Personal Environmental Analysis
PERSONAL ENVIROMENTAL ANALYSIS: THE PAST EXERCISE 1: ENVIROMENTAL FAMILY TREE REFLECTIONS: 1. IN WHAT WAY(S), IF ANY, DID YOUR FAMILY’S ENVIROMENTAL EXPERIENCES DIFFER FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION? THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT GENERATIONS IS LOCATION. I’VE NEVER KNOWN ANYTHING OTHER THAN LEBANON OH AND LEXINGTON KENTUCKY. WHEREAS MY GRAMIE GREW UP LIVING ON A DAIRY FARM IN MAINE, THEN MOVED TO DAYTON OH AND EVENTUALLY ENDED IN LEBANON OH. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MY FAMILY, MY GRANDPARENTS ALONG WITH MY MOM AND UNCLE LIVED IN GERMANY, WHERE MY GRANDPA WAS STATIONED, FOR 4YEARS.
BECAUSE OF THE WAR MY GRANDPA HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE IN EUROPE AND EXPERIENCE DIFFERENT CULTURES. 2. IN WHAT WAY(S), IF ANY, DID THE ENVIROMETNAL EXPERIENCES STAY THE SAME FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION? MY MOMS SIDE OF THE FAMILY HAS ALWAYS LIVED IN LEBANON OHIO, THOUGH THE SMALL TOWN HAS GROWN OVER THE YEARS, IN COMPARISON TO THE SURROUNDING CITIES LEBANON IS STILL A SMALL QUAINT TOWN. 3. IN WHAT WAY(S), IF ANY, DO YOU THINK YOUR ENVIROMENTAL GENEALOGY HAS INFLUENCED YOUR OWN ENVIROMENTAL PERSPECTIVE AND VALUES?
CLOSENESS IN COMMUNITY HAS ALWAYS BEEN IMPORTANT TO ME, GROWING UP KNOWING ALL OF MY CLASS MATES SINCE ELEMATARY SCHOOL PROVIDES A SINCE OF FAMILARARITY AND COMFORT. NATURE HAS HAD A HUGE INFLUENCE ON WHO I AM TODAY, GROWING UP I WAS FORTUNATE IN THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF LAND. 44 ACHRES OF WOODS WAS MY PLAYGROUND, INCLUDING A POND AND CREEK. EVERYDAY IN THE SUMMER MY BROTHER AND OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS AND I WOULD PLAY AND EXPLORE IN THOSE WOOD. I DON’T REMEMBER WATCHING TELEVISION UNTIL I WAS IN THE 5TH GRADE. BECAUSE OF THAT I HAVE A DIFFERENT APPRECIATION FOR NATURE THAN I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DO. 4.
IN WHAT WAY(S), IF ANY, DO YOU THINK THAT INFLUENCE HAS BEEN POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE? I CAN’T THINK OF ANYTHING THAT WOULD SUGGEST THE WAY I GREW UP HAD ANY NEGATIVE INFLUENCE ON ME, IT’S ONLY BEEN POSITIVE. I THINK I HAVE A MUCH BETTER APPRECIATION FOR THE THINGS MOST PEOPLE MY AGE TAKE FOR ADVANTAGE. 5. WHAT SENSE OF HOME DO YOU WANT TO PASS DOWN TO FUTURE GENERATIONS AS PART OF YOUR LEGACY OF PLACE? I’M LUCKY IN THAT I DON’T HAVE ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT MY CHILDHOOD, OR ABOUT MY PARENTS. THEY HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT SUPPORTIVE IN ANYTHING I DO, PUSHING ME TO BE THE BEST I CAN BE, BECAUSE OF THAT THEY HAVE CREATED A POSITIVE ENVIROMENT AT HOME.
