summer's halfway gone (on routine)
I'm sitting at my desk at work right now with not an ounce of working spirit in me (shh!), and with the turn of the calendar month, I've realized half of my summer break has already slipped through my fingers. Where has all the time gone?
I wonder if this is a glimpse into what the working world has for me. I always hear how once one gets into full time work, especially in the corporate spheres, time slips away just idling at the desk. I'm finding a little conflict in that idea, though.
I've really enjoyed the larger firm life of architecture so far, if I'm being fully honest. I've learned more here in the first week, let alone the first two months, than I did my entire last semester of school. Maybe I'm simply more of a hands on learner, but I find being immersed in the more practical aspects of architecture (exactly what tile of these 10 specs will we use, how many LEED credits, etc.) have inspired my creative mind more than freely being able to design has so far. Everyone here keeps telling me that life gets exponentially worse after first year (so many wistful sighs from the older interns), so I'm sure I won't have as much to say once I get to that point.
It's funny how on these kinds of 4-month schedules, once a proper routine is developed, it's only a few weeks before the world shifts and you have to build a new one from scratch again. I've previously written about my current average day, and looking back on how I spent the same 24 hours just 7 months ago, that life seems almost alien to me. And yet, at the end of next month, I'll jump right back into it, with some minor tweaks in the form of a different studio and harder classes.
On one hand, I'm quite enjoying this style of life. I have the 9-5 giving me that strict schedule, and then evenings have been pure joy of evening walks and bikes, drinks with friends, making art, just general living. On the other hand, that endless working and producing of the school life is such an addictive way of being. Maybe unsustainable health wise, but the cult of the late night studio grind is strong. I think I can also appreciate that while I'm at school, I'm actively working towards completing my degree, and that feeling of progress is definitely something I chase.
Another aspect of my routines here vs. there has been location. While away at school, my work kept me busy, and I was still in a major city, but that slowness and suburbian air definitely started to eat away at my soul. I absolutely live for the city environment. No matter the evening, even if none of my friends are around, there's always some corner that I can tuck myself in to still feel like I'm part of the world around me (zine library, tea house, art gallery, I recycle my spots but I know there's more for me out there!). I've really carved out my social niche here, and struggle to believe I would find smaller environments as fulfilling creatively for myself as so much of my creative work is a social/public endeavor. Scattering of zines and open mic hanging is a (somewhat) unique thing to location.
It'll definitely be interesting to see how I acclimate to the school environment again once I'm back, given that I've gone through it once now. For now, I'll enjoy my last 6-ish weeks (I'm overseas for 2) of the not-so-endless summer.