Creative Thought Space |
Ryan Oke | Melbourne, Australia | www.okearchitects.com.au
Principal Architect of Oke Architects
What do you think being creative means?
I’ve always felt that everyone has the potential to be creative. To me creativity is just the process for those people who choose to express their thoughts and ideas that turn into something more.
How do you include creativity in your life?
Through the profession of architecture I’m fortunate enough to be able to explore creative ideas on a daily basis. The very nature of architecture means that day one starts with the creativity of built space which most times by the end of the project has turned into the creative art of convincing the client to keep the idea conceived on day one.
What are your thoughts on how your life has influenced your creative imagination, and how your creative imagination has influenced your life?
Coming from a creative family as I was growing up, creativity was a part of my life without the awareness that I was creating. When I studied architecture, creativity became a pursuit to achieve a defined goal. Now that I work in architecture I feel it’s come full circle and that creativity and life have once again merged to become a vocation and passion and no longer a pursuit.
What, if any, exercises do you do to get into a creative mode?
During my formative years I was taught an interesting technique of going to sleep whilst actively thinking of architecture so I could dream of the following day’s tasks in order to make the architecture all-consuming with the intention of waking up with the next day already planned and the creativity resolved.
As I’ve gotten older I’ve discovered new ways to design and the allure of disruptive sleep and working through the night has been replaced by the desire for a good night’s sleep and an active mind in the morning as a result. Good time management has allowed me to go out and immerse myself in architecture instead of just dreaming about it.
To me the desire might be born but the skill is learnt. Reading, visiting, watching and appreciating others in the profession leads to sound design process. I have also grown to appreciate non-architectural elements in life and found them to be vital as they broaden my life experiences and perspective which in turn becomes another great design tool in the creativity process.
How important do you think creativity is in life?
I don’t see creativity as an important pursuit in life; I see creativity as an integral and constant result of life. What I do see as vitally important is that there are always people out there willing to engage in the process itself.
I’ve always felt that everyone has the potential to be creative. To me creativity is just the process for those people who choose to express their thoughts and ideas that turn into something more.
How do you include creativity in your life?
Through the profession of architecture I’m fortunate enough to be able to explore creative ideas on a daily basis. The very nature of architecture means that day one starts with the creativity of built space which most times by the end of the project has turned into the creative art of convincing the client to keep the idea conceived on day one.
What are your thoughts on how your life has influenced your creative imagination, and how your creative imagination has influenced your life?
Coming from a creative family as I was growing up, creativity was a part of my life without the awareness that I was creating. When I studied architecture, creativity became a pursuit to achieve a defined goal. Now that I work in architecture I feel it’s come full circle and that creativity and life have once again merged to become a vocation and passion and no longer a pursuit.
What, if any, exercises do you do to get into a creative mode?
During my formative years I was taught an interesting technique of going to sleep whilst actively thinking of architecture so I could dream of the following day’s tasks in order to make the architecture all-consuming with the intention of waking up with the next day already planned and the creativity resolved.
As I’ve gotten older I’ve discovered new ways to design and the allure of disruptive sleep and working through the night has been replaced by the desire for a good night’s sleep and an active mind in the morning as a result. Good time management has allowed me to go out and immerse myself in architecture instead of just dreaming about it.
To me the desire might be born but the skill is learnt. Reading, visiting, watching and appreciating others in the profession leads to sound design process. I have also grown to appreciate non-architectural elements in life and found them to be vital as they broaden my life experiences and perspective which in turn becomes another great design tool in the creativity process.
How important do you think creativity is in life?
I don’t see creativity as an important pursuit in life; I see creativity as an integral and constant result of life. What I do see as vitally important is that there are always people out there willing to engage in the process itself.
