One Month Left (WHAT!?)

I am down to one month. That's it. And there's more than a lot that needs to get done. I was thinking today that the best way for me to keep updated with my blog during this hectic time is to do a simple day by day, play by play. Maybe not the most interesting thing in the world, but I think I would like to document the last month of my school year. Saying that makes me sad. 

I got out of bed just after 8:00am - though I woke up much earlier than that. I put in a load of laundry - then got ready for the day. Hung up the wet laundry so it could dry while I was away and before I walked out the door opened my window.

I took bus 38 to Victoria station - walked to school, arriving at 10:00am and proceeded to work on D7...most of the day was spent getting ready to design - so I was making copies of site plans onto regular bond and tracing paper - and enlarging areas for more detailed design. I started pulling images from online for a mood board - I also started a plant schedule as I like to have an idea of what's going to grow in the spaces I am designing before I actually start to design. 

I booked a hair appointment for Wednesday at 5:oopm.

I wasn't really able to free up my mind to be able to get much design done today, even though it was quite clear. I don't know if it's because I forgot my headphones so I couldn't disappear into my own world, or if it was too warm, or if I am feeling too stifled physically in the small studio space I have to work with. All I did was pull some lines from the house out into the landscape. That's it.

I did get lunch (banana, water, boiled eggs, chicken BLT sandwich) for free from Pret - so that made me smile big.  

I left school at about 4:30 - had had enough...so I bought an energy smoothie and walked to the Royal Festival Hall where I continued to research reflection and light for a PG assignment which is due next Monday. I took two naps while there in two different places, one was on purpose, the other wasn't. I also ate a chicken ceasar salad. And resisted anything sweet. 

I messaged a friend to see if there's a spare room in the building where her hair salon is - it's full of creatives and maybe they have an empty room with a table which I could use for the next few weeks to design in. ? We'll see. 

I left for home after 8:30 - walked, of course. The air smelled wonderful as it had rained down pretty hard about an hour earlier. And there was a magnificent breeze. Very refreshing. 

Walked in the door - put away my sandals, hung up my jacket - said hello to Tan then ate some almonds. Folded my now-dry laundry and put it away.

Washed my face, brushed my teeth, emailed me sister about Rivendell and now here I am making a note of all this before I head to bed. Hopefully within two minutes - a 10:00pm bedtime! Just what I need. Really. 

Longing For a Garden of My Own

Sometimes I can become rather envious of landscape and garden designers who have a little piece of earth to call their own - even if it's just the smallest space ever behind a Brownstone in Brooklyn. Here they experiment with new plant combinations, materials and layout - create a defining space for them to identify with. They get to tend to their plants regularly, establishing a certain kind of dialogue one can only have with consistent, almost daily, interaction...maybe even order a packet of seeds from their favourite catalogue each spring to try out...as their garden grows so do they. And I believe they become better designers for it. 

Someday. 

Tolkien

“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.”
— Gandalf, Return of the King, JRR Tolkien

`

Walking on a High Wire

For the past week I have continuously been on the high wire where there's not much room for misstep. Letting your hair down and just being have not been on the agenda. Nonetheless, the past 5-7 days have been fantastic and full of memorable experiences. So in my prolonged weariness I am satisfied. 

Monday - D6 was successfully submitted in the morning and after lunch I was interviewed in front of a camera. I was asked questions about my time at the Inchbald and can only hope that what I think and what I said align. It's hard for me to be natural and engaging when a green-lit lens is pointed in my direction. The filming I did for my Go Fund Me video was difficult, and it took all day to get enough decent footage for the couple minute video. I was in tears by the end. Oh it was so stressful. But that was a very stressful time in general. Anyway, the film crew said I did great and I believe the more times I put myself in front of a camera, the easier it will become. 

I had been looking forward to Tuesday the 20th for months! And unknowingly, years! Each spring Gardens Illustrated hosts a Gardens Illustrated Talk - I have been listening to the podcast since I discovered it in 2008 or 09, always wishing that I could attend in person. GI brings in The Greats to discuss and share about gardens, gardening and garden design. I could listen for hours. 

