Sana Tabassum

a woman in SPAM* social, PR, advertising & marketing - we do it all 💅

I threw a brick! 🧱 for London Craft Week, I signed up to @morrisand.company ’s hands-on workshop to learn how to throw a brick with a Master Brickmaker. The whole process was only about 5 mins but it was actually super fun to do and watch others, surrounded by their pretty tasteful exhibition around their award-winning project 15 Norton Folgate. Events or activations like these are really great because they get people involved and curious and you’re also including the craftspeople that are involved in a building project because it’s not always about the architects! I think more practices need to do stuff like this because it engages people on a whole other level and gets everyone around for an afternoon of fun

I’ve seen quite a few boring CV’s over the years and whilst content obviously matters, I think many graduates let themselves down with a boring design Your design is your brand, it’s how you show some of that personality and character To do this, you could use something as simple as colour to distinguish yourself and become more memorable to an employer This is how you stand out and use design as a superpower rather than sending a CV like a tick box exercise. — if you liked this post, consider sharing 🫶🏼 and follow me, @to.scale , for more content like this! 🍒 #architecturegraduate #creativedirector #outofarchitecture #freelance #entrepreneur

Breaking into architecture is hard enough. For international graduates and practitioners, it comes with an added layer of complexity navigating visa requirements, decoding a profession that can feel opaque from the outside, and building a career in a country where the networks, norms, and pathways aren’t always made visible or accessible. This is a panel event part of Open Studio and kindly hosted at the Zaha Hadid Foundation exploring the realities of building an architectural career in the UK as an international graduate. Practitioners who have navigated international moves share their stories, from visa pathways and job searching to what it actually feels like to belong in a new city and profession. Hear from the ARB on current engagement and consultations. Panel to be announced. Followed by open networking. Sign up here to be notified when tickets go live → /toscale-open-studio — Open Studio is :scale’s flagship programme, facilitating spaces for emerging creatives to connect, learn, and grow within the industry. To host an Open Studio at your practice, email Sana at [email protected]

Hiring season in the built environment doesn’t quite operate like other industries. Paired with the heightened level of competition, global economy and an outdated system, this often puts graduates at a disadvantage. Typically, Part 1’s would finish university and look to replace those already working in practice on their ‘year out’ by September. But more and more practices are opting for a leaner setup that is influenced by the work coming In. This means we’ve now arrived at a stage where practices don’t necessarily have a hiring ‘season’ and therefore all jobs are up for grabs. So to put yourself in the top 1% of graduates who can see the future (kind of) you need to apply early and make sure your application isn’t generic — if you liked this post, consider sharing 🫶🏼 and follow me, @to.scale , for more content like this! 🍒 #architecturegraduate #creativedirector #outofarchitecture #freelance #entrepreneur

These are some of the frequently asked questions we often get at our Open Studios. This is a massively under-served community and we’re bringing something super exciting to our calendar of events this year. Formed by a panel sharing relatable and insightful stories, we hope that we can move towards an accessible industry together. Stay tuned and sign up to our newsletter for more information → /toscale-open-studio — Open Studio is :scale’s flagship programme, facilitating spaces for emerging creatives to connect, learn, and grow within the industry. To host an Open Studio at your practice, email Sana at [email protected]

most press coverage has a shelf life and this is why ↓ traditional architecture media is pretty quick to pick up on stories especially around awards seasons but aside from a few Stories, if you’re not making the most of this momentum, you’re missing out If LB was my client, I’d be directing a campaign in the lead up to the ceremony, sharing not just the story but the impact of this building and following the win, I’d spotlight this through: → win reactions by directors → short-film with Winner tag across socials → a cheeky newsletter → some kind of incentive to celebrate internally also, do you think awards outside of London mean more or less to clients? #architecturemedia #press #commsgap

testing out my new Sony ZEV10 around London yesterday 💐🏛️

I’ve been on the verge of burnout too often for my own good but this time I’ve made a signficant yet simple change that has shifted the way I see an ideal week in my life Instead of just putting things off in the name of rest, what I really needed to do was close all my open loops For weeks I had unanswered texts or decisions I hadn’t made and these were slowly taking up space in my head, making me overthink or leaving me in a state of analysis paralysis Once I got those things out on paper and actually closed the loop, I found that my energy began to return and so far this has really changed the game for me When’s the last time you took some time to close your open loops? — if you liked this post, consider sharing 🫶🏼 and follow me, @to.scale , for more content like this! 🍒 #architecturegraduate #creativedirector #outofarchitecture #freelance #entrepreneur

International graduates and practitioners are by far the most underserved community within architecture and the built environment. Most of these talented individuals are often qualified or have extensive experience in their home countires but choose to study or work in the UK. Whilst we already know the poor state of the economy, job market and industry standards, this becomes even more of an issue on top of visa challenges. This is a problem we’ve heard far too often. The @NLA published some of their findings in their Connected Capital Publication which is a real issue. But it doesn’t stop there. There’s a lot of unsaid discourse or help that isn’t made visible or accessible and our next event is looking to un-gatekeep all of this. Stay tuned and sign up to our newsletter for more information → /toscale-open-studio — Open Studio is :scale’s flagship programme, facilitating spaces for emerging creatives to connect, learn, and grow within the industry. To host an Open Studio at your practice, email Sana at [email protected]

It’s not the job, it’s not the competition, it’s how you’re talking about yourself When you start each cover letter or interview response with ‘hi I’m a part 1 architectural assistant from the university of…’ you’re giving the most generic response that 100 other graduates are saying too so before sending your next bland application, try my invisible seasoning method first ↓ — if you liked this post, consider sharing 🫶🏼 and follow me, @to.scale , for more content like this! 🍒 #architecturegraduate #creativedirector #outofarchitecture #freelance #entrepreneur

a snippet from my talk at Liverpool John Moores university earlier this month, speaking about how to stand out to employers by developing and leveraging an unfair advantage. I’d really reccommend you read the book The Unfair Advantage and embrace this concept because doing so really changed the way I thought about my skills and value in a highly competitive industry. Watch the rest on my YouTube channel, linked on my profile. — if you liked this post, consider sharing 🫶🏼 and follow me, @to.scale , for more content like this! 🍒 #architecturegraduate #creativedirector #outofarchitecture #freelance #entrepreneur comms marketing design designcareer careeradvice