Hey y’all 👋🏼 I hope you’ve been enjoying Sana’s Notes so far, if there is anything you’d like to hear about from me, just hit the Reply button and let me know! I hope you enjoy this week’s catch-up.

— Sana Tabassum

🍎 food for thought

If you didn’t know already, I’m an introvert. I think it’s crazy that some people find that surprising because it’s taken me a very long time to be comfortable with being confident and going out of my comfort zone. Now, the thing about building a public platform and personal brand is that, well, you have to be talking to people. It’s this little thing called networking which I still struggle with today. (I can’t describe the amount of awkward conversations or situations I’ve found myself in.)

But I’m a person who loves collaborating. I see the power in bringing other people to the table and working on something together. Naturally, a project like Open Studio requires me to meet people (like you guys 🥹) who are kind and willing enough to help me get my message to the people high up.

I guess it’s also somewhat similar to what an architecture practice director needs to be capable of because they’re usually the ones bringing in clients. I’ve also been eager to work on my personal branding and the services I offer as a freelancer, meaning that networking has to be at the forefront of my content on LinkedIn.

For architecture students, university is a great way to build that confidence each year. I don’t mean through harsh crits that leave you feeling worse about yourself. Confidence has to come through working on something you’re passionate about to the point where your enthusiasm is shining through. By no surprise, this level of passion comes across in the quality of your work and the way you articulate the project as a whole.

What I’ve learned 👇🏼

• Writing helps me re-frame my thoughts ✍️ It can take a few rounds of editing, but once you’re comfortable with what you want to say - either for a project review, an essay proposal or a presentation - you can use it as a script to practice with. I did this for the first couple of years of architecture school and by my final year, I was much more clearer when speaking in public.

• Small talk might be boring, but it helps to fill in those awkward gaps. I’m really bad at small talk because there are usually a million thoughts racing through my head. Next time you feel at ease when someone else talks about something, try and do the same in your next conversation. Taking cues from other people can be a great way to learn how to be confident.

• There is a real beauty in networking 🤝 When approaching someone about something, the worst they can really say is no. But not even trying to facilitate that conversation will definitely mean no. Giving yourself that small push can be the difference in opening doors you didn’t even know existed. This goes for job-hunting, interviews and all sorts of projects.

🍗 content nuggets

I watched a video about discipline from Steven Bartlett (I know I’ve mentioned him before, but he does have some thought-provoking things to say!). He describes discipline as an equation, one you want to be on the right side of. Here’s a few notes I took whilst watching.

Discipline = Priority + Enjoyment - Friction

Discipline = the subjective importance of the goal + the psychological enjoyment you get in pursuit of the goal - the psychological cost of the pursuit of the goal.

When your why is strong, the psychological cost doesn’t matter so much 🧠

The perception of the importance of the goal means everything.

If the result is positive, the behaviour will occur.

Time management doesn’t work unless you have discipline - an underlying foundation

Time is the currency we are playing with 🪙

Time as a roulette table — we have 24 chips in a day and depending on how you play them, it will give you certain types of return 🎰

Reducing friction by setting up things that are a click away, in sight, and putting it in the way of things so that it is unavoidable.

🦋 magic sauces

For a long time, I’ve admired POoR Collective, a group of innovative changemakers who work to empower and mentor young people. I had the chance to feature them in :scale magazine a few years ago and they’ve recently done a takeover with The Architects’ Journal. Read more about it here.

https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/poor-collective-takeover-together-we-can-positively-change-the-built-environment

If you’re in London, Black Females in Architecture is hosting a free CV and portfolio surgery in partnership with RIBA. Check it out here.

🔥 on the back burner

Calling architecture students in London!! 🚨

I need your help. If you’re part of an architecture society please reach out!

I’m looking for the opportunity to collaborate with organisations and architecture societies to hold workshops in the upcoming months. This could be on the topic of personal branding as an architecture student, learning how to get your foot in the industry or 1:1 feedback sessions where students can get their design projects, essays or CVs reviewed.

It would also be a great opportunity to bring together students from all years to co-work, help each other, bounce ideas and create new connections.

DM me on Instagram or reply to this email if you’re interested.

Bonus points if you forward this email to someone.

— Sana x