This is the first episode in a series where I discuss my personal favorite designers. What is so unique and unusual about Enzo Mari is that his work is not incredibly remarkable or clever. What influenced me so greatly was his career as a whole and the ideals that drove his publishing methods. When I learned about Enzo Mari as an undergrad I was astonished by how basic his work was. It was his broader ideas about distribution that greatly influenced the way I approach sharing my own DIY designs with the masses. While I do not share most of his values, the structure of HomeMade Modern benefits directly from this legendary designer; in that, like me, he designed for people who couldn’t afford to hire him directly. Expect to learn about my underlying philosophies about craftsmanship and distribution, and how you can adapt and apply elements of this counterintuitive approach to improve your creativity and publishing methods and reach more people. 

Links to books discussed in this episode:

Hammer and Nail: Making and assembling furniture designs inspired by Enzo Mari - Erik Eje Almqvist
https://a.co/d/97ViXQr

Autoprogettazione - Enzo Mari
https://a.co/d/9UGPgb1

DIY and Build videos are on Ben's main channel HomeMade Modern
https://www.youtube.com/user/HomeMadeModern

Home Building projects are on the Modern Home Project
 https://www.youtube.com/@TheModernHomeProject
follow Ben on instagram for project updates: https://www.instagram.com/benjaminuyeda/?hl=en

What was it like being Home Schooled? In this episode Ben talks about his experiences as a home schooled kid from kindergarten to 11th grade.  Ben talks about the challenges home schooled kids face when trying to get into college and socializing with peers.  

This week Ben discusses what he has learned from his experience attending Architecture School and if it is worth it these days. With such a complex question, context matters. Ben also discusses the topics of artificial intelligence, the architecture job market, developing technical acumen, design software, as well as how to adapt and apply the skills one learns in university to other interests and careers, for example, the power of presenting your ideas and receiving criticism. Please comment down below with questions surrounding any topic you would like Ben to discuss. We will archive the most interesting questions and answer them weekly!