We were lucky to catch up with Sona Gevorkyan recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sona, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
The most challenging aspect for me is identifying the root cause these feelings of uncertainty or lack of confidence. When I’m not sure about something, I often ask myself if it’s because I’m lacking knowledge or qualifications, or if it’s simply a vague sense of insecurity. I believe it’s crucial to distinguish between these two reasons because if it’s due to a lack of knowledge or qualifications, I find this healthy to recognize, it means I’m motivated to learn and improve. However, there are times when I doubt my abilities even though my qualifications are comparable to those of my peers. To bolster my confidence, I try to give myself positive affirmations and remind myself of my hard work and passion. Additionally, being a member of the Association for Women in Architecture and Design has been extremely helpful in building my confidence for several reasons. Firstly, seeing accomplished and powerful women who are also humble and willing to share their experiences and knowledge has been empowering. Secondly, the support and motivation provided by the community has been invaluable. It’s important for all of us to find a supportive network that encourages and celebrates us.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I founded Sona Gevorkyan Architecture Office in 2015, and it has been a fulfilling journey with both highs and lows. I’ve been fortunate to work with wonderful clients and have had very few negative experiences. My work primarily focuses on residential projects in the Los Angeles area, and in recent years, I’ve had more ADU (accessory dwelling unit) projects than other types of residential projects. I enjoy working on ADUs because they typically require ministerial approvals, which makes them more predictable and easier to get approved. However, I do want to expand my practice and take on more commercial projects, particularly in the hospitality industry (projects such as restaurants and hotels etc). These projects are more theatrical and require the creation of spaces that effectively tell a story to a wide audience. As an architect, I view my work as problem-solving and strive to create beautiful but also sustainable designs. In the coming years, I hope to have a balanced practice with an equal number of commercial and residential projects. I’ve recently picked up a new hobby of creating AI-generated images of buildings and spaces. This allows me to rapidly experiment with different design ideas. Although it’s still unclear where AI technology is headed, I’m excited to see if it might have an impact on the hospitality projects I hope to work on in the future.
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?
Finding sources of inspiration is crucial for personal growth and development. For me, moments of inspiration often lead to a desire to pursue new ideas or projects. As a visual person, I try to surround myself with sources of visual stimulation such as fashion, art, nature, and colorful environments to spark creativity. Traveling to new places and immersing myself in different visual environments also helps me find new inspiration.
I also believe that surrounding ourselves with the right people and community can greatly impact our growth and development. Role models can provide valuable guidance and inspiration, but having a supportive community, especially in creative professions, can be just as important.
When I don’t have a clear goal or vision, I tend to feel depressed. Recognizing this has helped me be kinder to myself and seek inspiration and support from my community when I’m feeling down. For example, I’m part of an event series with the Association for Women in Architecture and Design called Morning Coffee, where we brainstorm business topics and ideas that interest us. These sessions are like a combination of professional therapy and coaching, and I always come away with new ideas and a renewed sense of purpose.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
I believe it’s important to strike a balance between building expertise in your strengths and improving upon areas where you may have weaker skills. This is especially relevant in the field of architecture, where there are many different pathways one can take. As architects, we need to have a general understanding of allied disciplines, but we are not expected to be experts in all of these areas.
This balance is also related to the topic of imposter syndrome, where we may feel like they don’t know enough, especially when dealing with clients and situations where our expertise or opinions could potentially save or cost the client money. For me, besides working on expending my general knowledge as much as possible, recognizing that I am not an expert in everything and being transparent about this with my clients has been the most helpful in overcoming imposter syndrome. This applies even when it comes to questions related to my own field of expertise.
Each project is unique and comes with its own set of challenges, which is to be expected. To manage these challenges, I try to identify and address any unknowns at the outset of the project, and if I don’t have the answer to a question, I refer the client to an appropriate expert for guidance. Setting expectations at the beginning of the project helps to avoid conflicts down the line.
While it’s important for me to identify and address areas of weakness, it’s also crucial to build expertise in areas of interest and project confidence in my abilities. To become an expert, it’s important to me to constantly seek opportunities to learn and grow, as well as to effectively communicate my expertise to others. The communication part is defiantly work in progress, this is one weakness I find the most challenging and I am currently considering working with consultants who are experts, rather than trying to become and expert myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sgao.us
- Instagram: Professional @sgao_la Personal @Sona_Gevorkyan
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sona-gevorkyan-5a1700b3
