Boush Street Offices

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

IONIC Expansion

I have mentioned briefly that we recently took on the task of expanding and renovating our office. We have truly been blessed with wonderful clients and projects. Such that we needed to bring on more wonderful designers and staff to keep up with all that wonderfulness. Oh yeah, we ran out of room in our little studio.

So first was the plan to renovate the front reception and conference area. Then before we got started we added more to our family. Then realized no more space. So then it was expand AND renovate. A daunting task that we often torture our own clients to live through.....now we get to subject ourselves to the same treatment.

Let me just say that being your own architect for your own office isn't necessarily a benefit at all. It is an ever-changing design as new ideas come to mind mid-construction. Details on the fly. Electricians, framers, mechanical......all surrounding us with hammers and drills and everything else that makes noise......while you are on the conference call. Oh yeah, had to move the phones last week too. That was fun!

No pictures until we are complete, hoping to finish everything before the holidays. Friday we moved desks into the new "expansion" area......let me clarify.....crammed them back into the new space. We needed to make room for demo of the old production area. We also piled all the catalogs, samples and other literature into the same space as we needed to make room for the new conference room.

All I can say is that the staff are awesome to juggle through the chaos and destruction. So if you call and you hear a few construction sounds in the background.....we apologize.....but it will be WONDERFUL very soon.

Thanks again for pardoning our mess,

Eugene Thompson
Ionic DeZign Studios
www.ionicdezigns.com

Truly...."creating places and spaces that enrich the lives of those who use them."

Monday, August 26, 2013

7 Things Leonardo da Vinci Can Teach You About Creativity


I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that since his death, the world has never really had another Leonardo da Vinci. While his name might conjure up images of famous works of art such as the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper or Vitruvian Man, he was much more than an artist. In fact, he was an architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, expert in anatomy, geologist, map-maker, and botanist. In short, he was a genius.
Genius and creativity are closely linked. How does one make connections that have never been made before? Doing so is the essence of originality.
Michael Gelb--someone who makes his living teaching companies how to innovate--has written 13 books on creativity and innovation. His most famous, "How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day," has sold more than a half million copies and has been translated into 25 languages.
Gelb says the fodder for his book came from studying Leonardo's notebooks. In addition to all his other talents Leonardo wrote copiously and put to paper 13,000 pages of notes and drawings, much of it in mirror-image cursive.
Here's what Gelb learned from the Italian master about what you need to be most creative.
Curiosity
By nature children are curious, but as we grow up much of our inquisitiveness ebbs.
"Almost all children in their natural state ask lots of questions. That's how they learn so much in the first five years of life. But then we send them to school where they learn that answers are more important than questions," Gelb says.
Geniuses like da Vinci, however, maintain a passionate curiosity throughout life.
"When you work with an organization you can often tell, especially when you come in from the outside as I do as a consultant, whether the spirit of curiosity is really alive, whether people actually have a questing open mind or whether they're a bunch of stuffy know-it-alls."
Independent Thinking
Diversity is critical for creativity and innovation, which is why it's important to seek out points of view different from your own.
"The problem is the more senior someone becomes the more likely they're going to believe their own publicity and surround themselves with people who always agree with them. So the more senior you become, the more concerted effort you must make to seek out different opinions. Then you have a chance to think independently," Gelb says.
Sharpen Your Senses
In business this translates into listening well and being observant, simple advice that's difficult to heed in an increasingly distracted world.
"The Italians have la dolce vita, the sweet soulful life. The French have joie de vivre, the joy of living and in the States all we have is happy hour," Gelb says.
He's really talking about mindfulness, paying close attention to what's happening right now. Not only can it help you be more creative, it's the key to enjoying life, he says.
Gelb helps business people get better in tune with their senses by training them to appreciate beauty. He does this by having them listen to music, appreciate art, thoughtfully taste wine or chocolate, as well as write poetry.
Embrace Uncertainty
The ability to project confidence in the face of the unknown is a critical leadership principle because if it's going to be new it means you don't know it. You need to get comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity in order for a creative idea to emerge. It's not easy to do since you've likely been trained to believe that if you don't know the answer there's something wrong with you, Gelb says.
"But the essence of creativity is to be surprised, to come up with something you really didn't know. That's the nova in innovation. It's the newness. And if you keep doing the same old thing you won't do the new thing. But when you suspend the old thing the new thing doesn't always automatically emerge," Gelb says. "So there's a big gap and the more you're able to embrace that gap of knowing and uncertainty the greater the likelihood that you'll be really creative."
Balance Logic and Imagination
You used to be able to get by with saying you're a right-brain (creative, imaginative, intuitive) or left-brain (logical, analytical, and linear) thinker. Today you have to be both.
To show people how to use both hemispheres of their brain in harmony Gelb teaches themmind mapping, a way of organizing ideas that integrates logic and imagination and helps people generate more ideas in less time.
To do it, you start by drawing something that represents the topic you're thinking about. From there you use free association to branch words and more pictures from the center image. For example, a doodle of an onion might make you think of vegetables, so you draw a carrot, which makes you draw a rabbit, which leads to you sketch a cat, since it's another small furry animal.
What if you can't draw? Gelb says "fake it 'til you make it" and overcome your adult judgment of your drawing ability.
"You start to access that more childlike quality where you just drew without worrying about it. What's happening when you do that is you're waking up parts of your brain that have been dormant since you were in nursery school. And those are exactly the parts of your brain that are going to help you be more creative," he says.
Balance Body and Mind
You might not know that Leonardo was an exceptional athlete, widely known as the strongest man in Florence and an accomplished athlete, fencer, and horseman.
"We think of creativity as an intellectual exercise but it requires tremendous energy. Learning to cultivate your life force, your life energy is a very important part of this," Gelb says.
For businesses it means healthier organizations are better equipped to innovate.
Make New Connections
Logical and linear-thinking types--engineers, analysts, and scientists, for example--can have a hard time looking for patterns and new connections, but doing so is the key to creativity.
Again, Gelb likes to use mind mapping, although it take a while to train these kinds of folks since they're used to doing things in a formal order.
"At first it feels very messy... thinking through association and letting the mind go free and generating lots of key words and other images in different directions," he says.
Other Tips
Not convinced you can start banging out killer ideas? While creativity may come easier to some people, everyone has the potential to be creative.
A couple of things to keep in mind, though.
It's not uncreative to get ideas from other people, in fact that's where most come from.
"It's a myth to think that you have to spontaneously create something that's entirely original and no one ever thought of it before. That very rarely, if ever, happens. Almost all ideas are inspired by somebody else's idea," Gelb says. "One of the big principles of creativity is you don't have to reinvent the wheel you just give it a new spin. So if you can give a new spin to somebody else's idea you've done something creative."
Also, some people who have a hard time with creativity censor themselves too early in the idea generation process. Your goal should be lots of ideas, so don't shoot them down before they make it on a list. Generating a high volume of ideas stimulates the associative process of your mind and even if you don't get a breakthrough right away, it will likely come when you're not expecting it, like at 4 a.m. or when you're driving or in the shower. And when it does, write it down, Gelb says. Leonardo certainly did.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

