. I was asked to do workshops where classes come and explore architecture in different and very playful ways.
It’s so much fun!
Some of these workshops are presented in the “museum lesson catalogue” where schools can pick and choose from different workshops, and then come have them in the different museums in town. The difference between Gothenburg and other cities is that we consider the city itself as a museum of architecture, where the buildings themselves represent their time, their style and their context. This means that I’ve been having these workshops out and about, playing with and discussing urban planning, city furniture and history with kids all over the city! And this term I have four different workshops that are all mine in that catalogue! Two outdoors in the city, and two indoors in our design museum.

This design museum has become my second home, because after having had a workshop about doors with them this spring they loved me, and I loved them. This summer I’ve been a guide there and also tutoring different art workshops. Do I have the best life or what? This autumn I’ll continue to work more at that museum as a guide and tutor (plus the workshops I have planned with them). This means I get to discuss design and identity, design history, fashion and much more with kids from all over the region! I’m loving this!

This is all good, but still generates too few hours to fully support me, so upon all of this I have my own little firm where I’ve specialized in projects where I come to schools tutoring the kids in projects where they are planning their own school environment! I’ve done two of these so far and two school yards in Gothenburg are now about to undergo some major changes! It’s inspiring, very much fun and I get so much back from these kids I feel like saying thank you to each and every one of them! I have so many stories about these projects already! Kids are great! And from one of these projects I was asked to do the design for a renovation of a closed youth centre with a small café, a recording studio and such. Me and a friend just handed in our proposal so please keep your fingers crossed everybody!

This autumn the biggest project like this is about the interior of a big high school built in the 70s that really needs to be updated to the needs of the kids today. I’m not kidding when I say they have Nothing to do at break time. I’m looking forward to the chance of making a difference. I’m building the best life for myself. It’s still poor in money, but so rich in inspiration!