You Are the Architect of Your Life: A Conversation with Josh Lowe About Conscious Life Design

And today is a very special day because we've opened up our studio. We are now back in person, uh, talking with an actual live human across the table from me. This is happens to be my neighbor, but also many other things in his own. Right. This is Josh Lowe. Thank you for coming in and talking to me today. Thanks for having me. So Josh, it wasn't just because you're my neighbor and you're fully vaccinated and you happen to live right up the hill from me that we brought you in. You also have quite an interesting background, not only as an architect, but also in art. Yeah, I, uh, I grew up kind of immersed in art. My mom was the local art league teacher and we kind of sat in those classes as she was teaching in the summer. And then when we got old enough, she was, she moved on into the public schools and became kind of the head of the art department as we were kind of heading out into going to college and, and all that. Me and my sisters kind of all ended up in art related disciplines. And where do you fall in the lineup of children? Oldest youngest. I'm the middle. So I have an older sister. Who's a metal Smith, uh, Heidi, and then my younger sister is an oil painter and she's about six years younger than me. Oh, middle child. So interesting. So that must've been kind of fun to see where your older sister went before you and then the choices that your younger sister made after you. Yeah, she, well, Heidi, my older sister, um, kind of paved the way, like in high school, she had already asked the art teachers to let her do jewelry. So like when I got there, I was able to make knives and, um, necklaces and rings and it was kind of already set because she was great at what she, she does. And now she, she went to Mecca. So she went to the Maine college of art for a metal smithing. And, um, now she has a studio and yeah, so having her ahead of me kind of plowed the way for me to be able to explore a lot of art related things. And the teachers kind of just let us have it, you know, let us do whatever we had great teachers at that at that time that, you know, we could, uh, one time I won a competition to do like a big totem pole for one of the, uh, big buildings in, in Wilmington. They had a competition and I submitted, you know, something this tall by this wide. And I said, oh yeah. If, if I win, I'll make it 15 feet by three feet wide. And I didn't know that I was going to win and I hadn't really decided on what that was like, that was just like an estimate. And then they're like, okay, you win. And I was tasked with figuring out what w what it was going to be, how to get it in and out of the building. So we ended up having to tarp off an area, pretty much the size of the studio to build that sculpture that, um, ended up going into a big building in Wilmington. So, So what was your totem pole constructed of? Uh, I chose something called bio foam. It was like this, it was kind of like surf board material growing up. I did a lot of surfing, so it was kind of like surfboard foam and, uh, but it was not the beautiful white color. It was kind of greenish. And, um, we bought chainsaws and started like, I, I, I was allowed to have like two apprentices once we got the commission or the, the competition. So then we were just packing away early on with a chainsaw and then files. And then after that, like sandpaper and stuff. So it was a lot like shaping a surf board, but it was, we did, um, like, uh, different animals and, um, uh, native American head. So it was all like the original inhabitants of Delaware. That was kind of the idea, but it wasn't stacked like a true totem pole. It was kind of all kind of spiraling around this, this kind of tall mast. There aren't that many people I could think of who, when somebody said, oh, we'd like you to be in a totem pole, creating competition would actually be interested in taking on that challenge. You'll have, what, what was it that caused you to think, oh, that's kind of cool. I'd like to do that. Well, it was just a sculpture competition and I think five teams ended up winning five schools. And some people, when we went to, uh, the, like the show, when they had installed all the pieces, we got to see all the other ideas and they were completely different. Like, you know, one of them was a bunch of, uh, fish that were cut out of metal that were kind of curved. And that was one, I remember it, I I'm kind of forgetting some of the others, but yeah, it was that none of them were alike. I mean, you could tell that there, wasn't kind of an idea of exactly what it was. They just created five places where these things could be placed in and let the kids have at it. And it was, it was really fun. It was really exciting. And it was kind of the beginning for me of making things that were scaled, you know, big. And it was, it was enjoyable in that way. You have a connection to one of the Portland art gallery artists, Steve Rogers, who I believe was not too far away from where your grandfather Live. Yeah. Yeah. It was, my grandfather grew up in Louis and so did my dad and which is one town from where I grew up. And, uh, he