I WANT TO BE ABLE TO PASS DOWN THAT SAME FEELING THAT HOME REALLY IS HOME. I WANT IT TO BE A PLACE THAT ANYONE COULD COME TO AND CALL IT THEIR HOME. 6. DO YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER REFLECTIONS ON HOW YOUR ENVIROMENTAL FAMILY TREE MAY HAVE INFLUENCED YOU? PERSONAL ENVIROMENTAL ANALYSIS: THE PAST EXERCISE 2: ENVIROMENTAL TIME LINE 1. LOOKING AT YOUR ENVIROMENTAL TIME LINE, HOW MAY YEARS HAVE YOU LIVED IN EACH OF THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF SETTING? CITIES? – TOWNS? – SUBURBS? – VILLAGES? – COUNTRYSIDE? (USE YOUR OWN SENSE OF THESE PLACES TO DETERMINE WHETHER THOSE PLACES ARE A CITY, TOWN, VILLAGE ETC. )
I’VE LIVED IN THE SMALL TOWN OF LEBANON FOR 18 YEARS AND THE CITY OF LEXINGTON FOR 2 YEARS. 2. OVERALL WHAT TYPE OF SETTING DID YOU LIVE IN THE MOST UNDER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN? DID YOU LIKE LIVING IN THIS TYPE OF SETTING? WHY OR WHY NOT? I LIVED IN A SMALL TOWN FOR THE LARGEST PORTION OF MY LIFE, I LOVED LIVING IN LEBANON AND OFTEN GET HOMESICK FOR THAT SAME CLOSENESS I HAD GROWING UP. AT THE SAME TIME WHEN OUR STUDIO VISITED CHICAGO THIS PAST SEMESTER I WAS VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE ENERGY OF THE CITY AND COULD PICTURE MYSELF LIVING IN A CITY OF THAT SIZE FOR A SHORT PORTION OF MY LIFE, JUST SO THAT I COULD HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE.
MY HOME TOWN WAS ENERGETIC BUT A DIFFERENT ENERGY, A COMMUINAL ENERGY, IT THE SCHOOL SPIRIT, THE LEBANON WARRIOR PRIDE. 3. WHAT TYPE OF SETTING (CITY, TOWN, SUBURB, VILLAGE OR COUNTRYSIDE) DID YOU LIVE IN FOR THE GREATEST PERIOD OF TIME AS AN ADULT? IF SO, WHY DO YOU THINK YOU CHOSE TO LIVE IN THAT TYPE OF SETTING? THE CITY IS THE ONLY TYPE OF SETTING I’VE LIVED IN AS AN ADULT. I’VE CHOSE TO LIVE HERE IN LEXINGTON FOR ITS CONVIENCE OF BEING IN THE SAME CITY WHERE I ATTEND SCHOOL. 4. IS THERE A PLACE(S) ON THE TIME LINE WHERE YOU LIVED AS A CHILD OR AN ADULT THAT YOU FEEL HAD A MAJOR IMPACT ON YOU?
IF SO, WHY DO YOU THINK THAT PLACE(S) HAD THAT IMPACT? LIVING IN A SMALL TOWN HAS HAD A MAJOR IMAPCT ON ME BECAUSE IT’S WHERE I GREW UP, IT’S HOME TO ME. 5. THINKING ABOUT THE SETTING YOU LIVE IN NOW, HOW DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO LIVE IN A SETTING THAT IS IN ANY WAY SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT FROM THE SETTINGS YOU EXPERIENCED AS A CHILD: I. E. CITY? TOWN? SUBURB? VILLAGE? COUNTRYSIDE? I LIVE IN MY SORORITY HOUSE ON THE COLLEGE CAMPUS. I WANTED TO LIVE IN THE HOUSE BECAUSE I WANTED TO HAVE THAT SAME CLOSENESS I HAVE WITH MY FRIENDS FROM HOME WITH THE GIRLS HERE IN THE SORORITY.
I WANTED TO HAVE A PLACE I COULD GO TO A THERE WOULD ALWAYS BE SOMEONE THERE TO TAKE MY MIND OFF MY STRESSFUL LIFE AS AN INTERIOR DESIGN STUDENT. 6. ARE YOU HAPPY LIVING IN YOUR CURRENT SETTING OR WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO MOVE AGAIN? WHY OR WHY NOT? I DO LIKE WHERE IM LIVING CURRENTLY, IT’S CLOSE TO CLASSES, WE HAVE COOKS, AND A HOUSE CLEANER. IM ALWAYS BEING TAKEN CARE OF AND THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE TO DO SOMETHING WITH. THE ONLY DOWN FALL TO LIVING IN A HOUSE WITH 42 OTHER GIRLS IS THAT ALL OFOUR SCHEDULES ARE DIFFERENT AND OUR LIVING HABITS ARE DIFFERENT, SO JUST ADDAPTING TO SHARING CAN BECOME BOTHERSOME.
IT’S ALSO ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND A TIME WHEN THE HOUSE IS QUIET ENOUGH TO JUST THINK AND BE ALONE, BECAUSE THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING GOING ON. 7. DO YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER REFLECTIONS ON PAST, PRESENT OF FUTURE CHOICE OF HOME SETTING? I’D LOVE TO LIVE IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT PLACES, JUST SO THAT I HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE OF DIFFERENT CULTURES AND LIFE STYLES. I KNOW THAT NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TO ME THOUGH I WILL WANT TO END UP LIVING IN A HOUSE WITH A DECENT AMOUNT OF LAND, BECAUSE THAT WILL ALWAYS BE HOME TO ME. PERSONAL ENVIROMENTAL ANALYSIS: THE PAST EXERCISE 3: MENTAL MAP 1.
