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Episode Notes
Jordan Gray on creative friction, the fine line between passion projects and work, storytelling in design, and overcoming the beginner feeling.
Jordan Gray works as a Visualization Specialist at Hanbury.
Architecture and design always have a narrative—an evocative, deeper meaning. From napkin sketches, to drawing sets, to post-construction marketing, each medium for client communication is key to architectural storytelling. I've always had a passion for the visualization toolset, recognizing how renderings, photography, and filmmaking go hand-in-hand with the design process. It's my proverb to practice openness to new methods when there's a better way. Always explore; always collaborate.
Links
- Gray Collab - Jordan’s renderings, photography, and film. Started while freelancing.
- Jordan on Vimeo
- Carolina Day School — Asheville, NC by Jordan Gray
- Kappa Achievement Park: A Place to Belong by Jordan Gray
- Hanbury
- xkcd: Is It Worth The Time?
- Unreal Engine
- Lumion & VRay
- Rhino & Grasshopper 3D
- Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Revit
- Google Books Ngram Viewer
- Austin Kleon: Pencil vs. Computer on Hurry Slowly
Books
- Less But Better by Dieter Rams
- Faculty Department Volume 1 by Justin Chung
- The Photography Storytelling Workshop by Finn Beales
- So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport
- You Can’t Make This Stuff Up by Lee Gutkind
- 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam
People mentioned
Chapters
- 00:00 · Intro
- 00:16 · Start
- 01:25 · How did you get into photography as an architecture student?
- 02:54 · How do you cope with not having time to pursue new things?
- 06:42 · Have you been doing much deliberate practice lately?
- 11:42 · How knowledge translates across tools and disciplines
- 18:21 · What's your personal way of maintaining growth and creativity?
- 32:13 · Does that friction become positive?
- 35:19 · Can everyone make their passion part of their work?
- 38:43 · Asking yourself "Does it feel gratifying? Is it fulfilling? Is it satisfying?"
- 44:27 · Have you been hearing about "storytelling" in your field?
- 48:17 · How can we focus on the human experience instead of other designers?
- 51:58 · How do you make sure a rebrand isn't just skin deep?
- 58:34 · What makes people feel something?
- 01:00:59 · What's most important to focus on if you want to change how you are percieved?
- 01:03:23 · How do you get to the point where people seek you out?
- 01:05:45 · The concept of the podium
- 01:09:14 · The chaos of taking pictures
- 01:13:20 · How much is just overthinking or overdoing?
- 01:14:34 · Will anyone notice the time you spend on the details?
- 01:17:23 · How do you go about capturing creative moments?
- 01:21:03 · Do you have any daily routines that make you happier or more productive?
- 01:22:45 · What would be some book recomendations?
- 01:24:59 · What would be your message to the world?
- 01:27:05 · Enjoying the process of grinding the beans
- 01:34:39 · Using your brain to design things vs just grinding mouse clicks and workflow steps
- 01:37:08 · How would you define simplicity?
- 01:42:15 · What have you learned about simplicity from making this podcast?
- 01:46:28 · Where can we find you?
- 01:50:53 · Outro
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