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| Mr. Ego. Well, he is the greatest.. |
"More the knowledge lesser the ego, lesser the knowledge more the ego..." Albert Einstein. or if you like 1/knowledge=ego
How big is your ego? How deep is your love? oops Bee Gees diversion. Have you ever thought about the significance of your own "egoic" self? If you haven't, I'm here to make sure that you do. I think it's important to have a healthy understanding of your ego even if you don't, or don't want to, why? I'll tell you why, but first get up from your computer and look outside your window, take a good look at the built environment: Roadways, buildings, homes, power grid, street signs, cars and anything else created. Chances are most of it is shit and most of it created by those possessed with an abundance of ego. Well that's a generalized boorish statement to make! Yes, it is. Well I really don't care because it's apparent that something is interfering with creativity, especially in our architecture and ego has a large part in it. Here's the problem with ego: even the most lackluster talent-less architect or (engineer) can have a large ego and usually does to the detriment of our visual stimulation. After all, how do you explain the propensity of the junk built environment that abounds and continues to abound? I'm not saying ego is totally to blame here, it's far more complex than that I know, however ego is a large component in the recipe that creates sprawl, strip malls, spaghetti highways and all other horrible creations and some disasters. You may be screaming, it's not ego's fault! It's greed, it's a broken system, bureaucracy etc! You are right but for this article I will focus on ego in the architect and how it plays out in design development.
Every one has an ego, including every single architect, that we can all agree on I hope. I'm not going to explore what the ego is as defined by Freud or Jung. Nor will I speak of the difference between the Id, Ego, and Super Ego etc. For this article I'm just going to assume when we speak of the ego we are referring to the general stereotype we all believe it to be in our fellow human being; chiefly the negative connotations of over inflated self importance and belief in one self. That will be my premise, so please keep that in mind as you read this article.
Having an ego is not a bad thing in itself. In fact nothing great would ever get done without it. Ego is necessary to creativity. The crux of the problem lies in how much ego should one have, and how does it interfere or help in our abilities? I have two examples of the ego at work and it's effects; one helpful ego one not so helpful. The first, and yes I keep coming back to him is good old FWL and his monumental ego- Again we can all agree that this demigod had an ego the size of the Grand Canyon, however we can also agree his body of work and his design skills matched his colossal ego for the benefit of society. FLW and others of his caliber are a rarity. What is not a rarity are the multitudes of other architects who "think" they on his level but are not-the only thing they have in common is his ego unfortunately. I know one architect (well many architects) who's self assessment of himself is as big as FLW however his design talents are very lack luster. I would even say they are sub-par as he happily assists suburban sprawl expand and flourish. Unfortunately he is not unique among my colleagues. In all the offices' I ever worked at there were plenty of architects who believed themselves on par with FLW and who were absolutely not, not even close. I'm not here to bash any one architect or architects in general- What would be of more help to them and society is to understand and recognize where ego may be clouding judgement and ability. As I mentioned above, my friend with a high self assessment of himself couldn't design his way out of a paper bag yet he would never admit it nor ask for help. Asking for help is a smack in the face to ego, a major bruise indeed. Here is the key sticking point; how can you get help and get better if you never ask for it? Imagine the sub par surgeon who was about to operate on you, bet you wish he didn't let ego get in the way. Ego will sacrifice much, your home, maybe your life....
You may be thinking having an ego must be a bad thing in general but is it? Ego is great self motivator. Ego gives us a sense of identity. Ego drives us in our pursuits. Ego defends our opinions and creations. Ego believes in ourselves even when others do not. A healthy dose of ego is a great thing and is often labeled as self confidence, a must for any architect. In the architectural field one needs a stronger than typical ego to defend and promote ourselves in a sea of egos all struggling to get noticed. I just watched a movie that demonstrated how ego paired with real talent can get you to the top, Walt Before Mickey. This movie was about Walt Disney in his early days before he became a house hold name. It showed one thing incredibly well about his life and that was his unfailing faith and belief in himself, and his creativity in the face of extreme hardship. A few times it looked like the end for good ole Disney but he never gave up. You may be thinking how did ego help Walt? His determination and belief in himself can be said to be the perfect form of "Ego" one that serves his talents. His ego which fitted him well, did not even look like ego. It came across as leadership, self confidence, determination, talent.
There is a darker side to ego as well, the stereotypical one we all know so well. This form of ego used in common parlance is negative and derisive. It's narcissistic, thinks it knows everything, never asks for help and worst of all is irritatingly irrational. Have you ever tried debating a person with a 10 gallon hat big ego? Even in the face of opposing evidence this person will continue to hold to their stubborn position. This kind of behavior is common among people in our personal lives but also in the public and professional arenas. Besides the legal field this irrational bit of ego runs rampant in the architectural world. Ego has a unique way of digging in even when it knows it's wrong. It will persist to the bloody end defending the most inferior or mediocre work. Ego will not only defend but will elevate inferior work to high standards and try to convince others of its contrivance. This irrationality created by the ego explains matters at the small scale but also at the large like the ridiculous building trend in China for example. Even the Chinese have had enough (creating laws against certain kinds of architecture) with these claptrap designs sprouting up all over Asia. E.G: Gate of the East Building in Suzhou China "Locals say it looks like a giant pair of pants" also that "China is becoming the playground of foreign designers with laughable architecture ideas" Who is to blame for that? I vote EGO! These architects have obviously fallen victim to their delusional ego identity. This form of ego gives less architecture and more statement or testament to the self, shut up Howard Rourke, and Ayn Rand! It gives us poorly trained architects but great self promoters all of whom need help but as we have seen the ego will never ask for it. Finally another side effect of the over inflated ego that we have all seen and have to endure in others, possibly your boss, client, is the power trip. This is almost always driven by an ego out of control. There are a few exceptions, natural born leaders who neither seek nor covet positions of leadership nor seek to glorify their ego, think George Washington. For the rest of us, ego claws and scratches its way to the top at whatever cost. Why? Ego. Ego says look at me, ego seeks importance, ego seeks distinction, ego seeks domination, ego seeks power - it is a way of proving to the world but mostly to yourself "hey I'm better than you think". I don't want to write much about such people since I could dedicate a whole book to the subject but there are those who seek power through title and position who get into the architectural profession just to be able to say they are an architect. Should such people be practicing architecture? Possibly not. But who am I to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't do? Yeah mom and dad that goes for you too!
There is a place for ego when used properly. In this cut throat competitive world of ours even the best need to play the ego game. Ego can be a useful tool in bridging the gap between obscurity and success. Ever hear of the cliche "fake it until you make it"? That's a common strategy for those trying to break into "stardom". As the greatest said (Muhammad Ali) "To be a great champion you must believe you are the best . If you're not pretend you are". Ego in that regard can be your best friend. However what if you are all "fake"? Well that explains much of our suburban architecture, the giant pair of pants building, not to mention popular culture. It is unfortunate but those that are selfless and do not get involved in the ego game will simply not be recognized many times. It is a necessary evil as they say. In the end I'm preaching to the choir. The architect that needs the most help will never seek help or read this article. It's ironic in that the thing that makes them so awful also prevents them from becoming great. Those architects may have convinced themselves that their second rate architecture is great but the evidence, again look out your window, suggests differently.
Lewis Portal
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