ART itectural Lighting

I really love my job. Everyday there are more and more things that I get to do that I would never had imagined. Along my pathway of studies, I have been fortunate to study about lighting. Lighting can truly make a project so much more. Interior spaces can change moods by providing the right types of illumination. It isn't so much the fixture selective but how to develop the concept of the "way" you light up the space or activity. 

The exterior of a building is equally important. There are all sorts of ways and theories regarding the philosophy of lighting. Do you light up the entire building? Do you focus on just an accent point like the top or entry? Do you light up from inside? The process can be different for every type of architecture. I have seen some very nice successful examples around Hampton Roads......and I have also seen some extreme failures. Those that thought, "I will just stick this fixture on the wall and it will take care of itself." It doesn't happen that way. Not even close!

I really feel blessed with having been afforded the opportunity to develop these skills over the years. A little help and encouragement from my friends at First Light and a few travels to various Light Fairs have expanded my knowledge of the RIGHT fixtures to use for a job. 90% of the time you want to see the light itself and its effects.....not necessarily see the fixture.

In so many of our projects we can study the lighting effects in our computers models. This gives us a chance to play and perfect our ideas a little beforehand. Much different than in the old days. However on critical issues we still need to do the mock up samples so we can see the effects. Just like last night. 

The thing with mock ups are they all need to take place at night. We couldn't start work until after 8PM but for this task it was super important. The study was illuminating sculptures at a private residence. I have admired these pieces for years but to look at them with a renewed appreciation was to look at them at night with just the right lighting and at the right angle. You could see the art work in a whole new light...PUN INTENDED!

Again, I love my work......oh yeah, it's not work when you have so much fun!

Have an ILLUMINATING Day my friends. If you need help on lighting up your projects, be sure to call us.

Ionic DeZign Studios
www.ionicdezigns.com
D. Eugene Thompson

"Where art and architecture come together."

Monday, August 19, 2013

IONIC: Manage Your Day 8.19.13

I don't wanna! Sounds like something kids would say to doing chores. However I think we often say it ourselves for the tasks that we are not interested in. We simply say we are not in the mood. Well, it's Monday and I'm not in the mood to go to work, not in the mood to go to a marketing event last week, not in the mood to stay up late with a client to go over details......but my mood doesn't always matter.

Honestly, my moods do matter. The key is to get my mind in the proper way of thinking. What will it take to do that? Well that depends on your brain. It probably isn't much different than trying to motivate yourself to get out of bed each morning to exercise. Some of it is rewards, some of it is habit but the majority of it believe is inspiration. 

