A Day With Atelier Amina's Amina Blacksher

Amina performing the role of VR Conductor for open studio lab at Pioneer Works (technologist in residence Beth Coleman). Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk

6:45am: Snooze! Usually though, just once. I am awake by 7am, which is when I try to hold some time and space to focus.

8:00am: My cardio is one of the most important parts of the day. I go to the park by my house for a jump rope workout with my favorite trainer. Jumping rope builds stamina and increases blood flow to the brain.

9:00am: Shower. Green juice. Enough said.

Still from Architecture Speaks documentary (guest Al Diaz); Amina at the Center for Architecture.

9:30am: To do some work on my laptop, I head to my uptown work space, The Forum, making good on it’s ambition for an all-public ground floor. I set up and begin my day in the cooled double-height, glass-enclosed polygon. I first follow up on leads for a docuseries pilot, and then I draft the scope of a show for the robot double dutch exhibit.

Robot Double Dutch presentation. Princeton School of Architecture: Black Imagination Matters

12:00pm: Home for Lunch. I drop off my laptop as I’ll be up and mobile for the rest of the day.

2:00pm: I head to my downtown workspace, The Wing Soho, for a scheduled call with an editor, though on a teaching day, the afternoon is devoted to studio. At The Wing, I send video footage to my editor, update my website, and have a call with a curator for an upcoming exhibition. Then I might tackle some preliminary research and syllabus planning for an upcoming architecture studio. Finally, I fill out my passport renewal form - exciting things on the horizon!

6:00pm: I pull the plug early in the evening and head to yoga - my secret to sanity in the city. On a nice day I can Citi Bike home - well, almost home. Since the closest dock is 30 blocks away, I end up walking the last 1.5 miles.

8:00pm: Light dinner, tea at home.

10:00pm: I write or sketch any ideas surfacing on the brain. I usually get creative bursts at night, when I am most imaginative. My biggest challenge is to listen, receive, and carry out. I end the active part of my evening by chatting with my sister.

11:30pm: I wind down, affirming the day is done to relax my racing mind. On a day like today, getting to sleep will be very easy.

Amina serving as a guest critic on advanced studio review at Columbia GSAPP.