Luckily, I remembered early enough to secure a ticket before they sold out. This years guests where Dan Pearson and Fergus Garrett! My plan was to arrive as soon as the doors opened, secure the best seat possible and then write for a hour - but keeping inline with high-wire-walking and needing to fit in more and more each day, I entered the dimly lit room right as Juliet Roberts was saying, "Good evening, my name is Juliet Roberts and I am Editor of Gardens Illustrated. I am delighted to welcome you all here this evening...." That moment right there was surreal. I had heard that voice and that introduction many times. And now I was in the podcast! I was hearing it in person. I was so pleased. 

The talks given by Dan and Fergus were important for me and I am excited to re-listen when the podcast is published. I resonated with and understood many of the experiences and thoughts which were shared. It all felt familiar.

Wednesday started at 4:40am so I could catch the train to Shropshire to start the ball rolling for D7. The day was spent walking around the 5.5 acres over and over - making sense of the survey, making sense of the site, taking notes....there is so much there to comprehend, it's incredible. Working with an existing landscape is definitely more challenging than a blank slate. And the entire site is on one big steep slope. I am trying to approach the design in a simple manner, so that the results appear seamless, effortless and simple. Discerning design. 

The views out from the hillside of my D7 are stunning and the weather Wednesday was very accommodating.

Views Out

Views Out

I spent the evening in Shropshire so Thursday morning there was more poking around the site and this time in the rain. Lunch time I caught the train back to London so I could make it to the Chelsea Flower Show. I was so tired when I got back from Shropshire, and I didn't have time to take a shower, so I just had to change and go.

It's a good rule a thumb to look very presentable at all times when in London (and most anywhere really, but especially at any event with the word "Chelsea" in it). Sometimes my American self surfaces and I get a little casual in this regard. Never sweat-pants-flip-flips-casual, but in the hair & makeup and overall outfit ensemblage. So when I met a wonderful lady named Kathryn Aalto at the Chelsea Flower Show - a fellow American living in Devon who is a designer and author and wrote the book on design-hero Luciano Giubbilei, I was very much wishing I would have taken a little more care in my appearance. Because the next several minutes where spent being introduced to Luciano - and hearing about his Best in Show Laurent-Perrier garden from himself! What a privilege! Seriously. I wish I would have recorded what he said. 

Luciano's Garden

Luciano's Garden

That was followed by an introduction to Andrew Wilson, designer of the Silver Medal Cloudy Bay garden, who gave me a personal tour and explanation of his garden, which was very informative.

Followed by a tour of Hugo Bugg / Royal Bank of Canada's garden - which won a Gold. Hugo is the youngest designer ever to win gold at Chelsea. It was awesome to walk through and experience the space because normally, us regular folk, do not get the privilege of doing so. 

And that was my Thursday. I came home exhausted. 

That brings me to today - Friday - and I am writing this post while sitting in bed. School is in session but I am stepping off the high wire and taking time to ground myself. My room and brain need some post-war attention and I have a long list of personal things to get done that can't wait any longer. Plus I have a lot of writing and processing to do for D7. And since I don't need a drafting table for that, I am taking my frazzled mind below the radar for a few days. 

Update

I can't let more than a week go by without posting something. So here's my update:

D6 is done! I know, you are thinking, wait - didn't D5 just end? Yes, yes it did. And then I had less than a week to do D6 and 33 hours over the weekend in Skethup almost put me under. It was turned in Monday morning and now it's on to D7, the final project. 

And I am becoming overwhelmed. 

Maybe I will post D6. The only reason I wouldn't is if it becomes a future show garden...which it probably won't - but let me think about it for a few days. It was a good experience designing it nonetheless...maybe I will write about it tomorrow night from Shropshire. 

Speaking of which - I need to wake up in 4.5 hours to catch an early, early train.....better get to bed!!!!!!!

Pending Questions:

Who am I as a designer? What is my approach? What is my process? What is my product? What is my ethos? What is my signature? What is my medium? My muse? My inspiration? My motivation? What is my purpose and use as a garden designer? Why do I matter? What does garden design matter? 

These are questions I have been asking myself throughout the year at the Inchbald. And though the answers may change during my life, I aim to have them answered (as they relate to me at this current moment) by the last day of school. 

And you'll see my answers here on the blog. Sometime mid-July.

In other VERY EXCITING news...tomorrow and hopefully Friday I will be helping build a garden or two at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014! 

Time to go buy some steel-toed boots!!


