Architecture becomes art when a building is imbued with an essence, a mysterious essence, which gives the structure something akin to life. By definition architecture as art enriches the lives of those that come in contact with it. It opens your mind to endless possibilities and ennobles your life instead of defining your life with specifics. -Jeffrey Charles Williams

Much of internship life is defined by the specifics Mr. Williams describes, the specifics of registration. Architectural registration boards are concerned about specifics because specifics demonstrate a quantifiable proficiency. My education prepared me to incorporate both science and art into architecture, differentiating me from builders or engineers. Interns are trapped by the specifics of licensure and are less able to imbue buildings with the essence that makes them art. Changing the architectural internship to foster arts and science will strengthen professionals' transition from academia into practice.

During my internship I have pursued two parallel paths to enhance my development as an architect. Working in an architecture firm fulfills the learning units for the Internship Development Program. While my technical skills in code research, specifications, and construction drawings are refined, I found little opportunity for design and creativity. Just as an unused tool begins to rust, my creative design edge seemed to be slipping away. As a means of counterbalancing the technical, I sought out a design competition. The design competition propelled me into having an art studio. Balancing and juggling an art studio and an architectural internship created not only challenges and opportunities, but these also stimulated my creativity and kept me designing. Many young architects lack the opportunity to pursue both, yet they still desire design stimulation, similar to academia, to be included in their professional practice.

Rather than interns pursuing parallel paths, the internship should foster a unified path. The artistic aspects of architecture could be incorporated into the internship without reducing them to quantifiable specifics. For example, an intern could participate in charrettes that are critiqued by a panel of professionals. Licensure boards could quantify the number of charrettes but not the outcome of the panel. Another example would be requiring a compare and contrast essay on a building the intern feels captures "the essence" of which Mr. Williams writes. A board could quantify the length and the number of supporting sources. Another possibility for the intern would be to visit buildings studied during school and respond to differences from the perceptual to the experiential. These different artistic endeavors would help interns assimilate their education with their professional practice.

Young professional architects who maintain both their technical skills and their creative skills will be more readily able to respond to client and community needs. If this transition and adaptation is smoother and less foreign to young architects, the profession of architecture stands a better chance of increasing retention of tomorrow's architects. The inclusion of art into the internship experience will help tomorrow's architects transition more easily from education to practice.