Just because you are smart does not mean that you are cut out to be creative. My identity crisis had more to do with how easy everything had been previously – that I did pretty well without trying – and when I got to architecture school, I was mediocre. Once I dedicated myself to the work required, I did not struggle. Once I stopped goofing around and removed all the distractions I had surrounded myself with, I think I was one of the better designers in school. If you are doing the work but it’s still not coming together for you, I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know you and you can’t tell me enough information in an email for me to tell you what is broken and how to fix it. Going to college is a life expanding process – mostly because this is a time when you discover a lot of things about yourself. You are in one of these moments and only you can work yourself through this moment.
I know you would have liked for me to tell you the secret that would make everything better, I wish I could have done that as well. Just think of it this way, if it’s easy, it probably isn’t worth doing.