Build, therefore, your own world: A Relentless Flow of Change

little meditation space

Though the title may suggest some profound topic, this micro-post is of a simple nature. Change is a force I'm trying to learn to contend with; to know when to fight on, when to retreat and regroup, and when to endure with faith.

The design process for my little hut has been a learning experience. As I previously stated, I began grandiose (as far as micro-structure built out of other people's trash can be), then began to pare down bit-by-bit, model-by-model, all the while trying to get a feel for what it will be like to reside in these tiny boxes for a couple of months. Finally, I created the simplest, most affordable space I felt I could inhabit. I eliminated windows, using clear roofing for light, and sized everything down. I got a little pallet cube. In all areas of consideration it should have been perfect, but when I looked at it, it was just a shed, I could not foster a connection with it.

Alas, I found inspiration! Inspiration in the heart of the very epitome of excess; at a palace! I went to the largest, and most famous palace in Seoul, and looked carefully at the structures -as I always do in such historical places- trying to feel what it would have felt like to be there in the time of use. I was struck by the fact that it wasn't the great or the larger than life elements of the place -which royalty used to mask their utter humanness- but in the simple spaces that are under all of the dainty furniture and pomp that the beauty lay for me. Many of the rooms were actually very similar to the widths I have been using, only a bit longer. As I peered inside, I realized the size space I really wanted to be in for 2 months. Also, important was how much more inviting the landscaping, and situation of the structures in relation to the nature around them was than the places themselves.

These things sent me back to the track-pad to put life into my micro-dwelling, and to bring my life into the natural world. I made a new structure that I believe will not make me feel like a prisoner when inside, but encourage me to be outside most of the time. I created some little ideas to make the land around me become a large part of my dwelling.