As someone whose built more than 4,000 audio/video studios, he knows a thing or two about getting a project started, getting over the wall, and seeing a vision come to life. Storyk’s one of those enigmatic and wonderful people with one foot planted firmly in the world of engineering and craftsmanship, and the other kicking dandelions in a world of art and passion. He talks about the architects who’ve inspired him – Frederick Keisler, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Cobusier – with the reverence of a storyteller. But when it comes to his process, his tone is more analytical: He told TNW he was working on a new project and had run up against a wall, one of those design problems you just have to think about until you figure it out. We asked him how he usually works through those pain points, he chuckled: Storyk’s 73 years old, but it’s obvious that passion keeps him young. He talks about owning homes in three different countries and working for legendary musicians with the same gravitas as playing softball or sketching designs by hand. He lives in the moment: All things considered, Storyk’s philosophy on design seems to be simple: Not everyone has a meticulous mind for the kind of details that an architect of Storyk’s calibur has, but it’s even rarer that such a detail-oriented mind has such creative device. We asked what it’s like to mentally ride the line between STEM and art, but his only explanation was “it’s just what I do.” Perhaps that explains why he has no plans of stopping anytime soon. The process remains the same. If you’re a contractor building a 10,000 square foot building or you’re a designer making a custom $10,000 piece of furniture, the process is still the same. Some ten minutes after our interview was scheduled to end, he let TNW listen to the music he was playing before our call — a rocking tune from “Little Feat.” After a few seconds he tells us, “all I ever wanted was to play the piano like that.” Yet when asked why he doesn’t stop designing and go play the piano or ride off into the sunset, he answers without hesitation: Nobody, not even John Storyk, can tell you how to design like John Storyk. But according to him: whether you’re a novice or a master, the process is the same. You’ll just have to come up with your own passion.
