I never realized how hard it is to work with people who don't think the way you do.
Why is it so hard to work with people? And when I say work, I don't mean organising and getting jobs done, because that is something I excel at (though I say it that shouldn't). When I say work, I mean design.
Now, it isn't as though I haven't worked with someone on a design before. The first time we had to work on anything as a team at all was away back in second sem , when we were divided into groups to build scaled models of famous museums. Each individual picked an architect whose museum they wanted to work on, and then we paired off acording to our choices. The person I worked with was a girl whom I hadn't really interacted with much upto that time, but we ended up finding loads in common, having an amazing time and developing a really great friendship.
(Let's do dis, Ash!)
So much so, in fact, that when we had an urban design project three semesters later; where the class was divided into teams of two and each team was to design a convention center for the city; we decide to team up again.
That was an experience that I hope I never forget. It included memorable moments such as us getting together to do work and instead spending the whole time discussing Bangalore and Kannadigas and everything under the sun; us spending six hours trying to get our working drawing submissions printed and then rushing to submit them before deadline; me falling ill with a 102 fever the week before final submission.
It was a crazy time.
It was nothing, however, compared to the last two days.
Design is a subject that is more subjective, pun intended, than any other that I've ever studied in my entire life. I didn't realize how important this was until today. I got an inkling yesterday, but today? Today, well, the fact grabbed me by the hair and slammed my face in it.
How is it possible to work with someone whose fundamental method of working is so different from yours that there is nothing in common? How can you reconcile diametrically opposite ideas and themes? How do you maintain a friendship with someone when you've just had a full-blown argument over the shape of your building? How do you work, not only with this, but also with a person who says and does close to nothing?
All very relevant and important questions, to which I have, as yet, no answers.
I've learnt some important lessons about teamwork today though - mainly, that it is hard, tiring and thankless.
Like most lessons, these are probably going to be irrelevant tomorrow.
Why is it so hard to work with people? And when I say work, I don't mean organising and getting jobs done, because that is something I excel at (though I say it that shouldn't). When I say work, I mean design.
Now, it isn't as though I haven't worked with someone on a design before. The first time we had to work on anything as a team at all was away back in second sem , when we were divided into groups to build scaled models of famous museums. Each individual picked an architect whose museum they wanted to work on, and then we paired off acording to our choices. The person I worked with was a girl whom I hadn't really interacted with much upto that time, but we ended up finding loads in common, having an amazing time and developing a really great friendship.
(Let's do dis, Ash!)
So much so, in fact, that when we had an urban design project three semesters later; where the class was divided into teams of two and each team was to design a convention center for the city; we decide to team up again.
That was an experience that I hope I never forget. It included memorable moments such as us getting together to do work and instead spending the whole time discussing Bangalore and Kannadigas and everything under the sun; us spending six hours trying to get our working drawing submissions printed and then rushing to submit them before deadline; me falling ill with a 102 fever the week before final submission.
It was a crazy time.
It was nothing, however, compared to the last two days.
Design is a subject that is more subjective, pun intended, than any other that I've ever studied in my entire life. I didn't realize how important this was until today. I got an inkling yesterday, but today? Today, well, the fact grabbed me by the hair and slammed my face in it.
How is it possible to work with someone whose fundamental method of working is so different from yours that there is nothing in common? How can you reconcile diametrically opposite ideas and themes? How do you maintain a friendship with someone when you've just had a full-blown argument over the shape of your building? How do you work, not only with this, but also with a person who says and does close to nothing?
All very relevant and important questions, to which I have, as yet, no answers.
I've learnt some important lessons about teamwork today though - mainly, that it is hard, tiring and thankless.
Like most lessons, these are probably going to be irrelevant tomorrow.
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