We often speak to others and encourage them to accomplish their goals, but do we talk to ourselves to inspire what lies inside us? We should. We should seek the triggers inside us that will motivate, encourage and if need be...rejuvenate us each morning.

So my friends.....get in the mood and go be successful today. I wanna hear about it!

Ionic DeZign Studios
www.ionicdezigns.com
D. Eugene Thompson

"Creating spaces and places that enrich the lives of those who use them." 

Thursday, August 15, 2013

IONIC: Manage Your Day 8.15.13

Back in the days when I did POWERLIFTING in high school and college, thee was always the "right" way to lift. The three main lifts for competition were the SQUAT, BENCH PRESS and DEADLIFT. Bench press was pretty straight forward as you laid on your back and press forward to the sky. It is the other two that creative havoc on your body if you don't use proper form. 

I was fortunate enough to be able to do a lot of weight back then weighing in at only 165 pounds. My squat in completion was just under 600 pounds while my deadlift was just over. Regardless of the weight there are rules that you must follow so you don't break your back! I am sure you have heard the age old instruction, "Lift with your LEGS, not with your BACK".

This is the same with all the things we do in our business and private lives. We are beginning to handle more and more each day. More is added to our load. How you carry that load is critical to how your endure the ensuing stress. It must be organized. If you are not......you will break your back!

Begin your day with some organization my friends......and then have a great day.
Ionic Dezign Studios
D. Eugene Thompson

www.ionicdezigns.com

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

IONIC: Manage Your Day 8.13.13

Simply DO Them.

Sort of sounds like a Yoda comment. Often times we find ways in our lives to make excuses for failure. If we didn't accept failure and only allowed success as our means of accomplishment, we would see much more progress in our lives. 

I don't believe all of our goals need to be massive. They can be small "bite size" goals. After all, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time......BTW, I really don't think elephant would taste very good!

Today my friends.....accept only success.
Eugene Thompson
Ionic Dezign Studios
www.ionicdezigns.com

Monday, August 12, 2013

Mayhem Architecture

Last week I ran my first "mud run". Mud & Music Mayhem. If you don't know what this is, just throw in a blender a 6 mile run through the hillside, a series of mud puddles and about 30 different play ground contraptions. Turn it on high and mayhem is what comes out. The whole problem with this idea for me is the last time I visited a playground I was just a young kid......not a kid anymore. The problem with mud puddles up to your waist is that I never really liked getting messy as a kid. I never ate cotton candy....it was a sticky mess....I know, I know. And finally the problem with 6 miles right now is I am just building back up to that distance. Throw them all together and you could have a catastrophe or maybe something really special. It all depends on how you approach it.

So how does that relate to architecture? I think we can make a lot of comparisons. We could certainly make the analogy between this mud run and all it obstacles versus a very difficult and challenging project. Maybe even the comparison with going through architecture school, graduating, finding work, years of internship and ultimately crossing the finish line by obtaining the sacred licensure.

All great references but I think I will choose to compare the challenges of starting, running and operating a business, specifically an architecture firm with this crazy mud run. 

The Starting Line: There is so much excitement and energy at the beginning that it is hard to contain oneself. As matter of fact, those of us experienced in races realize that you probably should pace yourself just a bit so you don't burn out too soon. Many a times I (in my turtle pace) have been passed in the beginning only to eventually catch up to those rabbits walking along side the roadway further ahead. Businesses can be the same way. It is great to be excited but pacing yourself or maybe PLANNING for all of the race is a wise game plan.

The First Obstacles: You come upon the first hurdle...and you knew there were going to be some...and you take it on. That is great, a perfect attitude. Except, you may have never taken on an obstacle like this before. It might be a bit of a struggle. You might even get a few cuts and bruises. Just depends on the task. If you have prepared yourself mentally for these challenges then you are way ahead of the game. So many go into business thinking that we will never hit any walls only to find out business is not always a bed of roses.

More Obstacles: What?! There are more? Yep. At least in a race they tell you there will be a certain number of obstacles. In life and business there isn't such an outline. You don't know when or where they will occur. You don't know what or how difficult they will be. But you just need to keep on. So many hit these walls and give up. The true test is how well have you have prepared yourself. In architecture we are trained to become problem solvers. Thus puts our skills to a true test by figuring out a solution to this business obstacle as well. Problem is....architecture schools don't really teach you business skills. And as many of us that would like to think we are good designers.....that doesn't always automatically make us good businessmen. Payroll, marketing, new work, new hires, leasing space, buying software, managing growth....on and on. 