THINKING OF YOUR MAP, WHAT, IF ANYTHING, MADE THIS SETTING DISTINCTIVE? DID IT HAVE PATHS, EDGES, LANDMARKS OR NODES THAT WERE PARTICULARLY MEMORABLE FOR YOU? IN WHAT WAY(S) WERE THEY MEMORABLE? THE SPECIFIC AREAS HIGHLIGHTED ARE WHERE I SPENT MOST OF MY CHILDHOOD. THE FIRST TIME I REMEMBER MY BROTHER AND I WALKED TO THE WATER FALLS I CAN REMEMBER TRIPPING ON MY WAY DOWN THE HILL THAT CONNECTS TOW OF THE BACK FIELDS, AND FALLING INTO A TORN TREE WHERE A TORN PIERCED MY HAND. I DON’T REMEMBER THE PAIN FROM THE TORN I JUST REMEMBER BEING SO UPSET THE NEST WEEK WHEN MY MOM WOULDN’T LET ME GO TO THE WATERFALLS WITH MY BROTHER AND HIS FRIENDS.
THE CREEK, WATERFALLS, FIELDS AND POND ARE ALL LAND MARKS FOR ME AS A CHILD IT’S WHERE I SPENT MOST OF MY TIME. 2. AS AN ADULT DO YOU FEEL THAT ANY SETTINGS YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE IN DURING YOUR LIFE CONTAINED FORMS (PATHS, EDGES, LANDMARKS, NODES, DISTRICTS) SIMILAR TO THOSE THAT APPEARED IN YOUR MENTAL MAP? DESCRIBE ANY SIMILARITIES OR DIFFERENCES. THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND IS THE ENGINEERING QUAD ON CAMPUS, SPRING SEMESTER OF LAST YEAR I WAS IN STUDIO WORKING ON MY FINAL PROJECT WITH THE REST OF STUDIO. DESPERATELY NEEDING A BREAK A COUPLE OF US RAN TO THE QUAD JUST ACROSS FROM OUR STUDIO TO PICK TULIPS THAT WERE IN BLOOM.
EVERYTIME I WALK THROUGH THAT QUAD IT REMINDS ME JUST HOW MUCH FUN IT WAS TO RUN AROUND THAT NIGHT. THE DIFFERENCE FROM RUNNING OUTSIDE AS A KID IS THAT WE WERE SCARED WE WOULD GET IN TROUBLE PICKING THE FLOWERS SO THERE WAS A LITTLE MORE OF AN ADRINALINE RUSH. 3. DOES THE LARGE SCALE SETTING WHERE YOU PRESENTLY RESIDE REPEAT ELEMENTS OF CITY FORM FROM ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT PLACE THAT YOU LIVED? LEXINGTON IS A SMALLER CITY BUT EVERYTHING HERE IS A LITTLE MORE SPREAD OUT IN COMPARISON TO THE SMALL TOWN I GREW UP IN. DRIVING TO GET TO WALMART AT HOME TAKES MAYBE TWO MINUTES WHEREAS HERE IT CAN TAKE UP TO 20 MINUTES DEPENDING ON TRAFFIC. . WHICH, IF ANY, OF THE ELEMENTS OF YOUR PAST SETTINGS WOULD YOU WANT TO REPLICATE OR REJECT WHEN CHOOSING A PLACE TO LIVE IN THE FUTURE? ID LIKE THE PLACE I DECIDE TO SETTLE DOWN TO HAVE THE SAME CLOSENESS AS MY HOMETOWN AND THE SAME HIGH SCHOOL SPIRIT FOR MY KIDS TO EXPERIENCE. UNTIL I CHOOSE TO SETTLE DOWN I THINK ID LIKE TO LIVE IN A BIGGER CITY WHERE THERE’S A LOT OF ACTION AND MOVEMENT. PERSONAL ENVIROMENTAL ANALYSIS: THE PAST EXERCISE 4: FAVORITE CHILDHOOD PLACE VISUALIZATION 1. WERE YOU ABLE TO REMEMBER SUCH A PLACE FROM CHILDHOOD? IF SO, REFLECT ON WHAT YOU REMEMBERED.
TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO DRAW OR WRITE ABOUT THE FAVORITE PLACE YOU VISUALIZED. THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG TO THIS EXERCISE. INCLUDE WHATEVER HELPS YOU RE-CREATE THE QUALITY OF THAT PLACE: THE SHAPES, COLOR, TEXTURES, OBJECTS, PEOPLE, ETC. THAT YOU REMEMBERED. ABOVE ALL, REFLECT ON THE MEANING OF THAT PLACE FOR YOU AND WHY YOU CHOSE THAT PLACE TO REMEMBER. THE TREE FORT MY BROTHER AND I BUILT WITH SOME OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS WAS JUST OUT OF SITE OF MY HOUSE. THE TREE WE BUILT ON WAS A FALLEN TREE THAT BRIDGED EITHER SIDE OF THE CREEK. EVERYONE HAD THEIR OWN SPECIAL SEAT ON WHAT WE CALLED OUR FORT.
I ALWAYS STRADDLED THE TREE LETTING ME FEET DANGLE OVER THE CREEK, MY BROTHER, CORY, SAT AT THE TOP OF THE TREE RIGHT WHERE THE BRANCHES STARTED. BECAUSE NICK WAS THE OLDEST HE HAD THE HIGHEST SEAT, ON A BRANCH THAT POINTED STRAIT UP THEN BENT VERTICALLY THE BRANCH WAS SHAPED AS THOUGH IT WAS MENT TO BE USED FOR SEATING. 2. THINK ABOUT ANY WAYS THAT PAST FAVORITE ENVIROMENT RESEMBLES SOME ENVIROMENT N YOUR PRESENT LIFE. ARE THE FEELINGS YOU EXPERIENCE IN THIS PRESENT PLACE SIMILAR TO ANY FEELINGS YOU HAD IN YOUR FAVORITE PLACE FROM THE PAST?
DRAW/WRITE ABOUT THIS PRESENT PLACE. I THINK I HAD SUCH AN ATTACHMENT TO OUR FORT BECAUSE IT WAS OURS A PLACE US KIDS COULD GO TO AND BE OURSELVES AND PRETEND AND IMAGINE, IT WAS ALSO A PLACE I COULD GO TO BE ALONE AND BY MYSELF. REALLY STUDIO IS MUCH LIKE THAT. WE GO TO STUDIO TO WORK IN A CREATIVE ENVIROMENT. IT’S ALSO A PLACE WHERE I CAN GO TO GET AWAY FROM THE LOUD SORORITY HOUSE AND THINK. 3. IF YOU ARE A DESIGNER, ARE THERE ENVIROMENTS YOU HAVE DESIGNED THAT REPEAT THE QUALITIES OF THIS FAVORITE PAST ENVIROMENT?
IF SO, IN WHAT WAY(S)? I NOTICED LAST SEMESTER MOST OF DESIGNS HAVE A SOME TYPE OF NATURAL WATER INSPIRATION TO THEM. EVERY SPACE HAS EITHER USED WATER AS A CALMING EFFECT OR AS A PLAYFUL EFFECT. I AM NATURALLY ATTRACTED TO THE DIFFERENT QUALITY WATER CAN TAKE ON AND THE DIFFERENT MEMORIES I HAVE ATTATCHED TO ALL OF THEM. I THINK WE DESIGN WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE’VE EXPERIENCED, AS I CONTINUE DESIGNING AND I MOVE THROUGH THE DIFFERENT STAGES OF MY LIFE I WILL BROADEN MY DESIGN LIBRARY WITH A VARIETY OF EXPERIENCES. 4.
ARE THERE ELEMENTS OF THIS PAST ENVIRONMENT WHICH YOU HAVE NOT INCORPORATED IN YOUR HOME OR IN YOUR DESIGNS BUT WHICH YOU WOULD LIKE TO INCORPORATE? I THINK ID LIKE TO ENCORPORATE THE CREATIVE EXPERIENCES I HAD A CHILD INTO MY DESIGNS MORE. TO DRAW INSPIRATION FROM PAST PIECES OF ARTWORK IVE CREATED. AS A DSIGNER ID LIKE TO LEARN HOW TO BE MORE ABSTRACT IN MY THINKING, LIKE I WAS WHEN I WAS LITTLE. 5. ANY FURTHER REFLECTIONS ON THE INFLUENCE OF THIS PAST FAVORITE PLACE UPON YOUR PRESENT AND/OR FUTURE SENSE OF HOME AND PLACE. I THINK I COVERED EVERYTHING FOR THE MOST PART.
