Architectural Student Blogger: Sana Tabassum from :scale
Sana is one of the most hard-working content creators I’ve met in architecture.
She’s constantly putting out blog posts, creating tutorials, and sharing her knowledge on social media with architecture students - definitely more than me!
What inspired me the most about Sana is her content creation journey. She went from scared of showing up and hiding behind her amazing content to now doing IG Lives and hosting a whole conference.
Over time, I’ve been seeing more and more of her personality shine through and I just love that!
We both creating content and love building communities in architecture - so I’m very excited to have her on here to talk about all the things she’s doing.
Sana is a content creator and Part 1 Architectural assistant based in London.
She founded :scale, an architecture blog, and platform for students and young designers where she creates content about productivity, university, and wellbeing.
Her goal is to create an inclusive and collaborative #archicommunity. ⭐
How does she do it all? Let’s get right into it.
From Architecture to Blogging
It’s been an incredible journey so far in the short space of about 18 months.
I started writing blog posts every week and saw the power of the architecture community which expanded into a self-published magazine, being part of a content creators collective and organizing my very own architecture convention.
Now, the goal is to support architecture students through content about productivity, wellbeing, and basically how to survive architecture and grow your skills along the way.
Where did :scale come from?
Joann: How’d you come up with the idea of :scale?
What was the pivotal moment to making this idea into a reality?
What was the catalyst to get started?
Sana:
Blogging, in general, had been on my mind since my 2nd year because I love writing and storytelling.
I knew I needed to do something useful with my time after graduating (and I’m so glad I did!) because there were certain workflows and methods I had picked up.
But I couldn’t really find it online and I thought…
No one else is really doing this kind of thing - why don’t I?
I started off by planning a couple of posts for potential applicants and those just beginning their path into architecture.
The main idea was to give back to students like myself who may have no clue about or background in the industry or are even familiar with certain software.
Advice for Architecture Students on Building their Brands
Joann: Since your brand is focused on helping the architecture student community, what’s your advice for students who want to build their brand online?
Sana:
Great question! This is actually something I didn’t do myself as a student but I’m all about growing and staying ahead of the game.
I’d definitely recommend students even in their first year to just pick a platform and try to stay active on it.
Since we are designers, it’s not too difficult to come up with some basic branding elements through something like Canva.
Consistency is really important.
If you’re not creating original content, see how you can share content instead - this way you will have other brands who inspire you and you can learn a lot from but you’re also making connections.
I would say the most important part of building any brand is to communicate with your audience.
I still make it a point to reply to every DM and if I don’t know the answer to something I recommend one of my creator friends who I know can help the person out.
Your community is at the core of your brand.
What Gives You Joy in Your Life?
Joann: Building the Women Architects Community gives me so much joy every day! What’s the thing that brings you joy?
Sana:
Learning new skills brings me a lot of joy. I love dabbling in something new and challenging to keep things interesting. Right now, I’m trying to build my skills in public speaking and showing up (inspired by Joann 😉) so that I can effectively communicate with my audience.
With the :scale community, I love hearing about how someone has been inspired to learn something new or how a piece of content has actually helped them in some unexpected way.
How to Manage Time as a Content Creator
Joann: The most common question I get when it comes to content creation is that it takes up a lot of time. And I know you’re all about productivity! How do you prioritize and manage your time?
sana:
Honestly, you’ll find that the content creators who are smashing it on the Internet all love what they do.
I think the key to managing time is to do what you enjoy.
Blogging or creating tutorials is something I enjoy and it puts me in this tranquil yet energetic mood because I know that what I create could be helpful to someone.
A form of lists is also a great way to begin because as long as you have a system that works for you, then the tool doesn’t matter
Whether it’s just a daily notebook or a customized set of filters and labels in some apps, lists can help clarify time management.
I’d recommend making sure your tasks are achievable in 1 hour or less and learning about the Eisenhower Matrix to learn how to prioritize those tasks.
Finding Mentorship
Joann: Did you have any mentors or communities along the way? In both your work and blogging journey?
