become an interior designer

i am coming back to the idea of my side business that i wanted to do a billion years ago. i am working on a few ideas. now to create the branding! (easier said than done) i wish this class was over so i could start NOW!!

Waiting for my cards….of course I have redesigned 5 times them since then! I hope they are here in the next few days because I (accidently) came across a huge design event at the convention center that I had managed not to hear of until now. It is put on by DWELL, and it is 3 full days, starting friday.

I called my design buddy who said that she is volunteering friday, but I have to work. So I signed up for tickets anyways and am planning on going with her Saturday morning for a while, or maybe for a while on Sunday by myself.

This will be an extremely good opportunity to network. Last time I wanted to go volunteer at an event and no one could go with me, I just went by myself. (gutsy for me!) I got paired up with a girl who was about to start design school at UCLA, when I had just started myself at a school nearby. This was over 2 years ago, and she is my design buddy. Since then we have painted all the design towns a bright color of ‘fuschia’ as she likes to say, with all of our design trips.

I decided that the best thing to do at this point in my career is to attend as many design events as possible and talk talk talk and tell EVERYONE that I am looking for work! At least that way I can maybe get a lead. Plus they are super fun and you get free stuff!

I also just got asked to create a detailed computer rendering by next week for my boss (like I have time for that right now..) but if I do a good job, and play my cards right, I may have a freelance (interior design related) design job that pays pretty well right out of school. Which would be IDEAL!!!!! That way I could take it easy while looking for a design job, or working on my website, etc. Crossed fingers!

take some classes, have some money to start doing some free samples.

i finally ordered my business cards. i don’t have time to design my own at the moment, but i need some for job hunting in a few weeks. they are very cute!

So I’ve gotten the degree, finished refining my portfolio, and am now in the process of printing contact cards and searching for a great firm.

I’m finishing my first on-ground semester, and I have miniature furniture to build and a large project binder to put together this week. I don’t get as much sleep as I used to, but it’s still working for me.

Yesterday I got to go to an exclusive event for students and alumni of my school at the Thomas Moser showroom. (If you haven’t seen his furniture, google him. He’s great.) The learning and networking opportunities abound, and my life is very exciting.

I’m tired most of the time from my 2 hours each way commute to Chicago at least twice a week, but I love my school so much that it more than makes up for it. I’m learning a ton, and interacting with professionals and really learning the business. Life is full and fabulous on this path. And now, back to the homework.

So, I’ve been doing a little salary investigation into this line of work, and it doesn’t look very fruitful. Parsons has online courses, but that would mean I’d have to take classes in person too.
At this time, I’m trying to personally detach myself from NYC and by November I should be gone.
I am definitely feeling the pull of this career though and what makes me even more excited is that I’d be able to work for myself and/or work overseas. :-)

I’m taking the summer off, and transferring to a better school. I really just want to jump back in right now, but the schedule doesn’t work that way. I’m just glad to be on the path.

I am a high-end residential interior designer (http://www.lb-interiors.com) in the business for almost 15 years. It is an exciting and challenging job. After working with private clients for many years I decided it’s time to open up the vault and share the wealth of information and experience I have. So now you have My Design Secrets. An incredible source to find the perfect decorative items for your home and learn a little about the design biz in the process:-)
http://www.mydesignsecrets.com

Let me know what you think!