As I write this I sit in a car with 8 others at 2 am Headed north on route 80 towards Canada. Everyone else is asleep, resting, other than the driver of course. As I am sat here in the last row, unable to sleep, my mind instead turns to studio. It’s Friday (well Saturday morning I suppose) which means I’ll only have Saturday and Sunday to finish the work required for Monday. This trip was meant to be a short break, it came only a week after third year began its second project, the perfect time to travel without fear of falling behind, in theory. So here I sit…focused on studio when I should probably be catching up on sleep. Architecture is often referred to as an all-encompassing endeavor. It is said that to succeed, to excel, it has to take over your life, become the end all be all, and consume your time and mind. Ever since I landed in architecture, realizing I loved it, and realizing I was good at it, I’ve devoted almost 80 hours a week on perfecting every drawing, every theory, every concept, and every project. Or at the very least coming close enough to perfection that satisfaction is achieved instead. As I write this, sitting in a van on its way to Canada at 2 am, I realize how tired I am. I love what I do, and I wouldn’t give it up for anything, but balance is important. I’ve decided that I can do what I love, do it well, and still maintain a healthy life outside of the 4 walls of studio. Let’s see how well I do.