the doppelganger.

the wrong way: follow everyone who is walking in front of you.

the Wright way: learn to find your way on your own. Sometimes, you'll have only yourself to rely on. You can make your own decisions. You can derive.
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Today we visited the long-awaited Renzo Piano complex, Santa Cecilia. From the name, you could guess that it has something to do with music, since Saint Cecilia is the patron saint.
Marina, our sketching teacher/co-professor/mom/translator is a professional tour guide who actually works there and has for five years [and I can't even keep a job as a waitress]. She tooks us around to the three different theaters and explained the different characteristics of acoustics that we've become so familiar with this past year.
What's really starting to stand out to me is the passion that good architects feel in designing good architecture.
Have you ever gotten lost in something? Every now and then, I do. If a certain topic is brought up, music and certain bands and evolutions of music genres etc., I become lost in an overwhelming thought process that propels my speech and excitement to no end [that is, if someone lets me talk]. The same thing happens with art and composition.
Renzo Piano is an architect who knows how to initiate his own sense of drive by concentrating on what each space needs. What is being designed? What does the space revolve around conceptually? Culturally? What fabric is it being placed into? What effect will that have? Are there existing solutions? How can they be made BETTER?
If this kind of thinking gets you excited, maybe you should think about going into architecture.
Thinking about intended use and deciding to build the three theaters (700, 1200, & 2800, respectively) around the quality of music inspired the shape and look of the buildings.

Sometimes, it isn't that easy to get inspired. Ideas halt and boredom sets in. That's when taking things into your own hands- making your own decisions- becomes your safety net. The ability to get yourself out of a rut like this is an excellent quality to have, but it takes some effort to build.
After our tour today, we were left to find our way home. Corin and I decided to derive onto a different road, and found ourselves [and eventually eric] in the territory of a street artist.

The artist is the ultimate doppelganger. The artist is two people. He is one who can exist in the world of community, and one who can once again indulge in his individuality as a separate entity.

This man gifted Eric and me with quick sketches of his trademark self-portrait on the back of a cut-up postcard. Talking to him for a little bit confirmed for me how lost he is. I can't wait for the day I can remain in that place.