education
As you might imagine given our plans for AquaticSpacesNetwork (see my last blog entry, “Charting a New Course,” for details), I’ve been thinking a lot lately about reaching out to consumers. Along the way, it has occurred to me that good information is almost always universally useful — that is, information that helps build
Five years back, columnist Brian Van Bower wrote passionately about the opportunities he found in attending trade shows. At that time, the industry was doing very, very well, and it’s likely his plea had a tough time finding receptive ears. Is it possible that
As I see it, watershaping is ultimately about its emotional effects: As designers and builders, it’s our job to bring a variety of technical and aesthetic elements together to create spaces and structures that leave our clients with enduring feelings of vitality, relaxation, comfort and luxury. In my case, the quest to realize this emotional component actually drives the process. As I strive to generate spaces that have real meaning for my clients, I’m always putting my heart into the work and am fully aware that what I do is an extension of who I am. Indeed, I’ve never been shy about letting my designs reflect my passion for art, architecture, history, color, form and even poetry. By working on this level, I find that I’m able to carry my clients along and make them as excited, inspired and engrossed by the process as I am. It’s an unabashedly romantic approach, but it can be infectious – and clearly satisfies everyone who gets involved. Of course, there is plenty of perspiration that goes along with the inspiration. For all of my enthusiasm, I spend a tremendous amount of time designing these spaces and selecting elements that will populate them, from the largest waterfeature to the smallest plant. I also closely manage the construction process, never relinquishing control because with each and every project, I’m expressing
Let’s begin this discussion with a question: What if you were so bad at your job that a person in a related field decided, for the good of his own business, he had to learn your business and replace you rather than cope with your incompetence? Most people would say that this would be a justified response to the fact that you do lousy work. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending how you look at it), this very thing is happening in the pool industry – or, more accurately, to the pool industry. For years now and with increasing frequency, landscape architects have decided they’ve had enough and are entering the pool industry. They are doing so because
Looking beyond standard modes of operation is nothing new for watershapers: It’s how many of us grow professionally. In my case, for example, I’ve moved in a variety of different directions in my career, and I’ve found that each of these endeavors has added substance and insight to both my business and professional acumen. Some experiences are more valuable than others, of course, but I’ve always found something positive and a few times have watched my business transform and grow before my eyes. Looking back, it’s been quite a journey. I began my career more than 20 years ago with
It might sound a bit strange to put it this way, but when it comes to design work, one of the most useful things you can do is to think about how you think about design. If you’re like me and have been working as a watershape designer for more years than you care to count, much of what you do is now second nature. But if you think back to the way it was when you first started – and if you’re anything like me – little or none of what you did felt natural or easy. In my case, I had to process every step methodically, sometimes awkwardly and even painfully on occasion. That’s why I wish, back in those early days, that I’d
During the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of teaching hydraulics to watershapers in a variety of classroom settings. It’s been exciting, believe me, particularly because of the eagerness of the students and their hunger for good information. These courses, which have been presented under the auspices of Genesis 3, ask a lot of the students who sign up for them. Especially given the tight economy, I find it enormously encouraging that so many people are focused on spending the time and energy required to
So much has been written and said about our current economic situation that it can get pretty depressing. One thing I hear and read over and over is that “Many people are just stuck, waiting and hoping for things to change.” I can’t help noticing that, for lots of people in government and major industries as well as in small businesses and sole proprietorships, this approach means doing the exact same things they were doing when their days were fat with opportunities. Personally, I think that’s crazy! I believe if I want my situation to change, good times or bad, I must change myself from within and can’t afford to wait for external forces to push me toward prosperity – especially not these days, when nobody really knows what’s
Through the years – but particularly within the past two or three – one of the comments I’ve heard with the greatest frequency is that WaterShapes is improving dramatically with respect to the content it presents. I’m always happy to hear any kind of positive feedback, but I’m always curious to know what about our coverage seems to be improving the most and always ask those who are making these comments to be as specific as they can. “Frankly,” I tell them, “I’m so close to what we print in the magazine that I
Elevating Your Game