It's a Saturday Night

Last November I did some listening to a NPR radio program on success. There were 5 different parts and I took notes during all. 

There was something that Alain de Botton said that I was remembering this evening as I was flipping through my past notes. 

Be the author of your own success...that we are the authors of our own ambitions. Because it's bad enough not getting what you want, but it's even worse to have an idea of what it is you want and find out at the end of the journey that it isn't in fact what you wanted all along. 

Not related to the above quote, with each of my school projects I experienced post-project depression. There has been this immediate and obvious drop inside me the day my designs are turned in. Sometimes it lingers for a while. But for some reason I didn't experience it with D5. At least not on the day. I can't decide if I skipped it this time, or if what I am feeling now, one day later, is post-project depression. But I am afraid it's now pre-project depression. Nothing serious, just a distinct heaviness hangs about me as I look to D6. 

D6: I have been working it out in my mind and on paper. The brief: develop a design for a show garden. I believe this project is going to be more challenging than I had initially expected or maybe hoped for (though I suppose if it didn't feel daunting that would be a problem too) and now I am experiencing an emotional and mental weight which is reaching into next week - as we only have a week to complete it. 

The clouds are moving fast - sometimes they do that in London. The moon appears and reappears - staying mostly present. I can watch it from my window, which I love. Such a curious being the moon is.

D5 is Done!!

.

“The most perfect guide is nature”
— The Agony and the Ecstasy

D5 is done!! And if I don't blog about this now - well...I know I won't be in the mood to write about it after I present tomorrow morning - because by then, it will be off the brain and into the books...and on to the next project. 

6 weeks ago we visited our D5 project. 30 acres in Godalming, Surrey. As I wandered the site I spent time in the less-frequented areas, the raw areas. I posted a few photos from the visit in an earlier post - here they are again:

I've had these images simmering in the back of my mind for over a month now. I knew I wanted to use them to influence my design, but I wasn't sure how I was going to accomplish that exactly, just that it needed to happen. 

During and after the Easter holiday ideas started to surface in an enthusiastic way. This is a very good thing since I had less than two weeks to come up with a pencil-rendered bird's eye view of my design for the entire site. And I didn't want to be a stress-case, clearly. 

“The aesthetic basis of Chinese landscape painting is manifestation rather than reappearance. ”
— Shaw (1998, pg.183)

I decided I would take an Eastern approach to my 3D drawing rather than the standard Western view which would have taken a literal perspective from one vantage point. Inspired by Chinese landscape paintings where the perspective may be flat and there could be a variety of perspectives in a single drawing, I felt I could present all aspects of my design without compromise, especially since the site was vast. "[Chinese] painters always embed their personal feelings and emotions into the image, rather than just depict the details and exact appearance of the object." I really liked this idea, of drawing emotion and not just fact. 

“The Chinese artist does not paint his subject while observing it; he may walk in the woods, looking at the trees and mountains, and then return to his studio to paint what his mind’s eye remember. He sees with his spirit or, as the Chinese say, his ‘heart-mind’”
— Cameron, pg.21

This is what I aimed for - this idea, philosophy and approach. And I thoroughly enjoyed every step of the process, including the results. 

Below are several versions which will be printed in the morning. I found a really neat paper to print on - so I might have to do a follow-up post with pictures of the final product. But for now, here are JPEG images. See if you can understand how I incorporated the photographs I captured on-site into the design. It was a fun 'world' to create - and would be a fantastic landscape to experience in person.

This is the truest image to the original drawing. 

This version maintains the grayscale while adding some contrast.

One of the tutors said my drawing reminded him of a Chinese plate - even before I told him what my inspiration was. I am printing a blue and white version at his suggestion.

A second blue version - couldn't decide which blue I liked best.

A bronze-ish tone to top it all off.

What color would you like to see it in? Really I would create endless versions, but I have got to stop somewhere and go to sleep.

While I am pleased with my results - I know there is more power to the pencil than I have demonstrated in my drawing. I am looking into taking some private lessons so that I can better understand how to work with tone and value more effectively. So we will see how that pans out.

Can you find the 5 little people?

On Building Ships

On my walk home I saw this....

And it reminded me of this...

