Everyone has something they are meant to do, that certain thing that just ignites the soul. For me, that is interior design. It has always been a part of who I am. Even when I was small, I use to love building homes with my Lincoln Logs, and decorating my room.
That passion for design has only grown stronger through the years. I found as I grew older, the desire to have a home that welcomed me at the end of each day, and served as a peaceful haven from the stresses of the world, became more and more important. When I completed my residential design degree I began working on projects for others, but only through word of mouth referrals. I never considered myself to be an entrepreneur.
So what changed?
I don’t want to say that a blog changed my life, but… a blog did change my life. And it came at the perfect moment, as if by design :). I was exploring the very first steps in planning a business, and had reached that moment, the one that so often happens between me and the unknown future, when self-doubt sneaks into my thoughts… and my dreams get placed back on a shelf for some other time. It was on that very day when I came across a blog by fellow designer Sidney Adams (www.kandgrayinteriors.com). Her article was titled “How I Know I’m Supposed to be a Designer” and in it she spoke about being the kind of person who matches their tissue boxes to their décor, and loved the playhouse more than the doll when she was a little girl. Despite her passion, she thought that she needed to choose a more practical career path. I am guilty of doing the same thing (interior design was my second degree). As I read her article that day I knew everything would be OK, and this time the dream stayed on the table. I wrote to her to thank her for telling her story. I told her that I was sitting there reading her blog (with my tissue box) and tears were welling up in my eyes, because what she had to say was exactly what I needed, at exactly the right time. A lovely friendship began in that moment, one that I will always be grateful for.
So, now here I am, getting ready to hit the publish button on my first blog, on my company’s website. As I take this step I can’t help but reflect on all of the years leading up to this moment, and the support and encouragement from my loving husband and family. My parents to this day will smile, and happily tell people about the times when I was a little girl and I would disappear from sight, only to reemerge an hour or two later excited to show them what I had decorated. Actually, for me, it feels like I’m still doing that.