"I do a lot of
different things
during the day.
My lifestyle has to
fit all the things
that I have to
accomplish."
Background facts
What would you consider to be your job title and what industry are you a part of?
My job covers a lot of disciplines. I would call myself a designer, a decorator, a stylist and a creative services type person. Also, an artist. What's complicated about that is how it is broad - not so specific. I'm not an accountant or a teacher where people understand exactly what my job is. It's very diverse. I do a lot of different things for a lot of different clients; it just depends. It's all creative based, and it's all mostly design-based.
What drew you towards your career in interior design and styling?
When I was really, really young, I would design my rooms. I would measure my furniture, make paper forms and move my bed or move the tables around. I always wanted my room to look like an apartment - not like a bedroom. My mom was into it too. It was something we had fun with together. I always read design and shelter magazines, which were very influential. When I was growing up, photo stylist or interior stylist were not jobs that were discussed. I didn't know those jobs existed.
During college, I traveled extensively all over the world, which was as big of an education for me as was attending university. I visited museums, galleries, and churches in different countries, and met people, ate food, saw people's homes, and noticed how diverse things are from place to place. That was a huge influence. Once I graduated from college, I found out there was this job called a 'stylist' and I pursued that heavily. That's all I've ever done.
How many years have you been a stylist?
12 years. The first two years were very much like an apprenticeship. I was from Austin, and I moved to Dallas because my aunt owned a photo rep company here. She knew tons of photographers and stylists, and once I found out about that world, I knew that's what I wanted to do. Because I was young, I would just meet people and offer to work for free. I just wanted to gain experience. That opens so many doors and it's been a full-time job and a career since then.
Who or what do you believe has been the strongest influence of your own personal style?
In my family (my mom, my cousins, my sister), we live out in the country and so being comfortable and being able to work is key. We don't wear heels - we wear boots. I'm usually dressed ready to work.
Other than that, travel is a huge influence on my personal style. I notice how women dress, the way they wear their scarves or accessories, or the way they are very casual but still sophisticated. I've been to places that are really colorful or all just black and white. I am always taking note of these details. I also purchase a lot of my clothes while traveling and shopping in the textile markets.
Fashion should be comfortable and personal style should be comfortable in your home as well. I want to be surrounded by beautiful things, but I also want anyone who comes into my home to be comfortable. I don't ever want to feel unapproachable. I do a lot of different things during the day. My lifestyle has to fit all the things that I have to accomplish. My house, my home, my car, my life. Sometimes it's messy, sometimes it's dressed up. I have to be able to find a way to do everything.
Dress code
How do you determine what you're going to wear to work each day? What does your typical wardrobe look like?
It depends on what I'm doing. When I'm working in the studio at home, it's very basic - black leggings, black t-shirt, topknot bun, and no make-up. When I work at photo shoots, there is a lot of movement; bending over, moving, lifting, and carrying heavy things. I have to wear work-appropriate clothes. I can't wear shorts, skirts or things like that. It's a modified version of what I would wear at home, a little more professional, but I have to wear comfortable shoes because I am on my feet all day. Also my clothes get ruined a lot, whether I am working in the studio at home or on a shoot location, so I can't wear things that are too precious. When I'm going to business meetings or evenings out with clients, I might wear a skirt instead of my leggings, but it's a simple shift from my typical outfit.
I find that I have to make so many decisions about things while I'm working, that I have started to eliminate decisions in other places of my life. I really like to dress in a uniform almost. It's pretty standard every day.
When you're working on a photo shoot set, what do you wear?
I would wear black leggings with a t-shirt and a blazer or a sweater, and boots, always Frye boots; those are my favorite. I will wear dresses sometimes, if they're long, because you do have to bend over and crawl around a lot. I don't own a pair of jeans which freaks people out. I've really got what I like and feels comfortable for me down to a science. In the summer time, I always wear dresses, just because it's so hot in Dallas. In the winter, it's pants, jackets, and t-shirts.
Where do you shop, and when do you find the time?
I shop for a living, so I'm shopping at a store, or a mall, or online looking for things for clients or for jobs almost every single day. Shopping for myself sometimes takes a back seat, unless it's for décor.