is this amazing artist who makes these boats, that I, as a kid I was infatuated with because they were really well made. And, um, since my mom was kind in the art community, I think he let me, you know, kind of help out. Like, I remember putting sticks in water to get them ready for him to bend on these boats sculptures. And, um, I was lucky that he kind of let me in on the studio and I don't know how many sessions we did. It was a long time ago, but it was, uh, it was, uh, I was really thankful for that experience because it was like someone who was actually doing art or architecture in the world, you know, it's like not just a teacher, but someone who's who's there it's their job to make these a beautiful piece of artwork. So, um, yeah, he was, he was, uh, I'm thankful that he took me on, I was probably in middle school or early high school. So I, I don't know how much help I was to him, but his work is pretty amazing. And when I was with him, he was doing mainly sculptures, but he's moved on to doing a lot of these beautiful paintings. Yes. We have one of his paintings behind us in the studio with a gorgeous boat and some high sees a little bit of cloudiness, but with a sun peeking through, uh, you're, you've had this experience also with the ocean. You have that connection. I mean, we obviously live near one another on little John island, but your connection with the ocean began far before, before you came here. Yeah. I mean, I feel like the ocean is like the ultimate teacher, you know, you, you can kind of learn most things from, from the water and growing up, my dad was a lifeguard, you know, kind of ahead of when, when he had us. And so we were sailing as kids and at the beach, you know, often. And if you ever want to find any of my family members, all you'd have to do is about three, between three and five o'clock. There was a certain beach in row with him, my mom or sisters, you know, we were all kind of doing seasonal jobs in high school, but you could always find at least two of them there, you know, you just show up at the beach and that's where everyone kind of connected, even if we all had things going on in our lives in the summer, that were pretty hectic. So it was a, I feel like it was pretty ideal. Like as, as I've gotten older, I've realized how fun and amazing it is to be by the ocean. And I think that's a lot of why I was drawn back to the east coast and also back to, to Maine, because I feel like we're pretty fortunate to be this close to the water. I mean, we're roughly like 200 feet away and we can see it every day. And I think it, I think it has a huge impact on just kind of the cycles of the day and kind of reminding you that we're not just just humans, you know, we're humans in them in a landscape and in kind of though in the world. So I love, I love the ocean and surfing has kind of been something that has pushed me to travel a bunch and to go all over the world to, to look for waves. And, and I feel like, you know, you from that, you know, the tide, you know, kind of what's happening. And you're also kind of, you know, like over Christmas we were all celebrating Christmas and my brother-in-law and I, who were both surfers, we were like, kind of on the side watching, watching what was happening with the waves. Cause the next day it was just amazing. And we ended up just kind of disappearing and going for an adventure and finding some great waves, you know, in, in Maine and then kind of coming back into Christmas, but it was kind of a nice way to feel like, you know, it's not just about the human experience, it's about us in, in the world. And you know, in the ocean, Maine Does have some very nice waves, as you said, but it may not be quite as easy to actually get to the waves. Yeah. Uh, in Delaware, the beach is right there and kind of, you can just fall right into it. And, um, in Maine, it's, it's tricky. You've got to work, you got to work hard. And some of the surfers from here who have put their time and have, you know, they're, they're taking boats, you know, they're, you know, getting on bikes, they're parking one place, they're biking to another place. And then there there's, you know, paddling across, uh, inlets and things like that just to get surf. And it, it can be in, you know, five degrees below, you know, so it's, it's, I've actually been blown away. Now that I'm a little bit older about how much risk it is, you know? Cause you're kind of like, well, at this point I'm 45 minutes from anyone's help. And if the tide goes in or comes in, which it's gonna do, it's even longer because maybe you're kind of out on a point that kind of fills in as the tide comes in. So yeah, it's, uh, it's tricky. It's, it's a lot of hard work, but when you do find a wave and you get good surf, it's like, it, it really, I dunno it fills your cup up. You get really stoked about that experience and it, it makes it even better that you've kind of gone through all these steps to, to make it happen because it's, uh, it's not easy. It's, it's, it's a, it's a workout. And that's also, you told me that it's better in the winter time. Yeah. Typically the summer is kind of the slow season for surf. So, you know, there's