This I Believe

I know that I often come across as caustic and sarcastic (we could spend hours talking about childhood trauma, etc., but won't). So, I thought I'd risk a little vulnerability by exposing my true design philosophy. I recently submitted the following in a blog contest. Apparently they were looking for something either a lot more esoteric or even more caustic and sarcastic. Oh, well.... read and let me know what you think.

I can’t tell you how many times a prospective client has asked me to “define my style”. At first I felt like a deer caught in the headlights. What is the “right” answer? What do I need to say to land this job? Over the years, I have found that the answer isn’t simple or pat. My style has evolved as an expression of my client’s. I have made it my duty to consider their needs, personality and lifestyle while creating a design solution that reflects their taste (no matter how much I might question it) while morphing it into something beyond their expectations. Yeah, I know — easy to say — not so easy to do. First, it requires checking the ego at the door. What? This isn’t all about me? Oddly enough, it’s not always about being published or racking up awards (I can already hear heads exploding). Second, it requires listening… really listening. Finally, the fun part — I have to DELIVER, often being forced out of my comfort zone to do things that I would have never dreamt about doing before. At times I feel a bit like a “design chameleon”. Call me Sybil, but I’ve come to love the fact that you can look at my projects but can’t easily single me out. It keeps things fresh and interesting, unlike my past life, where I cranked out the same look for each client, day in and day out. It was easy, safe and very lucrative, at the cost of my creativity, which underwent a slow, numbing death. Lately, I’ve been asked to deliver interiors ranging from “Belgian Farmhouse” to “Hindu Courtesan”. You read that right — “Hindu Courtesan” — but that’s another story. The point is, each client and project provides a unique and challenging opportunity. Each day, I’m pushed to find new resources and ways of doing things. And yes, each night I go to bed wondering, “How on earth am I going to pull this off?” But, somehow I do. I learn and grow with each experience. And, most importantly, the client gets what they want… only better.

Coming up next — my experience with the unwashed masses at the Atlanta Home Show — stay tuned.