community
The stories I've seen hurt my heart. There was the one about the woman who accosted a teenage boy who'd been invited to swim in a neighborhood pool, telling him to get out or she'd call
As a mixed-use apartment complex in downtown Indianapolis, Ind., the not-quite-modestly named Artistry complex boasts sleek architecture and modern features intended to reflect the community's long history of skilled craftsmanship as well as its appreciation for the arts and commitment to active, energetic lifestyles. The main building features five stories of urban apartment homes above 68,000 square feet of commercial office space. Two additional buildings provide options for alternative accommodations, including
The great poet and philosopher John Donne once wrote, “No man is an island” – a wonderfully simple declaration that none of us is really alone and that we all exist in a world filled with others. There are exceptions, of course, and I’ve run into my share of loners who resist the notion that we are all interdependent on some level. But as I’ve moved through the world and have met people I perceive to be talented or successful in some way, it’s been my observation that they have substantial support systems of one sort or another. That support may come from a spouse, a life partner, a live-in companion or a boy- or girlfriend. Or it may come from
I've always believed that one of the keys to happiness is enjoying what you do for a living and savoring each day in one way or another. Yes, we all want to make good money and have the sense that we've risen to a place of status and respect within our profession and, yes, we all know that meaningful work provides many different types of rewards, but for me, the greatest of these accrue to those who don't simply work to live, but instead live to work. When I get up in the morning and assume my role as a watershape designer, I invariably greet each day and its tasks with joy. And it's not simply that I love this business (which I do); more important, it's that I genuinely, honestly appreciate my
I've always believed that one of the keys to happiness is enjoying what you do for a living and savoring each day in one way or another. Yes, we all want to make good money and have the sense that we've risen to a place of status and respect within our profession and, yes, we all know that meaningful work provides many different types of rewards, but for me, the greatest of these accrue to those who don't simply work to live, but instead live to work. When I get up in the morning and assume my role as a watershape designer, I invariably greet each day and its tasks with joy. And it's not simply that I love this business (which I do); more important, it's that I genuinely, honestly appreciate my
For years now, I've listened to people gripe about trade shows - how dull they are and why attending them is such a colossal waste of time. It's gotten to a point where it's almost fashionable to take these shots, and I hear them not just about the pool shows with which I'm vastly familiar, but also about the landscape shows of which I've attended just a few. Actually, I've been attending trade shows for longer than I care to remember. Although just about every one of them managed to include some useful or positive experience, there's no question that I've approached them with diminishing enthusiasm through the years. I've never given up on them entirely, but I know a great many people who
Something inspired and inspiring is happening in the watershaping industry - something I doubt has ever really happened before: In almost every encounter I have with industry people lately (and believe me, I've seen a lot of you in the past few months), I get the palpable sense of a passion that is driving all of us in a process of creative and professional growth. I see it in the enthusiasm my fellow watershapers have for what they're doing, and I see it being directly translated into their projects and, perhaps most important, being conveyed to their clients and the attitudes everyone has about the results. From where I sit, this is a spectacular time to be in this business, and that notion has been reinforced countless times in the recent past. I received a concentrated dose of this broad impression during the
Something inspired and inspiring is happening in the watershaping industry - something I doubt has ever really happened before: In almost every encounter I have with industry people lately (and believe me, I've seen a lot of you in the past few months), I get the palpable sense of a passion that is driving all of us in a process of creative and professional growth. I see it in the enthusiasm my fellow watershapers have for what they're doing, and I see it being directly translated into their projects and, perhaps most important, being conveyed to their clients and the attitudes everyone has about the results. From where I sit, this is a spectacular time to be in this business, and that notion has been reinforced countless times in the recent past. I received a concentrated dose of this broad impression during the
All through my career, I've never really been big on advertising. In fact, the only place I've ever advertised is in Naples, Fla., where I've never been successful drumming up any business even though it's only a short distance from my home. I gave it a good shot - a nice ad with a picture of a vanishing-edge pool, placed in a local newspaper's special section on backyard swimming pools. I was confident I'd get some response, but all that came back was
