We recently caught up with BA (Hons) Architecture (Part 1) and MArch (Part 2) graduate, James Bussey, to find out more about his time at Kent and what he’s been up to since graduating, including starting his own business, Native Origin.
Where has your career taken you since finishing your MArch?
Shortly after graduating, my fifth year project was selected to win the RIBA Presidents Medals Serjeant Award 2016. I had worked towards achieving one of these awards during the entire time I was studying at Kent, so to win one was a huge personal achievement for me. After I received the award, I decided to work in an architectural practice in Norwich before setting up my own business. Outside of work, I live with my girlfriend Kirsty, who is a doctor working in the NHS. We live in Norfolk with Eddie, our Golden Retriever puppy.
I have also taught architecture at undergraduate level. This began with teaching ArchiCAD and image making skills before transitioning to design tutoring and even being responsible for the teaching of all Year 1 students at undergraduate level.
The culture of studying architecture has traditionally received quite a negative reputation when it comes to students’ physical and mental wellbeing. It was therefore important to me to draw on my experience of the exceptional tutoring I received from Kent so that I could build a supportive and inclusive environment for my students.
What are you up to now?
Five years on from graduating, I am successfully running a business called Native Origin. The business was once described by a client of mine in the following way: “You’re like a world builder for my business. You build the creative eco-system for my business and my ideas to take shape and to exist in the world.”
On a practical level, my business sits in a world between digital media, marketing and advertising. I am extremely lucky because I can work on something different every day – whether it’s film, photography, web design, graphics or architecture. The business has recently become a Limited Company and it has seen incredible growth over the last year. My workload has enabled me to be in a position to take people on and I’m also branching out internationally.
Could you describe a typical day in your current role?
On a studio day, I’ll wake up at 6am and will head down to my garden studio. I typically find I am most creative and focused in the morning, so I will tend to reserve this time of day for when I need to have my most innovative ideas.
During the day I will alternate between meetings, networking calls and production work (editing, modelling, post production etc). Throughout the day, I am kept company by Eddie, and he usually reminds me that we need to go for a walk around lunch time. I live in the heart of the Norfolk countryside, so I am able to go out and enjoy nature throughout the day.
Meanwhile, a shoot day will typically involve me loading up my car with cameras, lights, stands and microphones. I’ll then head off to the location for filming, will meet with the client, spend a day shooting content before returning home to backup all of the rushes from the day.
What aspects of studying architecture did you enjoy the most and why?
I absolutely loved the cross-disciplinary nature of the course. I enjoyed drawing inspiration for my work from all of the arts and I felt more passionate about my work as a result. I found architecture to be really liberating and it helped me to see the world in a completely different way to how I had looked at it previously.
How do you feel your BA and MArch at Kent equipped you for your career?
Put bluntly, I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing now without Kent School of Architecture and Planning. I suppose I am a little bit different to others in that I’m not pursuing a full time career in architecture. But actually, the skills I have developed at Kent (and the tutors I have been lucky enough to know) have enabled me to pursue my dream of setting up Native Origin. With now being in a position to start offering work to others, it’s been really interesting to start bringing architecture students into my business. I’ve noticed that architecture students have something special about their approach and perspective to work, which I believe is down to the unique nature of the course.
How did you find the shift between studying your BA and MArch?
What I loved about moving up from BA to MArch was that I felt like I had much more ownership of my project work. That’s not to say the projects were constrained by my tutors during the BA, it’s more that once I had embarked on the MArch course, I had the confidence and drive to really create something special at Kent, to pursue work I was truly proud of and to get the most out of my experience.
For your MArch artefact, you created a really interested VR project – could you tell us a little bit more about this project and what inspired you to create it?
Ah yes, my Artefact project. That came about in the same way that many of my more innovative ideas come about – I was frustrated by the way things were being done and I wanted to see how we could make something better.
The project used VR to simulate several of the symptoms of dementia. I was interested in helping architects to explore their proposed designs from the perspective of someone with particular needs. Up until this point, it seemed like VR was only being used to show off architectural projects and I wanted to see if VR could actually be used to build empathy for others. A health and social care worker who tried it once said to me: “I’ve heard people scream out in fear, but I had never truly understood what they were feeling until I tried your system”.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of studying architecture?
Having been a student of architecture as well as a lecturer, I would say my best piece of advice is to really embrace this amazing world you’re being introduced to. Just open your eyes to all of the creative disciplines, open your mind to thinking differently, be open to opportunities, build relationships with others, practice and develop your skills constantly, and just be this sponge to soak up everything you can. You only get this wonderful opportunity once.
What are your future plans / aspirations for Native Origin? Have you got any exciting projects coming up?
Native Origin is going to continue to grow. We have multiple web, 3D and film projects on the go and our clients are really pleased with the service and attention to detail they receive from us. I actually launched a website last week that caused the client to cry. This was because she’d been thinking about the vision for her business since she was a teenager, and I’d helped her to realise it 20 years on.
If you’d like to contact James, or keep up with his latest work, you can find him on LinkedIn, Instagram and also find out more about Native Origin.