Sketches of Frank Gehry

While watching the film, Sketches of Frank Gehry, I jotted down some thoughts that grabbed my attention. They follow in somewhat chronological order, following the flow of the film.

Don't be afraid to take a step back and think about the project. - Many times I think we get so buried in a project with deadlines and many other disturbances going on all around us that we just want to dive in and get it done. Frank said that sometimes he just needs to take a step back for a while, get away from it and come back to consider the project. I think that's an important thought to hold on to  going forward while designing and to remember during many instances in life.

Frank Gehry said he's always been interseted in art.

When he was starting out and getting his feet wet in the business world of architecture, he struggled to make ends meet a lot of the time. His friend noted that Frank was always going bankrupt.  - That's a good thing to remember as we're trying to make it in whatever field we choose. Most likely success will not occur overnight. We'll have to struggle for a while before we reap the rewards that we've been working for.

He changed his last name to Gehry, it used to be Goldberg.

While he's working on a building he is working on it at multiple scales at one time. It helps to see the project in a different way and helps him to not see the one model as the "project," and to view it simply as the model that it is.

He tells his clients what they need and why they need it. He has a very specific brand and people come to him to get a piece of that.  -In his circumstance he can afford to do it based on his reputation and past successes and experiences.

"Talent is liquified trouble."

Find a small space where you can make a difference. There is a tiny sliver in the world that each of us can make a difference. -Find that niche and exploit it. It's at the intersection of your interests and talents.

After he began to work so closely with a team he doesn't really want to work on his own anymore. The team is what makes everything work.

Finds the process exciting and not necessarily the final product.

"The best clients produce the best final product."

"Feels fragile how some people come upon the thing that defines their life."

"Sometimes you wonder what part of you an idea came from."

"If you're hoping for some capstone of success, it not there."