not as many storms it's kind of stagnant. I mean, there are some storms and as you get into the hurricane season, there can be some good waves. Um, but consistently it's better in the winter. So usually when it's snowing, um, checking the reports, seeing where to go, you know, where it might be, where it might be good. So that's kind of the, the trick of it is that yeah. When it's the coldest and it's the hardest to get around, it's usually the best surf. So, uh, good wetsuits are, are important and they've gotten better. So luckily you're, you're not freezing as much anymore as we were as high school kids serving in the winter. How do you balance this love of the outdoors with very much kind of inside work that you do as an architect? Well, uh, I would say it isn't easy. Um, and you have to really push yourself to get outside and kind of give yourself permission, which I'm not always so great at. Cause I always see that next deadline in architecture, but, um, I find that, uh, when I do get out, I'm actually better at doing my work. So I try to give myself permission to go in surf and then step back in the studio. Cause then I'm way better at what I'm doing and, and I'm way less stressed about it. You know, it just kind of calms you to, if you've had a good surf in the morning or even within, you know, the last three days, I find that, uh, I'm much better at my, my job. So running my own business, I've kind of my business partner and I we've, we've kind of made that up a rule is get out, do the fun stuff of mountain biking or, or surfing or paddle boarding, just go and do something and come back and get to work. Don't, don't sit there and hope and wish and dream. And, um, my wife likes to say that I need to get my gills wet every once in a while. And uh, I think I'm a much better husband and dad, uh, when I'm, when I've served. So I, and, and you know, architects. So I, I find that it's I, or that's my excuse for continuing to serve. So that's, uh, I feel like the generation before us was like, you know, all their kind of sports and things like that seem to die away once they have kids. And I don't think that was a benefit for, for anyone. So I think for, for me, I tried to keep it a part of my life and it's, it hasn't always worked out, but I try my best to keep that balance. And I feel like you do a lot of running as well. So I think I I've been inspired by you guys as well. I see you guys out there doing your, we always noticed you running across the bridge and we're like, she's, she's added again. It can be raining and cold, but you're, you're still out there. So it's pretty inspiring. Well, when I talk to people who tell me that they had their running workout and they were on their treadmill for, you know, an hour, I think, you know, good for you. And I never could do that. I would, I'm like you, I would rather be outside and know what's going on with the weather. And some days it's not fun. Exactly. You know, but you do, you kind of maintain this connection with, if it's raining, you feel rain. If it's cold, you feel snow. And I don't think you can quite get that off treadmill. Yeah, I agree. I I've, uh, I grew up playing lacrosse in high school and, and there was a lot of guys that trained inside and I just, once I stopped playing and, uh, once I got out of college, I stopped playing, you know, like collegiate sports. And I was just like, all right. Um, um, I'm done doing the indoor training thing cause it's, for me, it's, it's not, it's still work. And you know, you know, this is supposed to be the fun things we do that are kind of additional to our lives. So I always try to do it outside if I can, because yeah, doing an architecture, I spend most of my time indoors. So You've taken a very practical approach to your architecture. You first were doing a lot of work with construction and building before you even started your training. Do you think that that caused you to look at architecture in a different way? Um, I would say that, uh, construction kind of was a part of, uh, my experience growing up as my dad was a contractor. So, um, I've always had kind of an innate desire to be hands-on and, you know, carving or working. And I, I took a furniture making class up in, um, in Rockport, uh, at the center for craftsmanship and, um, I just like making, you know, creating things. And so for me, I think the experience of creating is kind of part of architecture and I try to be as close to that as possible. And, um, sometimes I think it doesn't help. I think it holds you back sometimes because you're always searching for the practical way to make something, create something. And sometimes those, those practicalities kind of hold you back from what it is you're hoping to design in the end. But when you get engaged with the contractor and you start working, they're very thankful for those moments where you're fighting to make that design idea into something that's real because, so it helps there, but sometimes in the early stages, um, it can slow you down because it's, you're already thinking about the means and methods of how it goes together. And sometimes I have to pull back and just say, well, what, what would I really want