lot of viewer email from people wondering if theyre cut out for the profession of architecture.

In order to answer that question I think there are four simple questions you should ask yourself

first to help clarify the issue. The first question to ask is, Can you draw well?. Architects

can do many kinds of hand drawing from sketching to drafting to presentations but first a little

history lesson. Two of the most famous modern architects of the 20th century were Walter

Gropius & Le Corbusier. Gropius did very little drawing because he could not draw well & depended

on the people he worked with to do it for him. Corbusier, on the other hand, drew all

the time and although His sketches may not have been the most technically beautiful the

ideas they conveyed were brilliant. And thats the point. You dont have to be an artist to

be an architect, but you do need a medium to get any idea across, especially when you

start working through it. Thats where sketching comes in. At the end of the day sketching

is part of the job of an architect. If you want to learn to do it well its possible with

a little work. Sketching is a way in which the architect can convey ideas quickly and

succinctly. Today most of an architects drafting can be done on a computer so drafting by hand

could be considered obsolete although I know architects that still prepare their construction

documents this way. When it comes to sketching, its very possible to do it on the computer,

but there really is nothing that can take the place of a quick sketch done by hand on

a piece of paper. if you cant draw but youd like to draw well your lack of ability shouldnt

be the only thing stopping you from becoming an architect. Take a drawing course, start

sketching everything you see, learn to draft, look at other architects work and finally

study the masters for clues about how any kind of drawing is done well. Bottom line,

You dont have to be an artist to be an architect, especially today where you can use computer

technology as the medium to convey your ideas, but being able to draw certainly comes in

handy. See you for Part II.