Shopping for things that I wear is more like maintenance because I've figured out what I like to wear and what I feel comfortable in. I order my Gap body leggings online and if they ever discontinue them, I don't know what I'm going to do. When I find something I like, I order three or four of them. Also, Dillards at NorthPark has really great smocky tops that I like. Emeralds To Coconuts has really good things that I wear and look professional and also feel comfortable. I order all of my Frye boots online, from eBay usually. We lift a lot of furniture and we move stuff around a lot, so you can't really wear a pencil skirt and high heels when you're loading a truck. It's that balance of looking professional and also being comfortable.
What type of daily tote/bag do you use and what is inside?
A backpack is the most convenient and works the best for what I need. I carry Herschel backpacks because they're my favorite. I usually have my laptop, a day planner, and a comp book for ideas, or notes. The comp book I am using now is laminated on the front and back, because the other ones keep getting torn up. I got it when I was in California. I also carry a tape measure, paint chips, and usually obvious stuff like a pen and pencil. Sometimes painter's tape - just anything that is going to come up when I'm at a job. It is a backpack; I can hold a lot of stuff in there.
Do you have a book with you, in case there's downtime on sets?
To carry around with me? No. I do have my phone. I read on my phone. I don't carry books around. That has been new in like the past two years. I have tons of books. You can see them throughout my whole house. I used to carry around two or three with me, and things have changed so much recently that I don't keep hard copy books with me anymore, unless it's specific to what I'm going to do. I do carry magazines, though.
Do you have anything that's currently on your wish list for either clothes or accessories?
I always need a good bag because I'm a schleper for a living, and I don't want to carry my backpack on the weekends. I actually have commissioned a weekender bag from Pennyroyal Design. I sent her some of my textiles to incorporate so it's like our little collaboration together. I don't have it yet, so that's the next thing. I love a good bag. As much as I hate it, I need a big bag. I just have to carry a lot of stuff around all the time. Other than that, I'm still searching for the perfect maybe pea coat. I haven't found it yet. I really feel like I've been searching for that since I was 16 years old.
What is something that you wear that instills more confidence on days when you don't quite feel yourself?
Boots. When I'm leaving the house, I feel like I'm dressed when I put on my boots. Lipstick and mascara. I feel like if you do those two things, you're ready to face the world. I'm not a make-up person. I keep everything (my hair, my clothes) really natural. I feel like if I put on mascara and lipstick, it's polished.
What's your lipstick brand and shade?
I wear Clinique different lipstick in A Different Grape and I use Burt's Bees chapstick.
What is the most important part of your beauty routine that you feel helps complete your look?
Sunscreen. I work outside a lot especially in the summers and the Texas sun can be brutal. I wash my face and put on sunscreen with moisturizer. I think it's Neutrogena.
What's your mani/pedi style?
I can't do manicures because I work with my hands. Anytime I get a manicure, they're destroyed within a day or two. Also, I stand on my feet all day so getting a pedicure regularly is one of the few luxuries I give myself. I prefer really dark tones. The one I use the most is OPI and it's called "Eiffel for This Color."
You have really nice bounce in your hair. Is there a particular hair product that you always use?
Thanks - there's a lot of it. Because I have naturally curly hair, I have to use a serum of some sort to keep it from not being frizzy. The thing I've learned for my curly hair is the less you brush or wash it, the better your curls are. They are thicker and richer, and it doesn't get as dry. Lately, I have been going to Drybar for blowouts, especially when I'm traveling a lot. It makes life way easier and it's not that expensive. Since your hair is good for three or four days, you don't have to think about it.
Do you have any accessory brands
that you love?
I like unusual accessories. I really
don't buy typical things. Most of the
accessories I wear are things I've
picked up when I was traveling, or
have found in antique shops, or were
gifts, or family heirloom kind of things.
I have a big gold bracelet that was
actually part of a horse's bridle. I
found it at Uncommon Market, digging
through a bin on the ground. I also
like jewelry from India and the Middle
East. I like things that are personal,
have a really special memory and
are sentimental. I wear those like
they are good luck charms. I have a
ring that always wear because I found
it on Laguna Beach at sunrise one
morning. I also like big jewelry - a big
necklace or stacks of bracelets or a
big ring ... statement pieces.
Daily commute
What do you do in the morning that helps you prepare for the day ahead?
