Alison Terry
Landscape Architect
Terry Design, Inc.
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
My mother is a great gardener and always thought I would be a landscape architect.
Majored in Art History and French Lit. because I liked it even though it had no career potential.
Couldn't get a job in those fields so I moved to New York and went into magazine publishing.
Realized I hated it and felt trapped in the concrete jungle of New York.
I researched careers and had an 'aha' moment when I read the description of landscape architecture.
Left all my friends and spent all my money going to graduate school...and loved it.
I worked for the National Park Service for 6 years and really believed in the cause.
I moved to CA and started my own residential practice, hoping to contribute to public projects too.
Keep following my journey
Education
Career
Landscape Architect
I design residential landscapes; everything except the house.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Art
Environment & Nature
Being Creative
Day to Day
I get my kids to school. I set my assistant up with her work for the day. We run through the active projects and deadlines. I go out to a jobsite to layout plants and check in with contractors. I make phone calls and emails. I work on project design. I source materials for jobs. I work with my assistant on SketchUp models. I review CAD plans. I review project bids. I taxi kids to practices. I make dinner. I work on design at night, when everything is quiet and I can finally think creatively.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Research the skills needed in the profession and honestly assess yourself; do you see yourself developing those skills over time? Do you naturally have those skills? Are you able to think creatively and logically at the same time? Are you confident enough to take a shred of an idea and develop it into a workable solution? Do you like working with all kinds of professionals as well as blue collar workers? Do you like getting your hands dirty? Are you ok if some things you design don't work?
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Graduate
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"Art isn't something that will earn you money. I didn't think I was creative enough to pursue a career in landscape architecture. Women should stay in the office and not run construction projects. You need to be loud to be heard."
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
