Design a life that fits – 3 lessons from Frank Lloyd Wright
Back in 2017, I was finally able to do something I’d wanted to do for about 15 years: tour the Hanna House, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house in Stanford, California. It’s a unique, innovative design, embodying much of what Wright stood for (both the good and the not-so good). As a visionary whose work has both been impactful and timeless, I think he’s someone we can all take a few lessons from. Here’s a few I came away with:
1) Take a stand, even if others don't like it.
Wright had strong opinions about homes and architecture. He wasn’t a fan of right angles, finding them unnatural and inconsistent with how people live and move around in a home. Many of his homes are built from designs made up of different shaped grids – triangles for several, and, in the case of Hanna House, hexagons. As a result, the house has a unique, organic character to it that's unlike any home I've ever been in. The window lines weave in and out along the hexagonal grid, and when I toured, I was struck by how much more open the space felt and how much more relaxed I felt while inside.
While Wright’s views on architecture and design weren’t supported by everyone (a lot of builders, for example, hated them because it made their work more difficult), they were a key reason why Paul and Jean Hanna specifically sought him out to design their house. Wright was an incredibly prolific and successful architect, not despite his strongly held views and values, but because of them.
When you take a strong stand, some people won’t like it. They may well judge, criticize, or attack. Others, however, will be drawn powerfully to you. Vanilla ice cream isn't offensive to most, but few get that excited about it. Where's a place in your life you could take a stand, even a small one?
2) Plan for the present ... but don't forget about the future
Paul & Jean Hanna, as parents of three children, were aware that what they needed in a home would change over time, and from the beginning, Hanna House was designed with an eye to that future. After the Hanna children had grown up, their bedrooms were turned into an office area, and their playrooms became a new dining room. Since this had been planned for, it was an easier change to make than it otherwise would have been, and didn't result in the awkward feeling so many modifications or additions have.
Us humans tend to focus primarily on now — it's a good short-term survival strategy. However, we also need to be mindful of the bigger picture and how those decisions will work later. Doing the work to get your brain to zoom out on the timeline isn't necessarily fast or easy, but it will help you make a decision that's not only good, but enduring. An easy way to start working on this is by asking yourself how you'll feel about a decision you're looking at today in 5 or 10 years.
3) Acknowledge and address your weaknesses
One of the critiques often leveled against Wright is that he was a great architect but a terrible engineer. I’ve had the privilege of being able to tour four different Wright homes to date, and on each tour I’ve heard stories of problems the homes developed due to Wright’s focus on design over engineering. All of them are issues that could have been prevented fairly easily, had Wright only been willing to involve the proper experts.
We all have weak spots, but that can be difficult to acknowledge or accept. If you're someone who's spent years having to do everything yourself or struggled to share control because others took it away from you, it's no surprise if you get stuck here. It feels scary and threatening to engage help or delegate, but here's a freeing truth: you don't have to know or do it all (and you probably know from experience what happens when you try). This is a lesson Wright never learned, but it's one you can implement in your life. What would embracing your strengths more fully look like? How could you address even one area of weakness in a way that wouldn't feel too threatening? (Doing so, though it probably won't feel this way, is simply acknowledging that you're a human).
Owning both sides of this equation can be challenging, especially if being strong and responsible is part of your identity. Curious to explore what this might look like in your world? Schedule a free consult here. It's not a sales call in disguise, just a conversation to explore whether I can be of help. Whether or not it makes sense to work together, you'll leave with some tools and strategies that'll help you tackle this challenge.
