As an Interior Designer, have you ever wondered what you would tell your younger self if you could go back in time to when you were just entering the industry? Or maybe, what you would say to someone that’s trying to come into the profession? I have. I meet up-and-coming designers every day. I hear their stories and sure enough, they are very similar to what my own were like. If someone had told me what being a designer entailed, prepared me for what was to come, I wouldn’t have taken this long to understand it. What would I say? I’d tell them what I know now, with love and honesty. Here it is:

Hey, you,

If you are serious about entering the design industry, there are a few things you should know.

Let’s start off with the best advice, first – Network. Network your little heart out. Plan on going to any and every event you possibly can just to make yourself recognizable. Hand out your cards to your colleagues because you need to be remembered. You also need to be ready for photos at any given moment so look your best. At. All. Times. Visit with other designers. Let them know you are joining the industry and offer them a few hours to assist them that way you can get an idea of what it’s really like. You never know, you may have an internship lined up and waiting for you when the time comes. I did!

If you still haven’t started school, don’t go in thinking you know everything because you’ll quickly realize that there are things you couldn’t have heard – or read – about because they are industry secrets. No one knows everything about design and that’s why you’re going to school, right?

Be ready to learn about color in ways you never imagined because color is the basis of how you will make people feel. Be ready to learn how scales are used in design, how to group items together to tell a story and make it something inspiring and something people would actually want to look at! You’ll learn about space planning, how one thing you change affects another, how quickly time flies when you work on a project which forces you to be organized, to prepare contracts and worst of all, the art of rejection… Ah, yes, the art of rejection…

Despite popular belief, we are not meant to be the perfect designer for everyone in the world. So, be prepared to learn who fits you and vice-versa. Do your job and stop trying to do everyone else’s. Admit that you don’t know something when you visit with your vendors. They are a resource, they make you look good. Let them. You’ll thank me, later! You will be overwhelmed with the many things you have yet to learn – the  most overlooked is not the art of coming up with an idea but the art of it’s precise execution. Honey, it doesn’t matter how nice it looks; If you can’t sell it and put it out there, it’s useless! Yes, there are so many things that you are going to learn and one of the greatest will be that you are good enough.

Shall I repeat?

You. Are. Good. Enough! -to take a client by the hand and be a driving force behind their happiness and your own success. You are good enough to be inspiring to everyone you meet and those that have only heard of you and one day shall meet you! You are good enough to meet with amazing senior designers with whom you share this common interest, ask them for advice and words to uplift you. When you do, absorb. Absorb. Absorb. Absorb. Any little thing and every single word they say because they are your real-world teachers. They are your real resources. They will be your best educators in the field.

Embrace your experiences. Not every single one will be a great one but this is how you learn. If you’ve never heard design called a practice, it is because it takes practice to continue learning and this profession is ever-changing so practice and you will learn from it every day.

Give of yourself in every project and  honor yourself by presenting it with class, professionalism and dignity.

Design is not for the faint-of-heart. You will work for the recognition, the status, the validation and the awards… Most of all, you will work to make your name mean something that it didn’t mean before – your integrity – for when you feel like giving up, like you have no hope, and you wonder “Why do this?”, this is when you grow the most. This is when you become the most inspiring and influential. This is when your potential shines through. This is when you will choose to rise up and take your place within the industry, make appearances in local chapter events, smile and offer advice because you have become a true designer in all sense of the word.

Know that you are not only designing the life and spaces of others but you are designing your life as well. This is the one greatest challenge that you are constantly overcoming with every step you take, every selection, and every flick of the paint fan-deck. Be ready to become this example for one day, you too, will find yourself speaking to another junior designer that was just like you. And they will need to know the truth about coming into the Design Industry. It’s not all parties, glamour and drinks. It’s real work. I’m talking grimey, on-your-hands-and-knees, construction dirt in your hair, broken fingernails and no-sleep kind of work. It may not sound like its fun or something you’re up to doing every day -don’t worry, it won’t be every day- but I can assure you that it’s rewarding. Knowing you’ve assisted someone that really needed your help, that hit a road-block and has tears of gratitude in their eyes over what you’ve done for them, that’s this kind of work.

So, when you complete your project and hear about yourself from your design colleagues and how well you work, and you feel your own tears of gratitude for the opportunity you were given, remember what I said: You are good enough, and it may not be all parties and glamour but it is definitely rewarding.

Thanks for dropping by and reading the article. If you have any points you’d like to add or any questions, feel free to leave a comment. 🙂