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. ”
— Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The Follow Up

Well, I managed to block out several out and D5 is almost complete. It still took me about an hour to really get going after I posted about hanging out with bushes, but once I settled into the project I contently stayed there for hours and made some good progress. Understanding that this is how I function, I just need to be more disciplined about diving in.

This especially applies to when I am starting on a final drawing. If it's just a test-run, a practice design or a draft, I still stall at getting started, but that fumbling around stage is much shorter it seems. With my drafts I can cruise and create. My lines are loose and fluid - they have a good feeling about them. But once it comes to the final production - I pause and become a bit paralyzed. When I think it matters, I freeze. It's all in my head.

I never did beat my PR on the javelin in competition. I was always did that practice, which never benefited the team. 

I think (part of) the solution to this performance-paralysis is daily designing and drawing so that my hand-confidence increases. I just picked up The Agony and the Ecstasy, having been inspired in Rome by Michelangelo's work. Page 26 starts out as such:

There was no formal method of teaching at Ghirlandaio's studio. Its basic philosophy was expressed in a plaque which Ghirlandaio had nailed to the wall alongside his desk:

The most perfect guide is nature. Continue without fail to draw something everyday.

I will talk about the nature bit next blog post - but I really do think the difference is in the daily ritual of drawing, designing - putting pencil to paper and letting my hand move through my thoughts. Therefore becoming more comfortable with myself as a designer. But this isn't new, the notion of daily commitment for honest improvement applies to every area in life, doesn't it? 

Stick to a task, 'til it sticks to you.

By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.

You will never change your life until you change something that you do daily. 

School is back in session and hanging out with bushes

I guess I should mention that school is back in session. After being gone for three weeks I am now out of the travel saddle and into the design saddle.

And it's good to be back.

However, I find that I am hanging out and around bushes too much. Instead of beating around them and getting to the point of what's most crucial, I find that all of the sudden my laundry is done, papers are shuffled around, online retailers entertain me....all while there's a drawing on my board that needs deadline attention. 

I also tend to drink more water when I hang out with bushes - I do anything and everything except work on what I really need to be working on at the moment. At least there are some health benefits. And my flat stays cleaner and more organized. Unless it's my flat that needs cleaning and the laundry that needs attention, then all of the sudden I find something else to do instead. 

Even sitting down to write this blog post rather than tackling my D5 is a manifestation of the very thing I am writing about. And we all do it (at least most of us). This is not an uncommon problem. We all (or most) put off what we really need/want to be doing for the less-worthy. Especially now that social media (not always a negative) is so ingrained into our daily routines - it can really eat away at our finite minutes. 

Here's a quote I read (lazily in bed) this morning while on Instagram (wasting time or not, at least I got this out of it): 

You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.

 - Abraham Lincoln

Excellent insight Abe. 

Here's another I particularly like:

Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

 - Francis de Assisi

I applied the latter one for awhile and it did make a difference! So what happened? Where is my long game? Why do I struggling doing what I actually want or should to be doing? Why am I fancied by distraction? It's ironically tiring not being as productive as I could be. So now is the time to take back my present, take control of my minutes. And by doing so, I am taking control of my future. Time to be my own agent and act, and not allow myself be acted upon. 

Time to get to D5. 

I'll report back at the end of the day!

Flora Mortis

Since moving to London I have become more a scarf person, clearly. And oh wow. These scarves are incredible. Simply stunning. 

AllSaints Flora Mortis Limited Edition 2 and 5 Scarf: Just a mere 98 pounds, I don't even want to know what that is in dollars. For now, I will admire them from afar....someone please tell me if they go on mega-sale.

A Starry Night Sky

City-living doesn't usually include stargazing - which was a nightly habit for me back in Utah. Even if it was just for a moment of acknowledgment. 

It's been too long since I have seen the Milky Way - or at least a night sky full of stars. 

A stay in Shropshire should fix that. Date has been set: May 21-22! 

Roma ha il mio cuore

Allysha and I used to share a room together. We would hide hot chocolate packets under our beds and stay up too late sometimes. About 20 years ago we started dreaming about going to Rome together. This past week that actually happened. And Natalie, number 8, joined us on our journey which we wouldn't have had any other way! It meant a lot to the three of us.

