W
hat comes to mind
when you think of an
interior designer? A
fashion victim (usually over ac-
cessorised) who makes you feel
less than for not having the latest
trends in your home? Yep, I used
to think so too. When I first started
as a young designer I thought I had
to play the role that most people
come to expect when first meet-
ing with a "designer". So not true I
would later find out.
I was super fortunate first start-
ing out in the design industry be-
ginning with my internship. While
my classmates were getting their
asses kicked and taken advantage
of by large design firms, I was with
a Las Vegas builder who flew me
over from Los Angeles on week-
ends. We worked in the day, par-
tied at night and I was generous-
ly paid in chips! Returning back
home I worked on projects during
the week and returned to Las Ve-
gas again for more monkey busi-
ness. Hell yeah! This was fabulous
and this "interior designer" stuff
was great! We were building spec
homes (specification) meaning
they had no homeowner yet, so
there was not a client to object to
our choices. Sweet as it gets.
Fast forward to my first "real job".
I fell into what many design-
ers would consider a dream job
designing custom homes, luxu-
ry custom homes, McMansions.
Money was no object with these
homeowners. While I learned a lot
about the construction of luxury
homes there was still a problem,
the homeowners. While some
that were lovely to work with and
had an excellent sense of style
and taste with there were just as
many who were not and had none.
I learned that money cannot buy
good taste or a sense of style! This
job is where I developed one of
my favorite sayings, "just because
you can doesn't always mean you
should".
I was questioning my decision to
work with "these types of clients"
and decided to strike off on my
own. I thought I would simply flip
houses. Easy right? It would have
been easy enough if the housing
market had not burst shortly af-
ter my first flip and home building
screeched to a complete halt. This
how I ended up at Marriott Hotels
in a management job where we
had "meetings about the meeting"
day after day and I quickly learned
I was not a corporate girl. In fact, I
am a rule breaker.
Fast forward a bit more and I end-
ed up at a local showroom selling
cabinets, counter tops, tile, floor-
ing, blah- blah- blah... I used to tell
myself daily that at least I as "back
in the industry". I used that time to
make mistakes at someone else's
expense and I learned everything
I could from the crusty old cabi-
net guys I was working with (l still
adore them). They had been doing
this for 25-30 years and were a
wealth of knowledge about what
not to do but were lacking in the
creativity area a bit. I lasted there
three years too long, the last year
being especially difficult where I
used to agonize about having to
return the next day on the drive
home. When I was reduced to
crying on my lunch hour about
having to back I knew it was time
to take the leap. I say all this to tell
you," don't be me" LOL!
I realize there are many people
who need the structure of a job
and that's okay. If you are a cre-
ative type, the rules of the typi-
cal workplace can be the kiss of
death... My biggest fear in life has
always been being shoved in a cu-
bicle from 8-5. I would encourage
every young designer or creative,
and by young, I mean new, (many
designers start later in life), to dis-
cover what area of design and
which clients light you up. It is only
then you will come into your own
as a designer and begin to create
incredible things. Do whatever you
need to do, moonlight somewhere,
cocktail waitress, sell Mary K, if you
have a rockin body, pole dance if
you must (kidding) but don't let the
grind of a job you loathe get in the
way of your pursuits.
I would have never had the push I
needed to step out there (again) if
it had not been for the online world
and the support of my online
tribes. I cannot begin to tell you
the impact of hundreds of people I
really don't know except for online
relationships, have impacted both
my confidence and my business.
Ya'll stretched me further than I
would have ever stretched myself
and continue to do so on an almost
daily basis! Thank-you, seriously.
The support of my online commu-
nity has given me a stick-to-itness
attitude that is so hard to maintain
if you are alone in this adventure.
I learned so many new technical
skills that were not even in exis-
tence yet when I first started in
design and it's been a process
to say the least. It is a process at
times I enjoy and other times it's
effing frustrating! Can anyone else
relate? I am currently developing
new online streams of incomes
with the support of my online
groups planning for the day when I
am not longer comfortable getting
dirty out in the field.
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