Popular media and news all seem to be about doom and gloom (unemployment rate, inflation rates, the price of gas, etc.) but rarely about smiles and sunshine (champions of green and sustainable, advances in medicine, things just working right). Some of my clients are affected by the negative, some see the world only through rose-colored glasses. It gets tiring but seems like a necessary evil in what we do. To combat the “glass-is-half-empty” syndrome in my office, we go out of our way to find positive ways architects can get involved in neighborhoods and communities to spread a little goodness. It usually brings a smile to at least a few. What do you do to maintain an even keel for your practice? How do you manage to smile in the face of adversity? How can you “capitalize” on current market conditions? How can you do good in your neck of the woods?
—Lisa Stacholy, AIA, NCARB