The first obstacles are struggles and afterwards we usually prepare ourselves better. My first contract proposals were only a page long. Now they start at four pages and they always accompany the AIA agreement. I learned.....maybe the hardway. However there will be other unknown and unexpected obstacles that we will find. Attack them with the same aggressiveness. In the mud run, initially I was cautiously tip toeing into the muddy waters. Towards the end of the run...I just jumped in...no hesitation! Even the next day walking around a shopping center with my wife I saw a rain puddle in the parking lot......I had the urge to go roll around in it. I had become a master of the mayhem!

The Push: There is a push at the end of a run to conquer strong. Now this may compare to the end of a project, a fiscal year or maybe even the end of a wonderful career. We all want to finish strong. Everyone will be there at the finish line watching. The race photographers will be there to snap your picture. I always try to pick it up at the end and hold my head up high even if I have been completely drained during a race. It is like a pro football player going out on top rather than having to change teams over and over trying to hang on longer than he should. However, at the end of a mud run, they often stack those darn obstacles back to back. Mine had this vicious rock hill to climb only to be followed by swimming across a small lake. I had no breath left in me. Drained. No that wasn't the end. The finally was a series of mud hills that you had to climb while someone had a firehose spraying you....and then climb through a tube half full of muddy water....and then under a barbwire maze through more muddy water. And yes, near the finish line so everyone was watching. I did manage to gather enough energy for a slight trot across the line.

So I say sometimes Architecture is Mayhem. Remember the charettes in school? Maybe a few still in the real world. Deadlines are still required. Our clients still want their product. And we still want perfection. Do all of this and accomplish everyone's goals.....and oh yeah....make a profit. Art and Architecture. Our slogan says our work is where they come together. And when they do actually come together, the reward is received and waiting for us at the finish line.

Run, my friends. Run and have fun!

www.ionicdezigns.com
D. Eugene Thompson, AIA
Ionic DeZign Studios

Saturday, August 10, 2013

IONIC: Manage Your Day 8.10.13

If you do something for the first time, it may take you longer to finish or you may not even do it that well. But when you do things over and over, you get quite good at it. Or at least you should. As a matter of fact, the perfectionist in me says that you should be doing it without flaw. 

Remember when you were in sports and the coach said we will be having PRACTICE everyday this week before the big game. Well practice makes perfect. However most of us don't live in a world where we can practice our jobs. We typically just have to do it....and do it right.

They say when you do something 21 days in a row, it becomes a habit. Not sure where the 21 times was discovered but it remains true that you should repeatedly practice excellence. That is how excellence becomes second nature.

Enjoy your day my friends.
Eugene Thompson
www.ionicdezigns.com
Ionic Dezign Studios

Friday, August 9, 2013

IONIC: Manage Your Day 8.9.13

I have been reading a great book recently.....okay it technically isn't a "book" with actual paper pages. Downloaded to my iPad and scroll thru it highlighting notes with my fingers. Amazing isn't it? Any way, there are some good thoughts in Managing your Day to Day. Have you found yourself scrambling all the time to make more time? Trying to fit more hours in your calendar? Trying to be more productive? Yep, me too.

Well if I write too much you won't read it. And you won't be productive. Then you will be angry with me. So here is a quick quote that I will post every now and then to hopefully inspire YOU to greater success.

Enjoy my friends.
D. Eugene Thompson
www.ionicdezigns.com
Ionic DeZign Studios

Friday, August 2, 2013

IONIC & WENDY'S....this is why we are so busy.

Restaurant remodel programs are all the rage these days, particularly in a fast food business that is busy trying to play keep-up with McDonald's. Just about every major fast food chain is in the midst of a reimage program, but perhaps the most interesting of these is coming from Columbus, Ohio-based Wendy's.

The world's third-largest QSR burger chain is instituting a costly remodel program—its top option has a price tag as much as $700,000, which is high for a chain that has average sales of about $1.4 million. That cost appears to be scaring off at least some operators. Brokers have told us that some Wendy's franchisees have been putting their stores on the market to avoid that remodel.

Still, the remodels could well be worth the price.

According to Wendy's, the $700,000 remodel option produces a sales lift of at least 25 percent, considerably higher than the 15 percent sales lift Burger King's remodeled units get, though at a much higher cost. Still, for the typical Wendy's, that equates into $350,000 in additional revenue every year, which makes for a relatively quick return on investment for restaurants that remodel their stores.

It also could provide a significant boost for Wendy's overall, particularly if the company is able to meet its remodel timeline.

The company plans to have 75 company-owned units remodeled by the end of the year. And it wants half of its corporate restaurant stock remodeled by 2015.

It's also hanging $10 million in incentives in front of franchisees to entice them to remodel their stores next year. In so doing, Wendy's joins rivals McDonald's and Burger King in employing a carrot approach to increase the number of restaurants that get remodeled. As McDonald's has proven with its remodeling program, and then Burger King, carrots work far better than the far more common "stick" approach at getting franchisees to remodel. And given the apparent sales lift these remodels can generate, those incentives produce good returns for the franchisors.