if none of that was there because that's what architecture is, right. That's what design is. It's we can easily make a house again. It's about trying to find a way of creating a building that fits then the current person and the current unique parts of who that, who the occupants will be. You know, if it's a house it's, you won't want to answer the question originally for that person and for the time. And if you're held back by either the construction or kind of recreating something again, you're not answering that question for the first time. You're, you're kind of just doing a repeat. And I think that that's kind of the exciting part about architecture is that you've found an answer that fits the people that are there, the occupants, and also fits the moment in time. You know, it's not just something that's a recreation. So it sounds like an interesting balance between, um, kind of planning and flow between this idea that, you know, you do want to have all the steps laid out so that you can get to the product that you want, but you also have to have enough freedom and flexibility of mind so that you can allow things to kind of assemble themselves in a way that maybe be, I guess we call it a medicine, we call it. like, it's kind of like, it's, there needs to be some kind of putting together pieces that somehow you're not always entirely sure how it works, but it eventually does. Yeah. Um, in architecture, we kind of have a couple set moments that are a part of the process. You have, um, concept design. Well, even before that you have programming. So what is the problem kind of determining what the, the, the problem is? It sounds like a bad word, but for us, it's kind of setting the rules of the game. And then in concept design, you're kind of big picture, like, what is this project about? You know, it's kind of the elevator pitch of the project and then schematic design, you're kind of starting to fit the puzzle pieces together and see how they relate. And at that point you've got the object. Usually you've got the parts it's got, you know, it's got a bathroom, it's got a kitchen or, you know, offices, and they're kind of starting to nest into each other. And I think usually we've presented like a three-dimensional exterior, if it's an exterior project and, you know, a walkthrough of the interior. So the people usually know what it's looking like and have kind of signed off on that. And then design developments kind of, what is it made of, you know, what are the, what is between the two rooms? You know, it's not just this, you know, gray lines, you know, it's not just two lines, it's, it's something, you know, what is it? Is it, is it stone? Is it stucco? Is it wood? That kind of thing. So, um, architecture does have kind of a process of working towards that. Um, that is helpful when, you know, you, it gives you, it starts to allow you for that freedom in each, in each place. So if you complete the steps, I think it's, it really helps outline kind of where you're at and keeps everyone kind of on task, because it's really easy to jump back into another stage, but I've learned from practice that it, it, it's not good. You gotta, you gotta work through it and kind of own the process as well. What is your, so you started in Delaware and then you hopped out to the west coast and then you came back a couple, two and a half years ago. What was the draw to California? How did you end up out there? Um, when I graduated, I went to Roger Williams university in Rhode Island and, um, it was a great experience, you know, I was near the water again, and it was, uh, got to travel abroad a bunch and kind of see kind of living Rome and living in different cities. And, um, when I got done school, I went back to Delaware to kind of chip away at some of my debt, some of the school expenses and, and just kind of see, just do some construction because that's what I had done on the summer. So I, I, I was doing construction and I started doing, uh, I did a design build project for my mom, so I built my mom's house and redid that. And in that experience, I kind of realized I know how to design in the way that we've been taught in school and I know how to build, but I'm still figuring out how to make a living doing design. And if I jumped off on my own, at that point, I realized that I would just be recreating houses that I knew how to build, because I hadn't really developed those. There was two silos and I hadn't really figured out how to get from one to the other. And so I thought big city is going to be, you know, the quickest way to get that done. You know, a lot of, a lot of architecture offices and San Francisco's is the only place where the grid of the city runs into the ocean. So it was like, let's just go for the, the, all the things, you know, what w will it fill every bucket? Can I serve, can I have a new adventure? And can I get my license and learn how to be a practicing architect? Because I think people think, oh, it's schools, you know, I'm, uh, I'm going to know everything when I leave school. And, uh, I mean, you probably learned this. It's like, it's like now I look at people coming out of school and I go, oh, I love that naive