IMG_2538.jpg

It was an absolutely amazing time. The sun, the light, the washes of warm colors filling the narrow streets with yesterdays laundry strung across the line as plants grow in every crack and cranny. Everywhere you turn there is something to see - something amazing to be curious at. Architecture, sculpture, paintings, food (the food!), water, wonder. It's all there. So many layers of history build Rome. 

I was most taken by the work of Michelangelo. I had heard of him all my life and seen pictures of his accomplishments, of course, but to see his work in first person - with my own eyes, was a life-changing experience. First was Moses, then the Sistine Chapel, followed by the Pieta, ending with the Dome of St. Peter's Basilica. What works!!! They were ALIVE, really alive. They were moving. Especially the Sistine Chapel ceiling. I couldn't stop looking up. I just couldn't believe what I was taking in. All the work in Rome was done by such talented individuals, but something about Michelangelo transcended. I will never forget that. 

Here's a small load a pics from the four fabulous days. If you click on the picture, it will enlarge.

To watch these images surface live, follow me on Instagram. Handle: lorienhall

The Eagles

I have no embarrassment of my Lord Of The Rings love, or the fact that I am an elf. I believe everything about the world that Tolkien created. It's so real to me - and I do believe that one day I will meet Gandalf, Aragorn, Frodo, dear Sam, Lady Galadriel, and all the others who hold a place in my heart. 

So every once in a while (as I already have done) I will share a track, an image, a thought, or a quote from my second world.

This track will forever remind me of Rome as my sister played it as we sat in the rubble of the Colosseum. 

Happy in Holland

It was like a dream. And I was in it. 

I've been wanting to go to Amsterdam for several years now. Just to have the experience of riding a bicycle around the canal-lined streets. So with the Easter holidays arriving, travel credit saved up, and a friends house available for a visit, I jumped at the chance. Double-major-bonus-over-time that I could couple it with tulip season! Amazing, amazing. 

My time in Holland was practically perfect. My trip basically consisted of four things: Riding a bicycle in Amsterdam, riding a bicycle though the coastal dunes to the beach, visiting the world-famous Keukenhof, and riding a bicycle past the fields and fields of tulips. (I know I missed a lot of paintings/museums, but that will be for a return visit when the cash is flowing). The weather was obliging and the bike trails endless. I can't believe how bike-friendly the entire country is! It was so refreshing to get around that way and I wish more of the world was as accommodating. Though I must say, there is the advantage to the land being as flat as a Dutch pancake. 

I started out my journey by taking the ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland - the water was calm and the sun was bright. It was really wonderful actually. The pictures below will tell the rest of the story....

If you want to catch my travel pictures in real-time, follow me on Instagram. Handle: lorienhall. 

Tulipa, Tulipa, Tulipa

Can you have too many tulips?

No.

Keukenhof: "also known as the Garden of Europe, is the world's largest flower garden. (And boy, is it ever!) It is situated in Lisse, the Netherlands. According to the official website for the Keukenhof Park, approximately 7 million flower bulbs are planted annually in the park, which covers an area of 32 hectares." (Wikipedia)

I could have spent many more hours here. It's mind-blowing the amount of tulips they have and the varieties...the gardens go on and on and on. Keukenhof leans toward a touristy-theme-park environment, and although I prefer a more naturalized design-style - I enjoyed it more than I initially thought I would. It kept me smiling.

“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers

A Short Story: "My wife, she will love this"

I was walking towards the Baker Street tube station when from across the road I saw that same tree I had seen the week prior, the one with the blue flowers. 

I had to get some photos.

Making a detour, I headed right instead of left. It was a difficult bloom to photograph so I was lost in thought while snapping shots when someone interrupted me. 

"Wow. These are beautiful!"

I spun around to see a well-dressed business man in his 50's. 

"Yes, I love them. I don't know what the tree is, but I love it."

"I'm also going to take some pictures, for my wife...she will love this."

So the two of us were standing there on the sidewalk of a very busy street photographing this beautiful tree. Me and the successful business man.

Snap, snap snap.

"Thank you so much for noticing this tree and stopping to photograph it. I never would have noticed how beautiful it is unless you had done so. I would have walked right past. So thank you."

I was taken back by the sincerity, really. "Uh, you're welcome."

More snaps.

He gets a call on the phone he's taking the pictures with. He accepts the call and leaves, walking and talking hurriedly...somewhere important to be. 

Which is hopefully home, with his happy wife.