We recently connected with Chase Wilson and have shared our conversation below.

Chase, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s go back in time to when you were an intern or apprentice – what’s an interesting story you can share from that stage of your career?

During the Summer in 2022, I had my first paid internship that I also got AXP credit hours for. (AXP hours are essential to gaining your architecture license.) It was an internship with a residential development firm in Nashville and I worked alongside 3 other students in my architecture program together to revise plans, connect subcontractors to projects, and develop neighborhood ideas/concepts. It was a great way to experience a team-based workspace that reflected a design office. I also learned about multiple stages of restorative house development from buying property and documentation to selecting furniture and finishes. I always thought residential was my preferred practice, but I figured out that I may like urban or commercial design more.

Chase, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am 21 years old and was born in New Orleans, LA, but I’m also a military brat so I’ve moved around quite a bit even out of the country to places like japan. I’m a 3rd year architect student studying architecture. This school year I’m focusing on developing my design process and developing my digital art skills. I wasn’t into architecture at first growing up, but I did have an interest in civil engineering and decided to study physics, but I also am a theatre kid so I chose to minor in that as well. These factors, along with wanting to stay close to my hometown, Murfreesboro, TN I decided to study at Belmont because I was really into liberal arts as much as I was science. Belmont opened their architecture program at the start of my sophomore year and I wanted a major that gave me the engineering aspect as well as the creative/design path as well. Architecture was the perfect path and I’ve really enjoyed it since. I’m excited to start my internships at real firms to start gaining actual office experience and working toward my license. I plan get my Master’s in Architecture to be able to teach at the college level, but I would also want to practice commercial and urban design in the field at a firm.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I think its rewarding when I can develop an idea, process it, and make it come to life in a way that’s beneficial to society but also reflects my vision for the project and my values. It’s also fun to share ideas among other artists and creatives to gain different perspectives or learn tactics that can improve your own work. Creativity can come through so many mediums but all creativity is used to express something, so familiarizing yourself with different outlets and learning different processes/ideas is also rewarding. There’s also a great feeling when finishing a project and learning something about yourself and how you think. It can help you understand how you view the world and how you respond to your environment. Having people you look up to or your peers give you good feedback is its own reward too…!!

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are many things I wish I knew about before going into architecture before my sophomore year, but nothing that would have help me back to the point I am now. I think knowing about the importance of your experience hours would have helped me get a head start there, but I think now that I am more familiar with the career and what it entails and understanding the process will be beneficial in my search now. I also wish I had experience with digital production like photoshop and Revit, but learning it now has been great because I have help from peers and professor’s who know a lot of the interface and its best to learn as I work on school projects as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://architecturebywilson.weebly.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chase-wilsondesign/

Image Credits
Tess Gates Barry Ballinger