I really start preparing the night before. I do a mental checklist to think about what I'm doing the next day, just so I know. I have to pack a lot of stuff so I pack as much as I can, or have things pulled together and ready to pack the night before. This helps my mornings to not be as rushed. I have to think through the job, and if I am I going to be at a photo shoot where we need lots of props, or technical things, and logistical things, and get them organized. I also think about what I'm going to wear, because of what am I going to be doing. And I check the weather because we work outside a lot.
I'm a big checklist person because a lot of what I do, once I leave the house, I don't get to come back. I can't forget things. So I make a lot of checklists and mental lists to make sure I have everything together.
Do you hand write your checklists? I know you've said 'mental' but do you write it out?
I use the note section of my iPhone a lot. I am also big on hand writing my lists. If I'm out somewhere, I will make notes in the note section of my iPhone then, but generally I hand write everything. I write my to do list every single day.
By what means of transportation do you use for your shopping, client meetings, and photo shoots?
I drive a Volvo XC90.
When you fly for some of your styling jobs, do you work or read on the plane, or sleep?
I sleep. I get air or motion sickness. I will watch movies sometimes, but I can't read or work. Generally, the flights are so early and once I land, I have to immediately be on the ground running or getting to somewhere else. I just try to catch sleep whenever I can.
When you travel for business and photo shoots, how do you take it all with you?
I ship things. On the plane, I try to travel as light as possible with my personal things. A lot of times I'll go to the places and then I get the things when I'm there. When I've worked out of town, especially out of state, I have out of state assistants. They live there so they can handle a lot of shipping things back to me after I leave.
That's cool. How did you find the assistants?
It's actually really nice. I get a lot of emails and messages
from girls asking me how I got started and for mentoring
kind of advice. A lot of those have turned into friendships
and then the girls have worked with me while I'm working
in Dallas or California, or in other places.
Do you have a favorite song, artist, or playlist that you listen
to while you are out and about or while you're working here?
I listen mostly to hip-hop and rap music. Lots of Kanye, Jay-Z,
and old East Coast rap from the 90s. Tupac. And Beyonce. I
like loud energetic music. Then sometimes if I'm trying to do
something where I have to concentrate more, I'll listen to
maybe French music or something where I can't really
understand the words ... something nice in the background.
Really for the most part, it's a lot of loud hip-hop and rap
music. Loud.
Workday
What is your morning beverage?
Coffee, dark and black. I like strong coffee and I don't put
anything in it. I like the smell of it. It makes me feel awake.
When you go to different places, different offices, different
countries, everyone serves coffee differently. Sometimes it
is with cream or milk, or sugar or cubes or powder, or some
herbal things. If your accustomed to being able to make a
drink a certain way and you go places where they don't have
the things that you like, it's gross. If you just drink it black,
then there's simply good coffee and bad coffee. I drink really
strong coffee. Like espresso ... like triple espresso.
Like Italy.
Yes, that's my favorite kind of coffee. I want the jolt. I can't take that away because there is something about that morning ritual of something hot, to just sip on or hold in your hand and kind of ease into the day.
What does your typical workday look like?
I do a lot of different things so they are all different. Usually, I wake up pretty early and I immediately check my emails or my phone, or just to make sure that nothing has happened overnight that I need to be immediately aware of. A lot of things that we do are time sensitive, where we're waiting on things to be shipped or meetings to happen. I wake up, I go wash my face, brush my teeth, and then check my phone to see if my day is going to go the way I planned.
After that on photo shoot days, then I'm packing, getting dressed, and leaving, with my checklist - making sure I have everything that I need. On days when I'm working from home, I sit down with a to-do list.
Some days are just meetings days, where I go meet with my clients, discuss what they want, review layouts and things like that, and then I go home, put my game plan together, and then go out and start propping, and sourcing, and pulling things together.
If I meet with a design customer, "today we're talking about sofas," or "today we're talking about rugs," - those days are flexible because I am working with other people's schedules.
As far as photo shoots go, they're not necessarily routine, but they do run more on a clock. I have to be there at a certain time because everyone is there at a certain time. It's a team effort. Hopefully, we get everything done by the time the sun goes down, but we have a certain amount to do and we have to get it done in that day. I never really know what time exactly I will be finished and going home.
