evolution
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
Even though I've been on the leading edge of a movement for several years now, it still feels strange to put this thought on paper: A growing number of professionals like me are now finding work as consultants in the design and construction of watershapes. Who would ever have thought it possible? Just a few short years ago, the idea that anyone could make a living by charging for designs or construction oversight was outlandish and the subject of skepticism, shock and derision among architects, landscape architects and pool contractors. To that point, after all, "pool design" was generally a service that existed almost exclusively to support the sales efforts of contractors. These folks, who were accustomed to
Even though I've been on the leading edge of a movement for several years now, it still feels strange to put this thought on paper: A growing number of professionals like me are now finding work as consultants in the design and construction of watershapes. Who would ever have thought it possible? Just a few short years ago, the idea that anyone could make a living by charging for designs or construction oversight was outlandish and the subject of skepticism, shock and derision among architects, landscape architects and pool contractors. To that point, after all, "pool design" was generally a service that existed almost exclusively to support the sales efforts of contractors. These folks, who were accustomed to
Like most everything in life, "Natural Companions" has evolved through the years. When I first started writing this column in 1999, I focused primarily on topics related to combining plants and watershapes and wrote a lot about surrounding hard structures with greenery in sensible and sustainable ways. As the New Year approaches, I've been thinking about how things have changed with the column and where it's now heading. I distinctly recall having the sense about four years ago that
The Road Traveled