Landscape Architecture

[Mogura]

Are any of you INFJs studying or working in landscape architecture (or do you know of any INFJs doing as such)? If so, in what ways does the field of landscape architecture complement your INFJ-ness? In what ways does it conflict with your INFJ-ness? I'm thinking about doing an MLA (master's degree) in Landscape Ecology and Restoration.

Even if you're not in studying or working in LA, feel free to add any input or advice you may feel relevant.

Thanks in advance...

 

[magister343]

I'm an INTP rather than an INFJ and I studied Civil Engineering rather than Landscape Architecture, but the project my Capstone Design group was given last fall was really more landscape architecture/urban planning rather than anything we had been trained to do. We were given a failed New Urbanist development (which was built partially on federally protected wetlands, had a major oil pipeline running down its center, and had grading too steep for a traditional subdivision much less a New Urbanist one) to analyze and redesign.

Our contact at the sponsoring firm was a registered landscape architect who had never actually worked with another landscape architect since finishing his masters degree. He was used to having civil engineers under him instead. He claimed that a landscape architect is basically a civil engineer but with vastly superior creativity and a highly advanced taste for aesthetics. He seemed like a strongly extraverted ENTP to me. He was a lot of fun to be around, but relied so heavily on intuition that he believed giving us almost any guidelines as to what we were supposed to do would stifle creativity and lead to ruin. "Details are killers," he constantly claimed. We really weren't sure what we were doing most of the time, but he seemed to like the final results just fine. After the presentation he said that he would give us glowing letters of recommendation if we decided to go to UGA for a Masters in Landscape Architecture after graduating with of BS in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech. The Civil Engineer that was his boss seemed impressed too, but the female landscape architect there (who may well have been an INFJ) was very critical of how we handled the greenspace.


The only other landscape architect I've met was a professor at tech whom our sponsor recommended we consult. He may well have been an ENTP too, although he was far more subdued.


That semester I also took an elective on the history of architecture, which included some landscape architecture. Both my professor and TA in that class seemed like INFJs. I vaguely recall late in the class we watched part of a documentary about a couple of LAs. The one who they were interviewing sounded like a well balanced INFJ, but the descriptions of his deceased and far more talented business partner sounded like a crazy ENTP.

 

[Frendean]

I am a registered landscape architect with ten years of experience. Unfortunately, I find the job to be contrary to much of my INFJ sensibilities and am exploring other career options at the moment. The primary problem I have is that as an N, I tend to think globally and wholistically. While this is certainly an asset in terms of master planning, overall project management and coordination, I find that, as magister 343 said above, I have absolutely no patience for details. As a positive, I have been told my clients enjoy working with me because I listen attentively and do my level best to meet their needs. I am very sensitive to the mood of a room, and I often pick up on subtle cues that go unnoticed by others. I am also able to focus intently on my work, and even though i don't enjoy the detail work, i grit my teeth see it through to completion. On the negative side, my intoversion means that constant meetings, phone calls and emails leave me physically, mentally and emotionally drained at the end of the day. I am extremely introverted (although I can do a decent impression of a moderate extrovert if required) and this constant level of interaction and coordination with a project team leaves me exhausted. My boss understands and occasionally allows me to work from home so I can focus and recharge. I think things would be better if I were in a master planning or project facilitator position rather than a project manager.

To be honest, I often feel morally conflicted about my work. Sometimes you have to get that federal permit to fill part of a wetland to build a football field. Sometimes you have to knock off the top of a beautiful hill to build an apartment complex. Sometimes you have to cut down an entire grove of century old pecan trees to make way for a cheap townhouse development. There is nothing legally wrong with any of this, but I literally shed tears over each of these things I was forced to do in my job in the name of progress. As an INFJ, I have a deep need to feel that I am working for a cause. I hate feeling like part of the problem. Sure, I have worked on plenty of LEED projects that do make me feel good about what I do, but it's not enough to offset the feeling that I am destroying more than I am creating. The day to day tedium of highly detailed production work coupled with the demands of the profession lead me to believe this is not a job for an INFJ. Interestingly, I absolutely thrived in college, enjoyed the curriculum immensely, and graduated at the top of my class. I recieved accolades from ASLA for my undergraduate work and was considred the most promising student in my class by my professors. I'm telling you this because I absolutely thrived in college when it was all design, theory and big ideas. Now, I feel like I barely have a creative bone left in my body because I am so exhausted by the minutia of reality.

