Module 2
SKILLS FOR AN ARCHITECTURAL UNDERSTANDING
1. Various Drawing Skills
2. Visualization Skills
3. Model Making skills
4. Thinking & Analytical Skills
5. Empathy
6. Philosophical Understanding from Idea to
Form
7. Psychological and Social Understanding
1) Doodling
Anyone can doodle and create simple shapes. It’s as simple as putting pen or
pencil to paper and randomly sketching anything that comes to mind. You
don’t even have to make straight lines. Doodles come in any shape or form,
and in any color. But don’t let the simplicity of this exercise fool you!
Doodling increases your visual literacy and helps you process ideas, even
when you are not trying! Experiment with different materials and drawing
tools, and draw whatever comes to mind. You can also recruit your friend
and co-workers to develop a doodle quilt using sticky notes in different
colors.
2) Entopic Graphomania
This exercise is based on a Surrealist game. Simply grab a sheet of paper—it
can be a page from an old paperback book, or anything with markings—and
place dots on specific words or letters. You choose what set of marks, words, or
letters you want. Then connect the dots with curved, zigzag or straight lines to
create a pattern. These exercises reveal hidden patterns in negative space,
show you how choices can make a difference and will help you engage in
randomness to take your work a few steps further.
3) Non-Dominant Hand
If you have been drawing for some time and are feeling stuck or uninspired by
your marks, it may be time to reinvent in order to discover something new.
Years ago I had developed a great exercise that involved rendering minute
and exact details using graphite pencils on a fine surfaced drawing paper
(Strathmore Drawing paper). I was bored, and so I set out to change my habit
by using tools and paper that were the exact opposite—ink in a faulty dip pen
on hot press paper, which is slightly spongy. I also used my non-dominant
hand and no photo reference.
This simple exercise lasted
for a few months. It felt
awkward and I didn’t
expect anything massive to
come from it, but it did!
When I went back to
drawing
with
familiar
tools, I was breaking down
the image in different ways
and
drawing
with less restrictions.
4) One Day, One Theme
Choose one theme or one kind of object, and only draw that thing during the
course of a day. You can vary your approach to this by choosing an animate
or inanimate object, a color, a size of something, things that are scary or
make you laugh, or things that start with a specific letter.
You can also use synonyms, such as things that move you emotionally versus
things that literally move you, like modes of transportation. The more
thoughtful you can be, the more you exercise your concept-building abilities
as well as you hand skills.
5) Word Stacks
Take 25 blank index cards and cut them into thirds. On the first stack, print an
adjective on each card, on the next stack, print a noun, and on the third stack
print a verb on each card. Shuffle each stack separately, then draw one card
from each pile and put them next to each other, forming a phrase such as
Devilish/Book/Laughing. Then draw it! It might not turn into fine art but it
will help cultivate basic skills and build your confidence in the craft.
What are visualization skills?
It is the ability to imagine things. This skill involves creativity and
imagination. Improving visualization will improve these two correlated
skills as well. The greater the details of the mental images you create, the
greater the skill. Creative visualization is a critical ability to have to
expand your mind.
How to Improve Your Visualization
Some people can visualize clearly and others see only blurred images or no
images at all. However, with some training, you can improve your visualization
skill.
The ability to visualize is essential for creative visualization, and as you improve
your visualization skill, you can get better and faster results with creative
visualization
The ability to visualize is most useful in many areas of life, not just for creative
visualization. It is most useful for making plans, for writing, acting, painting
and for doing everything better and more efficiently. It is also useful in business
and for achieving goals.
What Is Visualization?
It is the ability to create mental images in your mind, as well as sounds, smells,
tastes and other sensations.
You use your imagination when you visualize and when you create visions of your
goals and of what you want in your life.
It is a most creative and useful tool in every area of life. It can help you with selfimprovement, maintaining good health, in sports, and in your career.
Training your visualization skills is the sure way to improve it. The more you try to
visualize the better this ability gets, and if the image gets blurred, just look at the
actual object you are trying to visualize, and then continue seeing it in your
imagination.
Below, you will find a simple exercise for improving your
visualization skill.
Find a few minutes to be alone every day.
Sit down comfortably on a chair.
Hold a small and simple object in your hands, like a pencil, a match, or a key. If
you wish, you may use for the exercise or a small fruit, like an apple or an
orange.
Examine the object for about one minute and look at every detail, so you can
remember it.
Close your eyes and try to visualize the object for about one minute. If the image
becomes blurred, or if it disappears from your mind, open your eyes for a few
seconds and look at it. Then, close your eyes and continue visualizing it.
After visualizing for about one minute, rest for a few seconds, and then repeat
visualizing the object again. Continue doing so 4-5 times.
You may visualize the same object or a different one at each visualization
session. If you have the time, repeat this visualization exercise twice a day.
Creative visualization is a mental technique that uses the imagination to make
dreams and goals come true.
Used in the right way, creative visualization can improve your life and attract
to you success and prosperity.
It is a power that can alter your environment and circumstances, cause events
to happen, and attract money, possessions, work, people and love into your
life.
Creative visualization uses the power of the mind, and is the power behind
every success
By visualizing a certain event, situation, or an object, you attract it into our
life. It is a process that is similar to daydreaming. For some people, this might
look like magic, but there is no magic involved, only the natural process of the
power of thoughts and natural mental laws. It is like having a genie at
your disposal!