confidence. And I also, um, didn't know anything. When I came out of college, I, I had a, I had a piece of paper that told me I'm something, and I had no idea how to put it into practice. And so I think I knew that I could learn fast in San Francisco. So yeah, I moved out there with filled up my Volkswagen golf, put the surf boards on top of the bike on top, and just drove out with a buddy of mine and kind of a hope and a dream. And, and it worked out and San Francisco at that time, wasn't as, you know, tech focused as it is now. And as kind of big money, I don't know. I feel like right now, it's just in a moment where it's really expensive to live there and kind of having its heyday. And, uh, when I was there, it was kind of, if you were into something, there was people for you that were also into that thing. You know, whether it's surfing, rock climbing, everyone I ran into, they were like, if you like something, just dive, it's a deep dive into whatever you're interested in. You could find a crew of people that were excited about the same thing. So, and I just thought the outdoor living component, you know, being outdoors all the time and then, uh, being able to do architecture was kind of a great combination. So it, it worked out and I, I honestly didn't really lift my head up that whole time. I was working hard and playing hard, you know, going skiing as much as I could traveling to find waves all over the coast. And also living, I literally lived this as close as we are now to the bay is where I lived to the ocean. And at that time I couldn't believe it when I got out there, but no one wanted to live right on the coast because it was so foggy. So I literally could rent a house 200 feet from some of the best surf I had ever seen. And, uh, for me, I, I was like, I thought I had won the lottery. I just laughed. You know, I was like, oh, this is the best. This is the best place you could ever live. You know? And at that point in my life, I, I think it is, uh, or it was. And, um, but as I started to spend time there, it was great for my career. Great for surfing, but we got married, Carly and I got married. And then we had a daughter, my daughter, Lou Ella. And I started to realize that being outside and being connected to the, kind of the water and being able to fall right into the water, wasn't really an experience she was able to have. It was an experience I got to have because I kind of had put the time in to go surfing, but this way was huge and it was dangerous and the ocean was kind of heavy. And so it was harder to find those moments for her. And as you, you know, want to go, you know, buy a house or do those things being close to the water was out of the picture. You know, the housing market there was just so, uh, just wild, I mean, expensive and just fast moving people were buying houses quickly. And so I, I guess I wanted that experience for my daughter. I wanted her to be able to learn to sail and play in the water. And so main seemed like the right next adventure. And also there's a transient quality to the bay area where you are friends with people and they're, they're gone after three or five years. There's just this, not, this long-term investment. It feels like kind of the community. There's some local people there that have kind of stuck it out and are amazing. But I think for those who have kind of come to it, you know, in their college years or post-college, I think it's harder to stay. It's harder to keep your foothold there. And so we would have lots of friends or friends of my daughters who would, you know, be there for a couple of years and then move on. So I think that was kind of something else that we, I was sad for my daughter. And also for me, it was just, you put this time and effort into friends and then they would they'd disappear. So I think that Maine has a lot of great qualities going for it. And one of them is that people seem to be here for a long time. I feel like my daughter's at this age where she's going to school and she gets, you know, I think the people in her friends around her will be around for awhile. And, uh, I also think that, you know, she's already doing sailing and we're playing on boats and it we're just in the water all the time when, when it's nice and when it's winter we're skiing. So I think that she gets a lot more outdoor time here and we also get a lot more time as family. So I think that those combinations were what we're hoping Maine would provide, you know, just that connection to water and the outdoors, and just more time as a family together. And we're pretty thankful that it's worked out that way here. You brought some of your own art with you. Oh yeah. And it's art that you actually, you told me you and Luella spend a fair amount of time painting together and have, especially during the pandemic where you would actually have art time. