HOK Sustainable Design Director Mary Ann Lazarus presented the commencement address for Washington University’s College of Architecture on May 20. Mary Ann shared five (well, six) tidbits of wisdom that are useful for recent graduates and, well, anyone! Enjoy:
What the dean didn’t realize when he asked me to speak to you today is that I actually never attended my own graduation from Washington University back in 1978. So, if you all don’t mind, I’d like to consider this event to be my graduation as well, 32½ years late. This gives me the unique opportunity to give the closing speech at my own graduation, and to muse on what I wish I would have heard at that time, if I had decided to attend. Sort of like coming to your own funeral, but not so morbid.
So my fellow graduates, I’d like to share with you five sayings that have changed my life over the last 30-plus years in hopes that they can help with whatever comes next with each of you.
The first is the saying, “You are smart in eight ways.” Has anyone heard this one before? This refers to the theory of multiple intelligences that was developed by a Harvard professor, Howard Gardner, in 1983. The concept is simple: humans have eight different types of intelligences – spatial-artistic, linguistic, mathematical-logical, bodily kinesthetic, musical, naturalist, interpersonal and intrapersonal. There’s no “right” kind of intelligence that makes one person smarter than another, like the old “reading writing and arithmetic,” but everybody has some natural intelligences that are stronger than others.
I learned about this when my kids went to elementary school down the street at The New City School, where the entire curriculum is organized around the theory of multiple intelligences. It was terrific. My son David, at age seven, would tell me that the reason he didn’t want to go outside to play was that he “wasn’t a bodily-kinesthetic” kind of kid. By the time they graduated sixth grade, each of my children knew more about their own innate capabilities and interests than I did when I finished college.
What’s my point? Each of you has a unique mixture of intelligences that drove you to come here to study architecture. Some of you are stronger in artistic-spatial and will excel at design, others are more mathematical-logical and will love the technical side of architecture. This doesn’t get you off the hook for continuing to work at improving all of your intelligences, but it’s important to recognize when that needs to happen. Case in point, I find that those people who are naturally intrapersonal (or introverted) often deliver the best speeches because they work harder at preparing for it and don’t just trust that it will all be fine.
On a personal note, something that I regret looking back is that I haven’t kept drawing – not one of my natural intelligences. Sketching is the ultimate way to capture a moment that will give you pleasure both in the doing and in sharing with others. I love the fact that the dean refers to drawing classes at the school as the “Latin” of architecture. So, a piece of advice: don’t stop drawing.
My second saying is “go with your strengths.” This comes from the Gallup organization, which has spent many years studying the happiness quotient of people in different careers. I came across this when my firm hired Gallup to help us with our performance review process and it was a real “aha” moment for me. They found that those people who are happiest in their work over the longest period are the ones who are doing something that is a great fit with their innate interests and capabilities. Those who chose to do things to overcome barriers or to face a great challenge were overall less satisfied.
So, while “you are smart in eight ways,” you don’t need to prove anything to anyone. There’s no clear-cut career path for an architect. It’s a great time to explore and learn more about yourself. There’s a huge range of career options open to architecture graduates, undergrad and grad, from traditional roles, like design firms, to planning, policy, government, development and corporate reps. We love clients who are architects; they’re the best to work with. Try out different ideas and career directions over the next few months and years. Learn what you love to do and go with your strengths.
My third saying comes from China. It turns out the Chinese character for “crisis” is made up of two parts – one that signifies danger, the other opportunity. I love the concept that a crisis is really an opportunity that needs to be addressed to resolve.
That’s what I think is happening now on our planet. We have a complex set of crises that are the result of interconnected issues around the globe. Our economic recovery is fragile. There’s the Arab Spring revolution and terrible unrest in Libya, ongoing wars in the Middle East, the price of oil and gas is climbing, plus we’re seeing the impact of climate change – drought in some areas, excess rain in others, along with 100- and 500-year weather patterns of hurricanes, tornadoes and flooding. These things all have some direct connection to each other. It’s part of the earth’s complex ecosystem, the butterfly effect.
It’s clear that our current way of life in the advanced world is no longer sustainable. We’ve got to figure out a different way if we want to survive. So, bottom line, it’s a design problem! And who better than you are able to think this through – you understand design thinking, how to pull apart a problem and come up with a creative and new approach. Now, more than ever, we need you to find opportunities in crisis.
The fourth statement is one of my favorites. It comes from my friend Janine Benyus’ book, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. Biomimicry is the examination of nature – its models, systems, processes and elements – to emulate or take inspiration from it in order to solve human problems sustainably. Janine’s definition of sustainability is very simple – it’s when you create conditions conducive to life. That’s your role as design professionals: to find ways using all of your intelligences, strengths and design thinking to transform our current wasteful approach to resource use and imbalance of the human condition to one where the human environment and the natural environment can live in harmony. A follow-up statement again from Janine that I find useful is, “When the city and forest are functionally indistinguishable is when we’ll be home on this planet.” That’s when you create conditions conducive to life.
My last saying comes from a story. This happened when my daughter Laura was about 10 and taking a horseback riding lesson in Massachusetts. She was learning to post and was having a frustrating time, complaining about the horse, in tears. One of the young teenage girls hanging out at the stables, as many are wont to do, came up to Laura and said, “ Laura, it might not be your fault, but it is your problem.” Wisdom from the mouths of babes.
That’s the situation we all face today. We all know that this isn’t the best time for the environment or the economy and that’s not your fault. But it is your problem to figure out what you are going to do about it. There’s a giant ‘help wanted’ sign hanging over our planet! And the good news is that you’re not facing this alone – your friends that you’ve made here, the faculty and staff that have nurtured your transformation over the past years, all are key players in whatever comes next. Now more than ever, it’s important and easy to stay connected. Your Wash U community is a critical part of your future, wherever you may be. Together, you can solve this problem.
So remember: you are smart in eight ways, you should go with your strengths, see crises as opportunities, work to create conditions conducive to life on this planet, and instead of pointing fingers, design solutions.
I actually have one bonus saying that I want to sneak in, one that I heard just last week at the AIA national convention in New Orleans. Fumihiko Maki received the Gold Medal award, the AIA’s highest honor for a designer. Mr. Maki, as you may know, started his career at Washington University and his first commission was Steinberg Hall. One of his latest was the addition to the Sam Fox School, so he’s played an important role in your career development. Reflecting on the recent disasters in Japan, Mr. Maki said, in his own extremely humble way, that he believes that a fundamental human desire is to lead an ordinary life with a little of the extraordinary mixed in. He is simply trying to create these conditions and share joy through his art. What a wonderful goal. May you share joy through your art as well.
I hope that these sayings gathered from my 32½ years since I missed my own graduation have resonated with you as you navigate your next days. It’s been a great honor to share them on this important occasion.
So let me be the last to officially say many, many congratulations. Completing the architecture program at this terrific institution is a big deal and will serve you well. You, your family and your friends should be very proud of your accomplishments. Enjoy this moment and be glad you came to graduation!