There are people who use this technique naturally in their everyday affairs,
not being aware that they are using some sort of power. All successful people
use it consciously or unconsciously, attracting the success they want into their
life, by visualizing their goals as already accomplished.
Creative Visualization and the Power of Thoughts
How does it work and why?
The subconscious mind accepts the thoughts that you often repeat and
changes your mindset accordingly, as well as your habits and actions. Your
new habits and action, often, bring you into contact with new people,
situations and circumstances that tend to help you achieve the goals you have
been thinking about.
Thoughts are endowed with a creative power that molds your life, and attracts
to you what you think about.
Thoughts travel from one mind to another, and if they are strong enough,
they can be unconsciously picked up by people, who are in a position to help
you achieve your desires and goals.
We are part of the Omnipotent Power that has created the universe, and
therefore, we participate in the process of creation. Bearing this thought in
mind, there is no wonder that thoughts materialize.
Stop for a moment and think - You are an indivisible part of the great
Universal Power! This means that your thoughts can come true! Not all your
thoughts, but those that are focused, well-defined, and often-repeated.
Thought is energy, especially a focused thought, soaked with emotional energy.
Thoughts change the balance of energy around us, and bring changes to the
environment in accordance with them.
Most people think and repeat certain thoughts quite often. They focus their
thoughts on their current environment and situation, and therefore, create and
recreate the same sort of events and circumstances.
Model Making Techniques and
Tutorial (a step-by-step model
build)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itD5U
_WIqao
Architectural Model
Making: Tools & Materials
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47lD
_XQ5ID8
Architectural Model
Making - Material Selection
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8u3
zhDUDzE
Thinking & Analytical Skills
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to accurately put yourself "in someone else's shoes"–
to understand the other's situation, perceptions and feelings from their point
of view – and to be able to communicate that understanding back to the other
person. Empathy is a critical skill for you to have as a leader.
Cognitive empathy, also known as 'perspective-taking' is not really what most
of us would think of as empathy at all. Cognitive empathy is basically being
able to put yourself into someone else's place, and see their perspective. It is a
useful skill, particularly in negotiations for example, or for managers.
Empathy is, at its simplest, awareness of the feelings and emotions of other
people. It is a key element of Emotional Intelligence, the link between self and
others, because it is how we as individuals understand what others are
experiencing as if we were feeling it ourselves.
Empathy has many benefits. First, it feels really good. The pleasure centers of
the brain light up when we are empathically heard and understood. It
reduces stress and fosters resilience, trust, healing, personal growth,
creativity, learning and nourishing connection.
Philosophical Understanding from Idea to Form
Developing an original and creative idea requires the simultaneous activation
of two completely different networks in the brain: the associative -"spontaneous" -- network alongside the more normative -- "conservative" -network; this according to new research conducted at the University of Haifa
“There is surely a need for a region that tosses out innovative ideas, but on the
other hand there is also the need for one that will know to evaluate how
applicable and reasonable these ideas are. The ability of the brain to operate
these two regions in parallel is what results in creativity. It is possible that the
most sublime creations of humanity were produced by people who had an
especially strong connection between the two regions,"
5 Major Perspectives
Psychological and Social Understanding
Social psychology is about understanding individual behavior in a social
context. ... Topics examined in social psychology include: the self concept,
social cognition, attribution theory, social influence, group processes,
prejudice and discrimination, interpersonal processes, aggression, attitudes
and stereotypes.
Biological Approach
Biopsychologists look at how your nervous system, hormones and genetic
makeup affect your behavior. Biological psychologists explore the connection
between your mental states and your brain, nerves and hormones to explore
how your thoughts, moods and actions are shaped.
Psychodynamic Approach
The psychodynamic approach was promoted by Sigmund Freud, who believed
that many of our impulses are driven by sex. Psychologists in this school of
thought believe that unconscious drives and experiences from early childhood
are at the root of your behaviors and that conflict arises when societal
restrictions are placed on these urges.
Behavioral Approach
Behavioral psychologists believe that external environmental stimuli influence
your behavior and that you can be trained to act a certain way. Behaviorists
like B.F. Skinner don't believe in free will. They believe that you learn through
a system of reinforcements and punishment.
Cognitive Approach
In contrast to behaviorists, cognitive psychologists believe that your behavior
is determined by your expectations and emotions. Cognitive psychologist Jean
Piaget would argue that you remember things based on what you already
know. You also solve problems based on your memory of past experiences.
Humanistic Approach
Humanistic psychologists believe that you're essentially good and that you're
motivated to realize your full potential. Psychologists from this camp focus on
how you can feel good about yourself by fulfilling your needs and goals. The
prominent humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers called his patients 'clients'
and offered a supportive environment in which clients could gain insight into
their own feelings.
https://www.creativelive.com/blog/5-drawing-exercises-turn-make-anyone-artist/
https://www.successconsciousness.com/blog/creative-visualization/how-toimprove-visualization/
https://www.successconsciousness.com/index_000008.htm
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/analytical-skills-list-2063729
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151119104105.htm
http://mrmcnabb.weebly.com/5-major-perspectives-in-psychology.html