• Registered Architect for 20+ years
• Creator of “Building Content” (Professional Architectural Blog) Nominated for “Best Construction Blog” competition
• Guest Blogger on UPworld.com (Real Estate, Design and Construction network) 
• Upcoming Guest Podcast on ConstructionInformer.com
• Member/Contributor at TrendWatcher.com
• Team Member/ Listed Contributor at Punchmark.com and WritersElite.com
• LEED Accredited Professional 
• Public Relations Committee, AIA National Convention, Charlotte, NC
• Architectural Participant, NADA National Conventions, Atlanta & Dallas 
• Project Manager, personal residence remodel including Oak, Tile and Granite
• Member, Architizer.com

One of the oft-repeated bits of advice shared on line, especially when it comes to blogging, is to be authentic.

• From a branding point of view, “To truly be yourself means to have no competition.”
• From a coaching standpoint; “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
• From a writing position; “Write what you know!”

The call to authenticity is not new to the Internet. We’ve been encouraged to embrace and proclaim our individuality all our lives, from Mr. Rodgers to Dr. Pepper. And long before that was the Shakespearean adage;

 “to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

Because the Internet was suspected early as being populated by unsavory scammers, schemers and predators, and because even those with good intent start out online as unsubstantiated, we bloggers need to strive for transparency. This work can be subtle at times. Honestly, it is perhaps easier to misrepresent oneself online than it is to be whole, accurate and true – hence the repeated calls to be authentic.

•   Α  &  Ω   •

I’ve said all that to say this – my authentic self is more than merely my brand, “Architect and Author.” I am these things specifically as a follower of Christ, as a new man created in His image. The scriptures identify Jesus as the builder and maker of all things and as the author and finisher of our faith. It is my calling to reflect these specific aspects of His nature – when I design and write professionally I intentionally do so to honor God and to serve others.

There is a wonderful line in the movie Chariots of Fire, when Eric Liddell explains to his missionary-minded sister about his calling as a world class runner, “God has made me for a purpose, for China; but He has also made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure.” In that vein I believe God has made me to express his creativity, and to share in His pleaseure through designing and writing. Architect and Author.

That is who I am, authentically. To downplay it would be untrue to myself and to my God. To embrace and proclaim it moves me toward the goal of being “not… false to any man.”

Have you thought through your calling, your mission, your purpose? I encourage you to do so and integrate the unique individual who you truly are into all you do online. And please, as always, feel free to comment here.

Dedication: To designers and makers of our built environment.

By the nature of its output our industry is about bricks and mortar – but it is characterized by the proverbial sketch on the back of a napkin.

All successful business, as Bill Gates wrote, moves at the speed of thought. It is a digital economy of click-based commerce. How do we designers and builders – as shapers of the material stuff of our enduring world – conform to this brave new world? It can be done. While happily ever bound to the earth in our work, our concepts and ideas and aspirations find quick expression in the tools of the digital world. Clients are won and funds are secured with Hollywood-quality computer renderings. Drawing files are produced and shared world-wide via the Internet, unhindered by the normal cycles of sleep. Building systems are collaboratively integrated and tested through BIM technologies. Construction is scheduled, coordinated, observed and recored by remote parties via web-based programs. We have means to survive and thrive in the new economy, when the price is right.

As I’ve seen this digital promise unfold over the past quarter century, the simplest new tool seems to be underused, if not overlooked; the professional blog.

Blogging (the verb form of the contraction of “web” and “log”) is today an established component of the digital economy. Blogging lends itself very well to the information-based aspects of any business, but especially so to the designer and builder. Think of the napkin sketch. A well managed professional blog is greener, can be shared across a global table, can still be read after countless comments and revisions (and drinks), can attract new clients and new ideas from adjacent tables, and can even provide a previously unknown stream of revenue. Yes, revenue. The cash left on the table is for you. A tip of sorts, simply for a napkin sketch you would have produced even if lunching alone.

I intend to expound on this thesis going forward. Please stay in touch. Let’s see how blogging can enhance your napkin sketch and help to transform your digital economy.

Collier Ward, Content Architect.