For the Creative Ones

Hi,

Keeping this one simple today as I'm swimming between RFI's,  furniture drawings and slab edge details. 

Like so many designers I know, I was not formally trained in architectural or interior design. I majored in studio art and happened into a job paying $8/hour as an apprentice designer at a small residential design firm in Flagstaff, AZ.

I knew less than nothing about design but the owner hired me because I was creative- not technical. 

I learned CAD at the community college while also using at my job everyday. Going to those classes was so useless. I do not, nor have I ever, had to draw a wheel cog in my daily work.

But knowing AutoCAD kept getting me into better architecture firms doing more interesting and higher-level work. I eventually learned the drawing processes for turning an idea into a buildable reality from some of the best in the business.

Over time, I started working for and with some incredible interiors firms from San Francisco to New York. But I’ve always been surprised that some of these companies, led by highly creative entrepreneurs, still struggled with their drawing sets.

I would see juniors losing their minds and entire days being wasted trying to fix some completely avoidable CAD issue.

And I didn’t see a resource for them.

A plug-and-play system that brought the professionalism of their design drawings up to the level of the work in every other part of their business.

That’s why I created The aCADemy.

Because I don’t actually care about being good at CAD for its own sake.

But I do care that my projects are built how I designed them.

I do care that I don’t have contractors calling me on Saturday because I have two drawings of the same thing that don’t match.

And I do care that I can find what I need when a junior is out sick.

That’s it for today. No new block this week. Just a reminder that if your drawings feel harder than they should, the problem might be the system, not you.

If that sounds familiar, The aCADemy is here.

Have a great weekend,

Alexandra