09.09.2025 – 2248

Wow lucky we had that August month. My skeleton was starting to pop out of my skin… Not in a morbid way, more so in a depressed, starved, structureless & soulless way. Ok in a morbid way.

Yes, I see the irony that I am claiming structural liberation when my first log of the month is 9 days late.

I guess I cant cheat structure. It’s kind of just there, if it’s not, the piece aint structured is it?

Kind of like Design Reflux…

p.s.

You can cheat soul and spirit though. And definitely mix the two up if you’re not careful.

p.p.s.

September is the 9th month. Maybe you can cheat all three.

Maybe I wasn’t late after all…

*pours a glass of wine*

13.09.2025 – 1620

Writing this post on the move. A milestone moment as this is the first of its kind. (only because I finally worked out how to do it and I have a long train ride)

I decided to train through the city whilst multiple protests were happening, so thought what better time to start talking about spirit and soul than now. I had to google what today’s issues were, and to protect the solitude of Design Reflux I won’t go into the specifics.

I never used to write until I started architecture school. Before that I kind of got lost in spirit and before that I was a lonely soul. If you ask someone what architecture is all about they would probably tell you it’s about buildings and designing them, and for the most part it’s true. Most of what I learnt about structure wasn’t even during my undergrad and by the time I started my postgrad I was telling stories I never knew I could tell. Some don’t even learn this until they get thrown into the industry, forced to swim, whilst others don’t even make it to the pool.

01.11.2025 – 0000

“Building’s and designing them?”

What about The science? The math? The politics? The philosophy? The art? The history? Honey… what happened to you? Did you forget why you signed up to this? You need to get out of the pool and go to the beach. Your ebbs aint ebbing and your flows aint flowin with that kind of statement.

There was a large emphasis on form following function in the beginning, a modernist & industrial approach to creation.

Speaking purely from where the modernist thread has taken us to present day. The designs can look rudimentary, without knowing the core principles of this kind of design aesthetic and coupled with a world in a rush, the optimal take-away building is formed. Ephemeral and with a little bit of reflux if you eat it too quick.

The reality is that most things that get designed aren’t built and most things that get built aren’t designed.

What happens to all of these unbuilt projects? Are they still classified as designs? Is this why we place so much emphasis on narrative in the process and teachings? In preparation of it never being made?

The ability to tell a good story is what I’m getting at with this. It seems that the stories are what fuel the spirit and the structures are what house the souls.

Should the form follow function, or should they both dance in unison? For what is structure without form? And how does form take shape without structure?

Sadly the pillars of modernism were so simple that they have been lost in translation along the way. The fragility of this concept is shown when misunderstood or when corners are cut on a blank piece of A3 white paper. Leaving you questioning as to whether or not you were better off with a tent.

Are we designing our spaces to reduce protests? Or to fuel the feud?

21.09.2025 – 2046

I don’t feel like writing today. But to stay on theme with Earth, Wind & Fire’s hit song ‘September’ I felt obliged to say something.

I spend a lot of time trying to work out what changes my mind. I find this weird paradox where my structure is constantly crushed by my spirit and my soul sweeps in to put it all back together, and whilst my structure disregards my soul, the spirit starts it’s dance to shed light on it again.

The creative process (for me at least) is a constant battle, destruction and discovery of these three things. If you cant find one, work on the other two. If you cant find two, master one. And at times when you feel you have lost all three, then, look at thee.

Find what changes your mind, hold it close and don’t be afraid to lose it.

30.09.2025 – 2330

I am so lost in production that I cant even write a good ending to this month. I have no excuse to pull me out this time. No vague hail Mary visual to stretch me to the next, not even a funny punchline.

It’s like someone has slipped a Tums into my tea…

Did I set myself up for this? “Structure, Soul & Spirit” what the hell kind of project is that? All I have done is provide a cynical opinion on one thread of design ideology, talked about how much of a mess my own creative process is and take a long train ride.

Was I trying to unpack too much like in February?

It’s not a colour, light & time thing either so I can’t apply April & May.

I can’t do Christmas again for obvious reasons.

The cooking helped but also it’s kind of like the bare minimum to life.

What’s left?

June’s Tune? March’s Madness?

Is this the pressure of chaos?

My body just feels frozen.

Have I missed something?

I’m even fucking late for the next month. It’s ticked over to October now.

My ego thought I could just sit here and chant chaos theory without doing anything other than providing unpredictable notions and projects towards basic human interactions and observations.

I also said this isn’t just my story, so I cant just lean on my own lived experience for help either…

Why did I even start this thing?

Who the fuck do I think I am writing like I know what I’m talking about?!

Wait… I have an idea…

See you in October.

AKA 17 minutes ago.

And just like that, we’re here. November. What’s your project this month honey? Is it even a project? Or you gonna spit some shit and end up writing a whole bunch of excuses on the last day?

Guess what? I have an idea too… See you in November.