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

What a busy week! I’ve had multiple gears turning and although it’s an exciting time it’s also starting to feel a lot like deadlines. So let’s talk about those. I’m sure as you count the days left of 2023, you’re also focused on upcoming deadlines and submissions. I think this is a challenging part of the academic year with so many things going on. It’s also a time when you can easily fall into the trap of working late hours and overlooking your mental well-being.

I had the pleasure of going back to my university but this time as a visiting critic. It was such a surreal yet comfortable feeling as I’ve spent the better part of 5 years there. I had the opportunity to present my final year project to some students which got me more nervous than I expected. It showed me that although my work is highly complex, the principles of the method of working are still achievable. I also learnt a lot about the role of a tutor with varying levels of experience and the fact that every year is a new journey.

Being on the other side of the table opened my eyes to how we can behave or come across in the limited amount of contact time with our peers and tutors. The thing I’ve always loved about Greenwich and its faculty is that everyone is encouraging and empathetic. They’re not hiding behind the demands of a course like architecture. But they also aren’t enabling unhealthy working practices - quite the opposite! This is the time to have a check-in with yourself and ensure that the deadlines or workload isn’t making you go deeper into the rabbit hole.

What I’ve learned 👇🏼

• Everyone has their way of working. Find what works for you but also make this apparent to those who are teaching you so that you can find a balance together.

• I love being on the other side and seeing the sheer creativity of architecture students. It’s something that I want to pursue and I need to find a way to keep the momentum going.

• Listen to your body. Taking care of yourself when you think you need it the least is the best thing you can do for yourself.

🍗 content nuggets

I’m not sure if this is a ‘nugget’ as such, but just something I found interesting to watch this week. This city in China is designed as a replica of Paris, with some of its residents never having visited the real one. I think it’s an interesting experiment, at least from an architectural point of view. They’ve tried this concept with other cities too to give their residents a taste of international urban design.

Another video I watched this week was a simple desk makeover. I quite liked how this video was shot carefully and had a series of steps and there weren’t any complex elements involved.

🦋 magic sauces

I’ve got something exclusive to share with you all! Karacusevic Carson Architects is hosting two workshops in the coming weeks and they have a few more spaces left. The fact that an architecture practice is taking such an initiative is a big deal and I honestly think the experience is well worth it if you feel you fit the criteria. Details below.

CV and Portfolio Workshop: Undergrad + Postgrad students + graduates

Date: 13th December 2023 4-6pm

Event details: Have an architect look over your CV, cover letters, portfolios and application material, for both course work and job seeking. Look at professional examples and receive advice on how to tailor your own.

CV and Portfolio Workshop: UCAS Application prep

Date: 4th January 2024, 4-6pm

Event details: For year 12 and 13 students who are applying to study Architecture at university and would like help demystifying portfolios, including top tops and examples, just in time for your UCAS deadlines and/or interviews.

To book a space, email Morgan at [email protected]

— Sana x