The Year I Studied Architecture in Japan
/Studying architecture in Japan changed how I see design, discipline, and drawing. Here’s how that experience shaped my creative journey.
Read MoreRead practical tips, creative stories & resources for students, architects & designers - from career advice to hand drawing, sketching & studio life.
Studying architecture in Japan changed how I see design, discipline, and drawing. Here’s how that experience shaped my creative journey.
Read MoreYou might have noticed my content is moving a little more towards architecture, drawing, and, in general, entrepreneurship. Life is and should be, after all, about natural growth and constant evolution.
First off, let’s just say balance doesn’t exist the way we imagine it to. Work and family aren’t equal. The scales tip in either direction at different times of the day, week, month, or year. So that notion of fair, or equal is nonexistent.
You are in the trenches of it all. All the noise, all the mess, all the milestones, all the joy, all of it almost all the time.
Then they go to school and you miss it ALL.
You live and breathe architecture. You know when someone’s an architect, you can spot them a mile away. They’re the odd one, wearing black, probably with funky glasses, and touching (or knocking on) all surfaces of a built structure.
I have a sketchbook in the nappy bag and I have nappies in my Kate Spade laptop bag.
But the two worlds don’t (don’t) easily blend.
You’ve heard it before.
The identity of a woman changes when she becomes a Mum
It’s hard to explain - this might resonate with you or you might disagree. This didn’t happen to me until my kids went to nursery. So I kinda felt left out of this feeling until then. Until I realized these little monkeys had been my 24/7 for 2+ years each and I didn’t know how to go back to ‘normal life’ now they were off with their wee gangs at Leikskoli.
…Did I want to?
Oh my. That’s a scary thought.
So I’m doing what I do best. I am designing. But I’m designing my life, my 9-3:30…until I can pick them up again, and yes, early because I am that helicopter Mum who missed them so much.
These are all important pillars to me and so as I dive back into the studio, and my online courses, I’m opening up and sharing more about design, mindset, and all that is balancing business and motherhood in this next chapter of life.
Stay tuned.
Back when I was pregnant with Angus, and in preparation for maternity leave and life with two children, I took some time to plan how I wanted my business to work and grow as my family grew, and my focus understandably got challenged.
Read MoreAfter years of constant movement and academic pressure, Iceland gave me the space to breathe again. Sketching Reykjavik helped me find home, reconnect with creativity, and redefine what balance means as both an architect and a mum.
Read MoreWhen the recession ended my job in architecture, I never imagined it would lead me to India. What began as a short-term teaching contract became one of the most transformative chapters of my life. In Bangalore, I helped build a design school from the ground up, discovered my love for education, and learned that my real work wasn’t just designing spaces - it was helping others design their own creative paths.
Read MoreAbout Sonia Nicolson
Sonia Nicolson is a British Chartered Architect (ARB) and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). As an Architect and Creative Educator based in Iceland, she helps students and designers build confidence in hand drawing, design, and portfolio skills.
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Architect & former University Lecturer turned Entrepreneur. I help female Entrepreneurs successfully Design & Build their Creative Businesses in Interior Design, Architecture & Urban Sketching.
Architect & Creative Educator helping you design and build your career and creative business in Interior Design, Architecture and Urban Sketching.
ARB - British Chartered Architect
FHEA - Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Former Academic Director, Raffles Design Institute (India)
Academic Representative, British Council (Design Education)
British Chartered Architect & Former University Lecturer | Mentoring the Next Generation of Architects to Succeed from Day One
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