FIRST DRAFT
The architect who wishes to be a social artist must first come to understand the nature of society, as well as people's needs. The architect must be transformed into a public servant whose task is to become immersed in the living history of society. Out of this exploration, the architect's contribution, in the form of individual creativity, will be a gift to the people rather than an imposition.
Unfortunately, the concept of architecture as a social art has been eclipsed by the hyper-individualism of today's culture. This has driven the historic falsehood that individuality is lost in social commitment. Contrarily, architects will find that their creative capacity is deepened through the process of coming to know a society's culture. This is the gift of the people to the individual, the architect.
Thus will the public servant develop lines of communication through which the ideas of the people can be received. It becomes the responsibility of the architect to sort out these varied ideas and present them back to the society as beautiful and functional forms. Of course, the people would expect the special talents of the architect to radiate through such forms. Yet, they will ultimately be successful when they are understood by the people as capable of improving their daily lives, and uplifting them by relating their lives to the world around them.
With these guiding principles, the relevance of the architect will become elevated and architects will begin again to move forward as one with society.
