era | How’s Your Build Going?
This is a thoughtful phrase from friends and relatives who are interested in what’s happening in your life.
It can also feel like a question that puts pressure on your answer.
This simple question can make you feel as though you should be further along than you are.
People seem to think that you should build something quickly - why is that?
When the process has more randomly placed parts to pull together than a tent on a windy day, why is it that people think that you should be moving faster than you are?
They seem disappointed that you haven’t started to dig into the ground yet.
Or that your place won’t be ready for Christmas.
Are they disappointed in you, or disappointed for you?
And why approach the question with negativity in a process that is ultimately creating a positive impact in your life? Should the question be to ask if you are happy with where you are in the process? If you’re ok with with where you are - why are they concerned that you’re not moving faster than you are?
Or am I imagining all of this!
A tree can take quite a while to grow. But no-one seems to bother them about that.
They can potter along growing and taking their own sweet time.
Perhaps that is because the other trees don’t care too much about what the trees around them are doing. They let each other get on with their own growing and don’t get involved in what others are up to.
People are different. They are interested and curious - particularly about something they might be considering doing themselves or something that is unfamiliar to them.
But unless they have been through the process themselves before, they probably don’t have much of an idea of the type of journey you are moving through. And even if they have, the way they traveled will likely be different to the path you have chosen to take.
I feel like I spend a lot of conversations explaining the reasons why nothing has started happening on our site yet. People tend to understand the building they can see in front of them rather than all of the preparation that happens before that can begin. Then once they can see the building, they want to know when it will be finished.
It is a bit like when you buy a place with your partner, questions start being asked about when you’ll be married. Then when you marry they start asking when the baby is coming along.
People can’t seem to be happy in the now.
They always seem to want to know what is coming up.
And when moments in our every day lives include making a decision to purchase an item and having it on our doorstep the next day, this idea of immediacy fuels the expectation that building architecture is similar.
But it is not.
it takes time.
And everyone does it in their own sweet way. Because every one is different.
There is a lot to consider and work out, so taking your time to get it as clear as possible before you stick your spade in the ground can mean less issues later once you’ve begun to build.
But don’t get me wrong - some peoples way IS to get things going quickly and to move forward at apace!
While others consider and meander in research and options to potter through every detail.
But regardless of how you are moving forward, you need some positive support to help move you forward, rather than questions about why everything is taking so ‘long’.
Perhaps, instead of asking questions about the end and when you will be moving in and when it will all be finished, they can throw a little manure in the earth around you and help to fuel the growth of your build.
They could offer to help you out - bring you food when you’re so busy you don’t have time to breath - look after your kids to give you some clear space to make trips to collect materials or meet with contractors - write a message every now and then to see how you are feeling - or just reach in and give you a hug ….
When you have some warmth thrown around you, you are bound to grow in just the way and at just the pace you should.
Take trees ..
’In general, trees and other plants grow faster in warmer climates. Many species of trees that grow near the equator can grow several meters per year. Many trees at the equator reach maturity in as little as ten to twenty years. In contrast, trees in northern latitudes usually grow a lot more slowly, often less than a meter or two per year. In addition, for a tree to reach maturity in the boreal forests of Canada or parts of Europe, it usually takes 80-120 years!’ https://www.tentree.com/blogs/posts/how-fast-does-a-tree-grow
If you don’t do it your own way and try to rush forward without ensuring everything will be the way you are striving for at the end of the day, you will just end up building something like this …
.. but hey - it was fast! This build took 47 minutes - guaranteed
You can build quickly.
But does that mean that the quality is better? Or that it is what you will be after at the end of the day?
It probably depends on the person who is building your architecture and how much experience they have as well as what you are happy to live with.
It also depends on how much preparation you have put in before hand - all the planning and planning and planning ….
But typically, it is just like fast food - speed does not always equal quality. It just can’t - because real quality in construction comes with thought and time.
So work at a pace that is right for you and try to block out the noise in the air around you that thinks you should be at the next step when you haven’t even finished the last ten.
This is YOUR architecture | YOUR pace | YOUR choices
And it will happen when YOU are ready.
Your Place.
I have set up a special place where you can find little things and little ways to help you design + build your place.
I will add things to this place as time goes by and I would love to hear if there is anything that will help you! Connect with me and let me know what would be useful for you to see there.
Til next time!
Start the process to find your architectural language and make your little ideas a reality.
Click here to see the little things I have made for you, or click here if you would like to work with me one on one.