When you meet with clients, what essentials do you need to have with you?
My laptop, my iPhone. If it's a first meeting that's really it. A tape measure, a notebook. It depends on what stage we are in the job. For the most part, everything is done on computers and phones initially.
What laptop do you have?
I have a Mac AirBook.
When you're meeting with them, are you taking notes on your laptop, or are you researching in front of them?
Both. I would have my notebook, my phone, and my Mac which I could do things on all of those. I prefer to write notes by hand. It helps me think. Typically, those first meetings are when I am brainstorming. I'm just meeting the person for the first time. They're telling me what they want. We want to be able to show each other things on the Internet. 'I like this,' 'this is what we're thinking,' 'this is what we did last time,' 'this is what this looks like.' We are able to look at things on the screen or worst-case scenario on my phone. I have an iPad that I also take with me, because I like to take pictures with my iPad. When I go to client's houses, I think it takes good photos of rooms.
After the preliminary meeting, it's more logistical - measuring and documenting, and taking more specific notes. After that I'm sort of turned loose to do my part. Whether it's set design, or research, or finding furniture pieces or accessories, or putting together a mood board, or whatever it's going to be. That's my time to come into my studio and do all of that.
How do you handle job-related stress?
I do have a lot of job-related stress, but everyone has a lot of job-related stress. I just try to keep things in perspective, and know that things change, and try not to take it all so personally. Being self-employed honestly makes having a good life/work balance a struggle. I can work all the time. There's no one here to tell me to go home or to close shop. I can just keep going and going and going. So, I try to make sure that I'm taking time to take care of myself.
What are some of your work pet peeves?
Disorganization ... apathy ... wasting of resources. Just typical stuff. If I have all the tools I need to do my job, and I can go and do my job - I am more effective and get a better result than if I have to spend a lot of my time problem-solving and putting out fires. Generally, I'm honestly really laid back and just look at it as 'how do we get over or around this to get to what the goal is.' I don't really have pet peeves per se. There are things that come up that are irritants during the day, and I wish that hadn't happened. Every place I've ever worked, it doesn't matter how great or wonderful the situation is, those things always happen. It's more just learning to roll with the punches, I think, is a better solution.
What is your happiest moment at work?
I love the finished product, for one, because so much goes into it for me. Depending on what the project is - sometimes it's emotional, or personal, or it's just time and/or money invested. To see it done and done well is so satisfying. It is also satisfying to see people really happy with the result, or to see other people enjoying it. Obviously any time my work gets published is really satisfying.
I also like to have fun at work. Just those days, when everyone is working and doing a good job, and then something happens and everyone is laughing. I realize that I am at work and I'm really enjoying it, especially because it doesn't feel like "work."
Desk drawer
How would you describe your office
space?
My office space is a little eclectic
probably to most office spaces. What
I do is very specific. I'm a stylist and a
designer. I have a lot of things. I use
things for photo shoots, I use things
for design projects. I'm also inspired
by things. I'm a collector of things, so
I have a lot of things.
I like to have everything out where I
can see it. To me, if everything was
boarded up in cabinets or closets, I
wouldn't remember that it was there.
I need to be able to access all of my
things all of the time. Which means I
have to be pretty organized about
everything and have everything tastefully
arranged, but where it's still accessible.
I built this space as a creative work space. I built it per my own vision, from the ground up. I knew that even though it's a small space, it needed to have tall ceilings and it needed to have a lot of light. We photograph in here, and also I work in here and natural light is essential to the kind of work that I do. I need to be able to see colors and fabrics in natural light. When you're sitting under florescent lights, things don't look the same as they really do in real life. Also, to keep everything light and bright, I painted everything white so that I would have a clean environment. So that if I did have to concentrate and had a big project going on, I wouldn't have a lot of distractions.
But, it goes in cycles. It gets full, and then I edit everything out and kind of start over. Then it'll encroach. Just because I'm working, I have to bring things in. I put them all out. They start coming back in. There's a lot things in here right now.
It is an office, but I wanted it to feel more like an artist's studio. That's where I came from - from my background, and from what interests me, and what inspires me - is more art-based. I really wanted a place where I could explore a lot of different mediums, and have room to do that, and have the appropriate equipment or supplies, to do all of that stuff.
What would you say is your favorite office supply and why?
