Note 7. Wintering in Practice
This year has been relentlessly busy.
While it always sounds good on paper (or to my accountant), it’s also left me stretched and pulled away from the principles and working methods that allow me to do my best work.
On top of that, I’m neurodivergent and was recently diagnosed with a few additional facets (just when you think you know yourself…), and I’m also navigating early menopause.
All of this has been a reminder that energy, focus, and wellbeing are as critical to a practice as design skill.
Inspired by Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth and Wintering by Katherine May, I’ve decided to take some quieter months to recuperate and recalibrate, catch up with the backlog of current projects, and establish a kinder, more considered rhythm for next year.
The ideas in Doughnut Economics really mirror the way I’ve always tried to run the practice. Growth isn’t about “getting bigger” - taking on more projects, expanding the team, or assuming bigger buildings are always better.
It’s about thriving within healthy boundaries.
In practice, this means prioritising quality, relationships, and long-term value over volume of projects.
It also shapes the way we build. Sometimes a smaller change or a clever reconfiguration is the most sustainable and generous approach, using thoughtful design to make the most of existing spaces and stretched budgets.
This is a more regenerative way of working, though it does take conscious effort to resist the usual reactive “do more, bigger, faster” approach. Pausing, thinking carefully, and pacing work thoughtfully benefits both clients and projects. It allows me to focus fully on each project, respond to surprises calmly, and give every design the attention it deserves.
Next year, I’m planning to work more cyclically: taking on new projects selectively and ideally one at a time. While we may have other projects moving into the construction phase, we won’t be juggling multiple design stages simultaneously. This way, each project receives our full focus and care.
This isn’t about slowing down for the sake of it. It’s about creating a practice that can sustain itself, serve clients well, and produce thoughtful, considered architecture: work that’s generous, lasting, and mindful of the people who will live in it.
Sometimes that also means being honest about limits: if a project needs to move forward sooner than I can manage, that’s absolutely fine. I want to see people progressing and creating the homes and spaces they want, even if it’s not with me.
Ultimately, stepping back, slowing down, and choosing focus over volume feels like the only way to keep the work meaningful, and the practice sustainable, for everyone involved.
Jenny