Interested to learn how I moved into interior design?
Want to know why design is my noble profession?
I’m taking a slightly different tack today on the blog. I wanted to share some of my journey to becoming an interior designer and founding my little business, Design Release.
Whilst there are always many defining moments that lead people to begin a new venture, I thought it would be helpful to share a few of mine. This way you can get to know me a little better, but also it might encourage you to chase your own adventures if that’s something you’re considering. The truth is you can work hard in one career (or many careers), but equally you can shift and run after something completely new. All the experiences and knowledge you gain in life prepares and enables you as you move forward, nothing is wasted!
Why design matters to me.
So how did I get to where I am today some of you might be thinking. Having my own design business sure is exciting, but it didn’t just happen with the click of my fingers (what a surprise hey!) What I’ve learnt along the way is that you have to be willing to go after what you love, what makes you come alive. For me that’s to serve and teach people through design – to help them create meaningful spaces that inspire and support them as they live their lives.
It sure has been a journey to arrive at this point, with many little sign post moments along the way. Let me share some of the story with you…
2. This design thing, it started young.
It’s a bit cliche, but I’ve always felt a certain way when it comes to a well-designed space. I have childhood memories of simple things like a border of photos that I created to run the whole length of my teenage bedroom, and the way it made me feel. Recognising how that simple photo border design made me feel, which was excited, safe, balanced and clear-headed all at the same time was a powerful early lesson for me. I recently stumbled upon a photo of my old bedroom and immediately I felt all those emotions again. This awareness and respect for how a space makes people feel has always been a bit of a hint that design would be in my future – and here we are!
3. Past chapters shaped my love for design.
Here’s me (many moons ago) enjoying my work as a midwife.
Another part in my story is coming from a career in midwifery. While the realities of being a midwife are different to how it’s portrayed on the T.V. (the shift work isn’t that glamorous), it is still a highly privileged and sacred role on many levels. I discovered what a midwife was in Year 10 at high school. I remember saying to myself, that’s what I want to do! I think it was the desire to help people and make a difference that fuelled me as a young person, along with all those tiny babies I imagined I’d get to cuddle!
Midwifery taught me vast amounts through all the women I had the honour to help as they birthed their babies. Yes, there’s all the obvious lessons learned and skills gained like the importance of: relationships, trust, communication, listening, perseverance, persistence, organisation, problem solving and working under pressure; but it was the deeper things I learnt like how critical it is to create a safe place for people to feel free to be themselves that has impacted me the most. And I know I’m repeating myself here, but listening and then listening some more to what people are really saying they want or need was perhaps the greatest gifts midwifery gave me.
4. My permission to go for it!
It was after I had transitioned out of midwifery to begin my life as a mum, (motherhood and disjointed shift work just didn’t mix well for me), that I was watching an episode of Fixer Upper and enjoying the home owners seeing the reveal of their new home for the first time. I remember being struck by the woman’s reaction to her new home, and how her response in the moment was incredibly similar to how women respond when they meet their babies for the first time (I’m feeling the tears well up even as I’m writing this years later).
I was quite overcome to hear her make the same sounds of pure joy and ecstasy, and whilst I had left midwifery at this stage, I knew it was confirmation to me that I could continue to be part of these sorts of moments as a designer. To play a role in helping bring that sort of joy to people’s lives is pretty profound and it cemented in me that being a designer wasn’t a lesser pursuit compared to midwifery, only different but with an equal opportunity to be just as meaningful. And from there I decided to grab design with both hands, and to choose to swim rather than sink as I moved into this new chapter of my life.
The love of styling my home is also another thing that confirmed my transition into interior design.
What’s this got to do with you?
We’re all on a journey to do that meaningful thing.
So, there’s a couple of snippets of my story that help explain where I am today. As I finish up, here’s the jist of the little pep talk I often have to give myself when I start to question my ‘why’ for going after my love of design (maybe it can be a pep talk for you as you go after your meaningful thing..)
I want to encourage you to go after your dreams, it’s never too late. Dream chasing certainly doesn’t guarantee an easy ride but when you are pursuing what you feel you should be doing with your life; you will feel truly alive in that crazy, flying by the seat of your pants sort of way. And what about those pesky feelings of fear?
What I’ve learnt, especially as a person who isn’t uber keen with jumping into the unknown, is that our bodies experience fear and excitement in much the same way (it’s funny, but true – think butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms and a dry mouth), so I choose to think about those feelings as excitement instead! And when we think about the times we feel excited about something, it is generally because we are about to experience some degree of growth, change and forward movement in our lives!
Share your thing!
I would love to hear about any dreams you’re chasing, or new things you are trying. It doesn’t have to be starting a business or changing careers, it could be a new goal you’ve set for yourself or something in the future you intend to experience. I want to cheer you on as you pursue your thing: you can never get too much encouragement! So comment below and fill me in….