 

[this is only temporary]

Are any of you INFJs studying or working in landscape architecture (or do you know of any INFJs doing as such)? If so, in what ways does the field of landscape architecture complement your INFJ-ness? In what ways does it conflict with your INFJ-ness? I'm thinking about doing an MLA (master's degree) in Landscape Ecology and Restoration...

I don't know if this is relevant or not, but that field sounds fascinating, and I think whether or not it complements your INFJ-ness would depend largely on the types of projects you get and the group(s) you work with. Having dealt with creative work pretty much all my life, one thing I've learned is, sometimes your projects are going to have to suit other peole's needs and preferences, not yours. You can't let this make you crazy!

To keep from going absolutely nuts you have to seperate your work into
"Stuff I create for other people because I have to." (and that will include project you don't necessarily love, but you step back and turn off the caring a little. If it is bad enough, you will have to quit.)
and
"Stuff I create for myself and/or people I have some respect for." (and those are the projects you throw yourself into heart and soul, and they turn out the best.)

You may even want to create another category along the lines of:
"Stuff I create only for myself and am not showing anybody, ever, no matter what.... (but with landscape architecture, that category's going to be pretty hard to pull off.)

 

[JGirl]

i pretend i'm a landscape architect...my property has gone through some major transformations over the past four years. it's always something.
i could not nor would i want to do this as a profession though, because i would always want to do it my way not the way the client thinks it should be done,
i found this out when i had my little redecorating business years ago. i was redo-ing friend's apartments etc. i had a vision they couldn't see at times and it was frustrating to have to talk them out of bad ideas
i'm so into myself sometimes lol

 

[Mogura]

I am a registered landscape architect with ten years of experience. Unfortunately, I find the job to be contrary to much of my INFJ sensibilities and am exploring other career options at the moment. The primary problem I have is that as an N, I tend to think globally and wholistically. While this is certainly an asset in terms of master planning, overall project management and coordination, I find that, as magister 343 said above, I have absolutely no patience for details. As a positive, I have been told my clients enjoy working with me because I listen attentively and do my level best to meet their needs. I am very sensitive to the mood of a room, and I often pick up on subtle cues that go unnoticed by others. I am also able to focus intently on my work, and even though i don't enjoy the detail work, i grit my teeth see it through to completion. On the negative side, my intoversion means that constant meetings, phone calls and emails leave me physically, mentally and emotionally drained at the end of the day. I am extremely introverted (although I can do a decent impression of a moderate extrovert if required) and this constant level of interaction and coordination with a project team leaves me exhausted. My boss understands and occasionally allows me to work from home so I can focus and recharge. I think things would be better if I were in a master planning or project facilitator position rather than a project manager.

To be honest, I often feel morally conflicted about my work. Sometimes you have to get that federal permit to fill part of a wetland to build a football field. Sometimes you have to knock off the top of a beautiful hill to build an apartment complex. Sometimes you have to cut down an entire grove of century old pecan trees to make way for a cheap townhouse development. There is nothing legally wrong with any of this, but I literally shed tears over each of these things I was forced to do in my job in the name of progress. As an INFJ, I have a deep need to feel that I am working for a cause. I hate feeling like part of the problem. Sure, I have worked on plenty of LEED projects that do make me feel good about what I do, but it's not enough to offset the feeling that I am destroying more than I am creating. The day to day tedium of highly detailed production work coupled with the demands of the profession lead me to believe this is not a job for an INFJ. Interestingly, I absolutely thrived in college, enjoyed the curriculum immensely, and graduated at the top of my class. I recieved accolades from ASLA for my undergraduate work and was considred the most promising student in my class by my professors. I'm telling you this because I absolutely thrived in college when it was all design, theory and big ideas. Now, I feel like I barely have a creative bone left in my body because I am so exhausted by the minutia of reality.

The profession isn't the problem, the world that is of, by, and for SJs is the problem. Everything you feel you hate about you chosen profession is the result of an SJ template being superimposed over the creative organic process you so embrace.

I understand the feeling of not wanting to be part of the problem. If it can be helped, we (INFJs) want to be part of the solution.

Have you considered going into teaching (LA) or starting your own design firm?

----------

What attracts me to Landscape Architecture is the blending of art with science. I love the creative process that goes with the art, but I lack fine arts skills (drawing, painting, etc.). I love the intellectual stimulation and challenge that goes with the science, but I lack hard-core math skills and have little patience for details and metrics.