Writing a Design Ambition Statement

As part of my Cultural Context module, we were asked to produce a design ambition statement of between 500 and 1000 words, a piece of reflective writing about ‘who you are, what drives your ambition and inspires your design direction, what methodologies or theories you are interested in, and what sphere of landscape architecture that you would want to develop a career within’. Writing my ambition statement has been a very thought-provoking and inspiring task – it has encouraged me to consider my identity as a landscape architect, including my abilities, inspirations and interests, as well as reminding me of why I chose to study within the profession. Articulating the sphere of landscape architecture that I hope to work within has helped me to form clear goals and motivated me to achieve them. My design ambition statement is as follows:

‘Having had the privilege of growing up in the Cornish countryside and travelling for a year with my family when I was younger, I have always been surrounded by a huge array of incredible and inspiring landscapes, from quaint villages to open seas. This has massively impacted me as an individual, I would say that I am an ambitious person, who is constantly striving to do better and always looking for new opportunities to learn and develop. I am so grateful for the landscapes that surround me and the experiences and inspiration they have offered me, and especially in regard to both mental and physical health. This is what inspired me to study landscape architecture - I hope to offer others the same experiences within their landscapes that helped shape me as a person, and I believe that everyone deserves access to healthy, inspiring landscapes within their daily lives. I am also driven by a desire to aid the climate and biodiversity emergency, something I have become increasingly concerned about over the past few years. As humans, we are abusing and exploiting the planet on which we live, when we should be nurturing and enhancing it. My design direction often follows sustainability, creating spaces that contribute to biodiversity, whilst also aiming to be carbon neutral. 

As an ambitious person, I have already planned out my life and career for the next few years, although I understand that life rarely happens how we expect and so I am approaching this with an open mind and willingness to adapt. Fortunately, after I have finished university, I begin my new job almost immediately, with a company I have admired for the past few years. I aim to gain as much knowledge and practice within their company as I can, utilising the skills and interests that I have gained over my years at university to help guide my progress and development as a Landscape Architect. I then intend to return to university to complete my master’s degree in landscape architecture, possibly elsewhere within the country as, although my life is now in Cheltenham, I often believe that we learn more by stepping outside of our comfort zones and trying new experiences. Hopefully, I will then return to practice and continue developing my skillset and knowledge before beginning my pathway to chartership, with the goal of becoming a chartered member of the Landscape Institute. From that point, I aim to continue advancing my career and developing my skills through new experiences, collaborations and education, as I understand that, within landscape architecture, I must continue evolving throughout my entire career – this is one of the elements I enjoy the most about the profession.

Within this profession I am interested in Landscape Theory, and how we, as landscape architects, can design and manage inspiring, enjoyable landscapes for people. I am flexible in regard to my long-term goals for my career, as I want to gain experience before making decisions, but I can envision that I would want to develop my career within the public realm sphere of landscape architecture. I would love to play a role in creating inclusive, accessible places for people, with the goal of nurturing culture and connectivity. Working within landscape architecture to help tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis also interests me, using the landscape to encourage and influence people to make sustainable and healthy choices within their own lives. I am really looking forward to progressing from university into practice and continuing to develop and nurture my skills and interests throughout a, hopefully, long career.’