Finding Inspiration: Jing Yu

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Nearly every design challenge begins with some exploration and search for inspiration. Today, Jing Yu shares about where she finds inspiration.

As an architect, my inspiration comes first and foremost from the fundamental forces that shape a design project, the site and surroundings, the people and culture, the project type and budget, and so on. I emerge myself, breath them all in, and let the design and solutions come naturally to me.

Architecture, a half art / half engineering endeavor, is to some degree subjective. My background, experiences and travels also inspire me all the time. When I was standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, I was struck deeply by its beauty and power. I sat down immediately to memorize it with every line I drew. Later, it naturally seeped into one of my designs, because it had become part of me.

There is an ancient belief among Chinese scholars, that a masterpiece is a creation of the heaven that we stumbled upon by chance. I believe if we allow and diligently absorb inspiration from anything and anywhere, be it a leaf, a book, an artwork or other architecture, the masterpiece has always been there within us.

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