We were lucky to catch up with Brett Farrow recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Brett, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Finding one’s purpose is something that many people grapple with in all stages of life. In particular young people in their 20’s who are basically in a suspended state of angst for years. This was definitely true for me. Having a sense of purpose is about the same as asking the question or knowing what is the meaning of life or knowing one’s calling.
Although I am an Architect this was not always what I assumed I would do with my life, in fact there was a long period time while I was working in a practicing Architect’s office that I was certain I did not want to become an Architect. I had to go about finding this purpose or profession in a very roundabout way and in the end it found me.
This was part luck but also just paying attention to what you are good at and enjoy doing. There is a saying that the person who loves what they do never works a day in their life. To a large extent that has been true for me.
There is one additional important step in finding a purpose that is intentional, deliberate and cerebral. Although I had the opportunities to become an Architect there was something missing for me in the traditional Architect role of service provider. I knew that to be more impactful I had to understand the means of production for architecture. This meant being involved in every step from inception to completion and even afterwards in order to control the final output.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My focus professionally is the practice of Architecture. To me there is nothing like being inside of an amazing space. Space can create a range of emotions and we all know when a space is inspiring or the opposite, when it creates dread. To be intentional about this effect has always been something that I enjoy, basically making spaces that are fun to be inside of and create a sense of curiosity from the outside. Good architecture brings joy into our daily lives like nothing else, whether it’s a view, a detail or simple morning light.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
First is asking where do you want to go and how do you want to live? I used to teach this to architecture students and frame their goals in 1, 3, 5 and 10 year time frames. Then you ask how do you get there?
Second, always ask questions even when there is the risk of sounding stupid or uninformed. Usually someone else has the same question or they are just going along with it because they don’t want to look foolish.
Lastly, learn by doing and observing. Education is great but trust yourself, observe and think critically. Doubt the experts at every turn. Keep asking “why?” until you run out of “whys”.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
It would have to be Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto. Although I am a business owner, developer and capitalist reading Marx made me question everything. So much of what we are told is received knowledge and very few take the time to not only think about the big picture but are able to put it to words.
Marx dismantled assumptions about why things are the way they are and his ideas are timeless even if the political project is unachievable.
My biggest take away from Marx were his ideas about Alienation. It’s a dense topic but essentially if we understand our work, the whole of it, then we have a richer experience which can create true satisfaction and happiness.
For me this meant going beyond just architecture, it meant I had to understand finance, construction, real estate, law and so much more. This is why I involve myself in all aspects of real estate development and why I enjoy it so much, or at least most of the time.
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Image Credits
Connor Newton Photography-head shot
Auda & Auda- Laguna Row
Paul Rivera Photography- C3bank
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