mattsy studio

Ideas

Articles that focus on architecture, material culture, maintenance, and learning how to appreciate what you already have. I strongly believe in sharing my process and putting things into practice—here you’ll also find concise summaries and analysis of books I’ve read. Written by Matt C Reynolds.

 

Articles & Ideas

I write about designing and living an intentional life. I strongly believe in putting things into practice and sharing my process along the way.

Browse by category

Articles & Essays, Architecture & Design, Book Summaries, Conferences, Films & Interviews, or View All

 
 
Posts in Architecture & Design
A Decade of Practice in Architecture
A Decade of Practice in Architecture

It’s been over a decade since I began my practice in architecture. There have been serious moments of doubt, times where I was sure I would quit. When I could not persevere, I learned to reframe my goals and update my mindset. All these years later I find myself with new reasons to fall in love again. I offer two important themes I’ve come to understand in my journey: beauty and patience.

Beauty lies in harmony. People make the mistake that beauty is akin to balance. Balance by its very nature is static and must occur simultaneously, where harmony is achieved over time and is dynamic. Life is beautiful because it is dynamic.

Patience is the highest form of trust. I trust that it will work out. I trust that you will find your way. I trust that things will come together in the end. Patience means that in times of uncertainty, you find trust in the process.

Read More
Articles, Architecture & DesignMatt ReynoldsComment
What I Learned from 31 Days of Journaling
What I Learned from 31 Days of Journaling

Four guidelines you can use to start your own journaling practice. I decided to start a daily journaling practice in 2020 and the results have been incredible: quickly see what I did each week of the year; identify patterns in my own faulty logic; see the first signs of injury during athletic training; and have the chance to reflect on how I could have reacted better during everyday situations.

Read More
Articles, Architecture & Design, Creativity & HabitsMatt ReynoldsComment
Smoke Proofs by Andrew Steeves
Smoke Proofs by Andrew Steeves

Andrew Steeves argues we should demand more of the books we purchase. The quality of a book can be a difficult thing to define in quantitative terms because most books are constructed from the same materials and principles. A page layout that soars in one instance may just as easily sour in another; what separates good design from bad is that it cannot be achieved by the simple means of prescription.

Read More
Book Summary, Architecture & Design, Technology & SocietyMatt ReynoldsComment