I love a black Sharpie. I like gridded graph paper, it's really good for sketching. I am a decent artist and I can draw, but it's really free-hand. A lot of the design stuff really needs to be more rigid and measured out, so graph paper is great for that. I use a lot of tape. Double-stick tape, Scotch tape, painter's tape, masking tape, gaff tape. I use a lot of tape.
When you write your to-do lists in your composition books do you use Sharpie for that?
I use a black Sharpie Pen.
How do you manage the transition from old notebooks to new ones? Do you have to re-write any of your notes into the new notebook so that you're not carrying around a couple of notebooks, or do you carry around a couple of notebooks?
No, I only carry around one notebook, unless for some reason I forgot my notebook and I have to get scratch paper to write things down, and then I update notebook. My notes are pretty much daily, and so whatever is on the page before it transfers onto the next page. If I reach the end of the notebook, whatever was on the last page will just transfer to the first page. There is overarching ideas, or things that aren't necessarily to-do lists, just ideas or thoughts or things I want to research, so I don't throw them away. I find that I don't go back to them very often.
Also a lot of things are in duplicate and triplicate, because I do use the note section of my phone, and I also keep files and documents on my computer with a lot of the same information.
Do you have anything on your wish list for the décor in your work space? Or any adjustments?
I want that receipt scanner, called Neat, but it's really expensive. My brother has one and showed it to me over Christmas. It is the most amazing thing. I could put business cards through it. I go through so many receipts. It's going to be a life saver. It's actually on my Amazon wish list.
I wish my WiFi was faster. I can stream things and do all of that. You know how weather gets weird. Occasionally, I'll get a little WiFi hiccup. But really I have everything I need in here.
How do you organize your desk space?
It depends on what I'm working on. Usually I have a lot of things: scissors, paintbrushes, art projects that I'm working on. Flowers. A lot of what I do is I make little vignettes on these tables. I have little things lying around. I just like to move things around and take pictures of them. If I'm working on a project, I start with a very clean space. I would probably still have the paint chips, my pens and pencils, notebooks and my laptop. That's when it's serious time.
That's when you are down to business.
For me, play and business is hand in hand, because play is where I get inspired. Business is business obviously. Play is where I get ideas, and see new colors or textures or patterns. Or playing around in the Internet and finding a new wallpaper, or a new furniture designer. Things like that set off ideas. When it does come time to work, it's pulling all those resources together. I do a lot of stuff in here. I make things; I collaborate with other artists and photographers, so the set up just kind of depends and it's different all the time.
What is a work tool that's a must-have for you (app, hardware or software)?
I work in Photoshop a lot. A lot of what I do is sending images back and forth to other people. You have to be able to re-size, you have to be able to crop, you have to be able to photo edit a little bit, and make mood boards.
How do you prioritize and manage your email inbox?
I'm working on this one. There are two schools of thought on how to manage email and I don't have a designated answer. My thought was just send something so they know that I got it. A lot of times I'm not giving full communication to people, not thoughtfully answering their questions. I may want to have a conversation with that person, but I'm just throwing something out there, just so they know that I received their email. If I wait until I have time to actually sit down and answer all of my emails, sometimes it's too late.
I have two email addresses and they all go to the same inbox. I don't have folders. I have filters in my email that filters out social media, direct mail, and spam. Sometimes it's not always right; every once in a while, something slips through the cracks. Otherwise I have 25,000 emails. There's no way I could sort through all of that.
I'm trying to find out what the best way is to deal with that. I personally felt more comfortable just replying to all of them as they came in. I really have read books or talked to other people and they said that's not the way to do it, try this other way where you can actually give thoughtful responses, but I just don't like to make people wait.
There is some sort of delicate balance in there, and I haven't figured that out yet. When someone texted me, I immediately responded. When someone emailed me, I immediately responded. It just builds. Then it became where I needed a whole afternoon to answer all of these emails and do it thoughtfully. If someone sends me a nice email, or wants to ask me a question, or wants to work with me, I don't want my response to say "Hey, I'll get back to you later."
My other thing, too, is that I never want to be rude or dismissive. I am busy, but everyone is busy. How do you appropriately, and respectfully respond in a timely manner, with the thoughtfulness that it deserves? Sometimes I simply can't do all things at all times. That's a tricky one for me.