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, I've been doing watercolors kind of as just the, my art, you know, pastime. And, uh, so some of these, this one here is, um, we went to Palm Springs, a good number of years ago now, but, um, my family was having a show where it was my S my, my sisters and mom. So it was the four of us we were having, well, I, I say show, but it was, you know, my mom said, Hey, you know, my, my friend wants us to put some pieces into, um, to a restaurant and I signed you guys up for it. So here you go, everyone's going to put a few pieces of artwork. Are you good with that? And I was like, I hadn't really painted enough. I was kind of like, oh no. So we had just recently gotten to Palm Springs. So I did three pieces and this is one of them, um, in Palm Springs. So this was just, uh, one of the photographs that I had taken that I painted. So this is the photo and, and that's the piece of artwork. So this shows, so there's a sign that says ACE hotel, and there's a blue truck behind it. And then is that some sort of a well-known, is that ice ACE hotel, the structure that's behind it or is that it looks more like a residence? Yeah. So at the time when we you're traveling ACE hotel was kind of this new hip place to stay where they'd have these smaller rooms, but then kind of more cool accommodations with it. And, uh, so we, we stayed there and yeah, it's kind of this like road mode tell that they converted into something kind of rad. It was a bit hipster, you know, they'd kind of taken over this old school, fifties, um, motel, you know, drive up motel and kind of turned it into something, re re-imagined it. And so that was one of the places that we were around a lot. Yeah. It, it's kind of quintessential of the, of that one moment in time, you know, and I think I painted this in 2015, so it was, um, they were kind of at their heyday, you know, kind of creating these hotels all over the country. And it just felt like an image. I represented Palm Springs in that moment with like dry landscape in the background. And, um, yeah, and I, I just love the colors, the blues, and the fact that, you know, the, the colors kind of were mirrored between the truck and the, and the background. So it was just a photo that resonated with me from, from our travels there. And then this was another travel in California, that's Mendocino. And these pieces, I started doing these like strips and I would do them at different times, um, and S and mask off the other places that I had painted. And I was just playing with you, the idea that if you create a color five times or three times, you might get it more on, you know, you might represent the color better by painting it five, you know, mixing it five times instead of once that it, you know, none of them were exactly perfect, but altogether they kind of represented the true colors of the place. So it was just kind of an idea we were playing with. And then this is just a picture that I took and painted of, uh, our dock down here. So the, the fact that our dock is a working dock with like lobstermen showing up, you know, in winter days. And, you know, doing that hard work of lobstering is kind of impressive. And the structures they have are cool and they're moving around. So it just is a, I can understand why Steve does his paintings. You know, it's just, there, it's very dynamic boats. It's like this, you know, house structure, that's always turning and catching the light in the right way. And, um, these guys pull up, you know, every other day to load on lobster pots from, you know, 200 feet from the house. So it's fun to take a few pictures and get kind of a sense for it. It's one of my favorite things about Maine. Is that still a working, uh, community on the water. Uh, it's, it's kind of rare and you don't realize it until you're not, you know, here, you just feel like it's, it's everywhere, but it, but it's not everywhere. It's, it's, it's pretty special to, to this area. So I think in that way, it's fun to paint something that, you know, you, you kind of get excited about, or, or you want to stay, you know, it's, it's because it is going away in some places because the scale of fishing is kind of growing. It's cool to see that it's sticking around here. Well, Josh, I appreciate your taking the time to come and talk to me today. I mean, it's, it's been a great conversation and really an interesting, um, the fact that you and I have lived very close to each other for two and a half years, but as often happens, and especially during a pandemic, don't necessarily get a chance to actually have a conversation about life and kind of bigger things. So it's been a really fun conversation. Yeah. It, I, uh, I feel like, um, I know you guys better and it's it, this goes by so quick. I don't know for me, it's, it's it's yeah, we we've been here for awhile and, and this seems like the first time where we really get to sit down and have a conversation. So it's, it's fun. Thank you. Yeah. I've been speaking with Josh Lowe. He happens to be my neighbor on Littlejohn, but also is an architect and an artist in his own. Right. I really, um, I feel very grateful that we finally have somebody back in the studio because one of my pieces of art is these kinds of conversations. And so of course, it's very collaborative and having done things by video and, um, kind of remotely all these months is very fun, but it's a different sort of art. So having an actual human conversation, this makes me feel great. I hope you've enjoyed it.