First thing's first: an introduction. For those of you who do not know, I am an interior design major. We are part of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. My studio professor, Jim Basset, has a philosophy that everything we do in life not only prepares us for our future careers but also for our lives ahead of us. He believes there are life lessons to be found within the built environment which we are all studying to create.

      Our latest studio project has been to take five 3 1/2" cubes and, using the wood shop, reveal the 'many within one'. We are only able to use the principal of subtraction; we may only remove components of the cube to reveal those within. It was fascinating during presentations earlier this morning to see all of the variations that were revealed. Many of these blocks are defined by the viewers immediate recognition of the cubes while others make you really look at the piece and debate what may or may not be a cube.

This is often the case with people as

well. Some times one's initial

assessment, or judgement, of a person

is a true and accurate set of traits. You

assume someone likes dogs because of

the organization of their t-shirt or a

folder they have. Yet, other times you

assume they like the color pink or that

they're a nice person and they turn out

to be nothing of the sort.

      Our perception of the blocks can be

used to mirror our perception of those

around us. The way we assess the built environment is not really so different than the analytical skills we use to judge people. We judge on aesthetics, we judge on color, we judge on temperature; we judge on the way a space makes us feel, the emotions it evicts. The same happens with people. After that initial meeting or conversation, we make assumptions. Oh, they're nice, they're too talkative, they've got a great smile, and so on. By forcing us to look deeper into something as simple as a block of wood, we are learning the ways we assess the people we interact with.

       Learning to slow down is key to surviving this thing we call modern life. Our lives as we know them are racing past us, but do they have to? Why not take the time to slow down and enjoy the color of a sunset? Or really get to know someone? Go ahead, learn their little quirks. You'd be surprised by how much you both appreciate the effort. Just like you'd be surprised that a class of freshman can make 110 variations of the same project when give a 3 1/2" wooden block. You'd be surprised by a lot of things. So go ahead, go dig a little deeper, and see what you find. :)