Do you get as many texts as you get emails?
It's different because, texts are only through people that I know. I get a lot of emails. A lot of the emails are just junk - things that I signed up for, or networks that I'm associated with. I'll read those emails if and when I have time. Mostly for my work I'm contacted through email initially. Once we start working together, texting is critical. It makes my life a lot easier. It allows people to respond when they have time, but is generally more quickly than email. Texts suggest urgency.
How do you manage your work finances?
I keep my own books with Quicken. I'm self-employed so I have to do quarterly taxes. I have to keep receipts of everything. I keep receipts for clients. They have to submit their receipts for the things I spend for them to their accountant. It's a lot of finance managing stuff, more than I ever would have thought for a creative job.
Agenda
We've talked a little about your to-do
list, but what is your secret to achieving
your daily objectives?
The to-do list is pretty big. For me, being
able to balance a lot of different things
at the same time, we call it plate-spinning
- 'Okay, this is happening over here and
this is happening over here, and I have
to call this person, and I have to deal
with this and that didn't show up, or that's
broken.' All those things really do happen
at the same time, often. It's being able to
put out those unexpected fires and still
handle it all without getting upset. That's
just sort of like modus operandi, that's
how it goes. I simply deal with it by
dealing with whatever is hottest first.
Prioritizing is really big.
A to-do list is essentially prioritizing, but you have to be able to do it in real-life too. You have to be able to know in the moment, "Okay, we're not going to worry about that right now because this has to happen today." Sometimes everything gets dramatic and my to-do lists help my sanity. Also, it's a nice ritual to have in the morning - to sit down, have a cup of coffee, and chart out everything I would like to accomplish that day. I'm purposeful and put more on my to-do list than I know I can actually accomplish. Whatever I don't finish that day goes onto the next day's. That's how they start, whatever is hottest is first.
There's also over-arching things that I want to do where I give myself chunks of time to only focus on whatever I want to think about. What I do is mostly, requires a lot of creative energy, but I still have to accomplish things. It's really easy to run off in little rabbit holes when I'm in a creative process. The to-do list keeps me grounded and reminds me of the serious things that have to be done in a timely manner.
On your to-do list do you have it broken up by sections, like work and home?
It's hottest to least hot first. If someone needs a talent release first thing this morning, that has to go. Invoices have to go out. Whatever the important things are, those go first. Then it's things I need to do, and then maybe things I should do or would like to do. I keep home stuff separate. Work is one column and home is another. Life stuff, work stuff.
Do you have a certain notebook that you like to use?
Everything is in my comp book.
How do you stay on top of industry news or your career?
The Internet is a huge one. For what I specifically do, Internet, shelter magazines, fashion magazines, blogs, and social networks.
Who are the stylists and designers that inspire you?
The designers and stylists that I admire their aesthetic and the way they have crafted their careers are Sibella Court, Maryam Montague, Justina Blakeney (a mentor and supportive encourager), Grace Bonney (a mentor and supportive encourager), Amber Lewis, Jamie Meares, Jonathon Adler, and Kathryn Ireland.
Which sites and publications do you find yourself going to the most?
Design Sponge is my favorite. Pinterest, Instagram ... Instagram is huge actually. I love to know what my friends are up to or people that I admire or feel a connection with. I read a lot of magazines: Domino, Anthology, Kinfolk, Country Living, World of Interiors, Elle Décor, and I like the Australian version of Vogue Living. And I look at the online magazines Lonny, Rue, and Matchbook, just so I know the trends, or just to see what's going on out in the world.
Design is my business. I read design books, I read design blogs and magazines, but I really try to inspire myself in other ways. I like to see other people's work, but I'm not going to sit on the computer and read other people's blogs all day. To me, that takes away your creativity and personal voice. I feel like it's lost potential paying too much attention to what other people are doing instead of trying to do your own thing, so I really try to measure how much time I spend looking at other people's work.
You don't study it because you don't want it to influence your style?
I don't want it to influence me. I want to be inspired by it and I'm more inspired by people's attitude or their ambition or their energy or the purpose of what they do. I really am inspired by women in design who inspire and encourage other women. I pay a lot of attention to companies who do non-profit work. I'm obsessed with textiles and how they're made and what they mean and where they come from (all the different countries). There are women traveling around the world helping women set up weaving cooperatives so they can raise money for their families. Things like that are really inspiring to me.
