Saturday, February 19, 2011

Building a movie, making a home

I'm sure I'm not the first to compare building a home to writing/making a movie, but since I'm going through both processes at the same time (the reason for lack of recent posts), the similarities seem particularly apparent.
pic by Swedish illustrator Johan Thornqvist
You need to:

- have a strong vision for what you want the final result to be
- attach the right team who will support that vision
- go in with a good set of plans
- have a realistic budget and time frame
- get buy-in from your neighbours/investors
Then onto the actual building/production:
- start with strong foundations
- build in layers and sections (I know, I know - simplification of note)
- be flexible to creatively work around unexpected issues that arise
- listen to objective external input, especially expert advice
And when it's nearing the end:
- stay calm and true to the vision even though you might be ready to throw in the towel
- add the finishing touches to give it character
-and then accept the fact that it is not actually near the end just yet...

And if that's not enough, throughout it all, you have to enjoy the process otherwise it'll be difficult to enjoy the result! Luckily I have a great team on Khumba and a fantastic architect (Jennifer Sorrel), because I would not advise trying to do both at the same time. What was I thinking?

Share/Bookmark