Sana:
My work journey is pretty new but I love the fact that I’m working with a team of highly experienced individuals who are passionate about the care sector. I get to learn something new every day at work.
In terms of mentors, I’d say Stephen Drew is someone I look up to and am really inspired by the things he is building over on the Architecture Social.
The openness and positive energy in the community all stem from Stephen so I’m really glad that I was able to make that connection online.
I am also very inspired by my peers and fellow content creators - I think there is so much to learn from everyone because we all have different journeys and various things to share with the world.
To name a few, Alvin from ProjectsByPeople, Muslim Women in Architecture, and Paris from Archity App are all doing fantastic things.
How Has :scale Influenced Your Career?
Joann: I always like to remind people that all the “extracurricular” activities you do outside of your day-to-day job can help build your personal brand and position you as a leader in your career.
How has your online presence benefited your architecture career?
Sana:
I actually spent just over a year searching for a job after graduating from university so that whole time I was only working on :scale.
By the time I had the interview for my current job, I had just finished with :scale mag and was working on content for the MAD Collective.
It’s a great talking point in interviews and gives me something extra to share because I am such a naturally shy and quiet person.
I think the content-creating route has generally helped me become more confident as a person.
I’ve also had some big achievements like leading a team or being on a podcast - stuff I never saw myself doing.
At work, I’m now getting to be part of the marketing team, writing blog posts, and expanding my knowledge about the care sector as a whole.
Me having these skills means that there is room to do something different once in a while and cross over my passion with work in a professional context.
Building Online Community
Joann: You and I both seem to have this in common - we love building online communities in the architecture industry.
You even coined the hashtag “#archicommunity”.
Can you speak to this and tell me why community is so important to you personally?
Sana:
Growing up, I never had a solid circle of long-lasting friends. I think a community of like-minded people has kind of filled that gap for me personally.
I’ve not just been creating content so that people like it or refer back to it when they need it, it’s more of a give-and-take relationship where I get to learn alongside the #archicommunity.
Being able to give students a platform they can interact with or ask a question they might think is silly is really what it’s all about.
Community is at the core of what we are doing, without them we wouldn’t really be doing it!
What's Next for Sana and :scale?
Joann: I love watching your blog grow and seeing more of your faces popping up on your social media! Where do you go from there?
Sana:
I’ve marked off 2021 as the year of growth for me. I have a lot of big ideas and I can often get a bit over-excited which does, unfortunately, lead to there being too much on my plate.
I’ve decided that I am going to work on the brand for a while, keep going with the content and just brainstorm and plan for some really exciting projects in the future.
In the meantime, I am working on connecting with the community and trying new things as a content creator.
I’ve also got a handful of lovely people helping me out with the blog now so hopefully, we can grow the team and get some fresh perspectives in play.
Where to Find :scale - the Archi-community for Architecture Students
Joann: How can our readers keep in contact with you and find out more?
Sana:
Instagram is my online home so feel free to pop in and send a DM or even tag @to.scale in your content, work, anything!
You can also find us on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook. Obviously, for the majority of our content, head over to www.toscaleblog.co.uk (huge update coming in Summer!)
We’re also growing our Discord community so come say hello there 😊
You can also connect with me on LinkedIn where I usually share some BTS about content creating and working in the architecture industry.
Fun Facts About Sana
1. What’s your Myers Briggs personality? (I’m an INFJ!)
I am an ISFJ!
2. Favorite thing to do on a Sunday?
Playing a game of Mario with my brother, watching a nice family film, and relaxing on the couch
3.What’s your biggest pet peeve?
Haven’t really got any
4. Best advice you’ve ever received?
There isn’t any specific advice I’ve gotten but I love the saying ‘if not now, then when?’
5. What’s your favorite place/city on earth?
I love going to my hometown, Hyderabad in India, seeing family, and getting away from the city
6. What do you look forward to every day?
Learning something new
7. One thing you wish you’d known when you first started
I wish I had discovered Notion before!
8. If you have a magic wand right now, what would you do?
I’d give myself a whole month off work 😅
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