With the 2017 INDE.Awards just around the corner, it’s important to take a look at why such an event is valuable to the architecture and design industries on a whole. The INDE.Awards isn’t just another awards ceremony; rather, they provide up and coming talent with much deserved support, and is an excellent stepping-stone for those involved, as well as those who wish to get involved. Of course, this all ties back into the value of mentorship.

We are often forewarned not to reinvent the wheel when embarking on a new design project. No need to overcomplicate a process that theoretically could go on forever anyway, through endless iterations and failures until you finally arrive, wizened and wrinkled, at that perfect object. Or graphic. Or whatever. Of course, if we all had to go through that draining process from start to finish without any assistance every time, very little would get done. Architecture and design as industries would crumble under the weight, or lack thereof, of self-motivation.

Which is exactly why mentorship as a concept and the facilitating prospects of such are so important. Collaboration and critique is treated as a given within architecture and design courses, but can often be forgotten once in the workforce, whether that be due to an increasing number of freelancers operating solo, or plenty of others simply working from home. Getting stuck is certainly part of the design process, but it needn’t be the be all and end all. Not only is there no need to make someone else’s mistakes if you’ve already been told how to avoid them, but mentorship also establishes a relationship that prevents you from staring at something for too long. We’ve all known that feeling of having workshopped something to death, losing sight of what made it a great idea in the first place. Skip that step. Get a second pair of eyes and ears. Look at those who have come before. Thank yourself later.

In saying that, don’t go getting it into your head that this is a one-way thing. As the saying goes, the best way to learn is to teach. Mentoring not only provides that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with doing something for someone else in the form of nurturing the upcoming generation, but can also provide insight into where the industry might be heading from those who are going to be leading it. Not to mention the mutual benefit of escaping your own mind once in a while. The problems we all face are often shared ones.

Paired with Launch Pad, the annual exhibition of prototypes by young, emerging designers, the 2017 INDE.Awards have made mentorship a focus for all involved, and in more ways than one.

Meet one of your 2017 INDE.Awards Mentors: Tongue n Groove

We’re proud to announce that Tongue n Groove have joined us as one of our Official Gold Partners for the 2017 INDE.Awards. As one of this country’s most premium suppliers of timber flooring solutions, Team Tongue n Groove collaborates with a host of Australia’s top-tier architects and designers to create spaces of exceptional quality and high-tech engineering.

It goes without question that the architecture and design industries need inspiring practitioners and brands to lead the upcoming generation by example. Valuing the qualities of easy maintenance, engineered materials and the sustainability inherent in flooring solutions of extreme durability, we could not be more happy to welcome Tongue n Groove’s support to facilitate a program built around discovery and inspiration.

Follow the journey of our future industry leaders with the 2017 INDE.Awards.