Heart to Heart

Earlier this month, the Architecture Lobby’s (TAL) Architecture Beyond Capitalism (ABC) School kicked off its third year with a diverse array of sessions led by members and friends. So far, the lecture format has predominated (the last session is tomorrow), but the school’s organizers have been mindful to include freer-flowing conversations in the program, such as last Friday’s “low-key check-in” for “independent architectural workers.” Participants in different time zones huddled in the Zoom room to share their experiences as freelance designers, writers, and scholars. With guidance from facilitators and Marisa Cortright, the group navigated a wide-ranging set of issues: the pressure to make the most of every opportunity to the point of self-exploitation, feelings of disempowerment and how they can be overcome, and the potential creative power embedded in writing freely. Architectural workers can be product-oriented to a fault, even (especially?) within a grassroots organization advocating for just labor practices and an equitable build environment like TAL—which makes spaces like these, where we can set down what we’re carrying and speak openly, so important.