I don't want to judge myself on someone else's success. I don't want to ever be a cookie-cutter stylist and I do think if I spend too much time looking at what other people are doing, I might start comparing myself to them. Or, I think people start copy-catting each other. Everything just becomes homogenized. It's more interesting to do your own thing. I'm more inspired by art and artists and writers and people who have taken their own path and led interesting lives. That's the kind of stuff that I spend time thinking about and researching.
How do you spend the amount of time on social sites without finding yourself going down the wormhole?
That's hard, because it's fun. I personally have met a lot ... I've met you actually. I meet people. It's real. I really do create connections with people that are real and they become my friends and I have an extended circle of people and I get to do things that I wouldn't normally get to do. It is a balance. I don't really watch a lot of television. People have their little guilty misfit moments.
Sometimes I discover things that are actually really amazing and inspiring. Some of it also really is just a time suck. For me, it's beneficial. Specifically, I don't really do Facebook very much, but I do like Instagram a lot. It's because I see so much inspiring work from designers all over the world and have made friends and connections with people who support me and what I'm doing, and I support them. It's work related so that makes me not feel so guilty. Also, it's very encouraging. This isn't an Instagram commercial or anything, but there really is this little community of women in the design world who are passionate about their work and their life and making women's lives better and creating positive, supportive little networks and communities for people. It's a very positive thing.
Do you have favorites that you follow on Instagram?
I love Amy Merrick, is one of my favorites. She's a beautiful floral designer. Jen Gotch is really funny, hilarious. She is a creative director of Ban.Do, and then I have a circle of girls that are my favorites: Flea Market Fab, Honey Lake Studio, The French Bohemian and Berry and the Fox.
Humans of New York is really good, but most people know about that one. They have millions of followers. It's just a guy who goes around New York and takes pictures of random people and asks them a story. They each tell something about themselves.
What is your method for networking?
Really, most of my work is word of mouth which is nice. Also, I have a website. I have a blog but I don't post on it very often. I do send emails. The community I work in is kind of small, so it's friends, and it's a little social to a certain degree. Then, social media.
Do you have a mentor?
As a kid, I admired Georgia O'Keeffe and Frida Kahlo. Then, Mary Jane Ryburn, who was the style director at the company where I was working, taught me so much about floral design, textiles, interior design, and also a level of sophistication about lifestyle and design. I was straight out of college so she was a huge influence on my style. I am so incredibly grateful for that relationship with her. She travels and does interior design for magazines. She opened my eyes to how I could make something that I am passionate about my work and my life. Life all is encompassing. It's not compartmentalized. All things effect and are enjoyable. She is my most important mentor.
What advice have you received in your professional life that has really stuck with you?
You have to treat your work like it's precious, but not too precious because then you'll never share it with anyone. For people who do creative work, it's really hard because we're all kind of perfectionists, and what we do is so personal. You kind of want to keep it to yourself until you feel like you're ready to let people see it. Sometimes you'll never be ready. You have to start putting yourself out there.
The biggest one is you need to tell people what you want to do. You can have dreams and aspirations, and if they're all in your head - they're going to stay in your head. You have to start voicing things and putting these out into the universe to make them start happening. Whatever it is, start telling people what you want and all of a sudden it starts coming back to you. You have to be prepared for that. You can't just say, "I want to do this huge thing," that you can't back up. You can't just want something to happen. You really have to vocalize it. You have to be brave. You have to be ready to hear "no."
Rejection happens to everyone. You just have to let it slide off your back and keep going forward. That's the toughest one. First of all, sometimes no isn't no. It's in conversation. It doesn't have to be the end. Even if it is the end, then you change your focus onto something else. Even though sulking at home for a night or two feels good, you still have to get up and go back out and try again. There are a million opportunities and a million different things you can do.
Do you have a work motto?
I do, but it's kind of a cliché now because they made into t-shirts and stuff. I think you should work hard and be nice to people. You get so much more out of people, and also out of your work day, when people are being kind, and creating a happy work environment, and being understanding. That doesn't mean that you need to get walked on or get taken advantage of. When people enjoy what they're doing, they are more productive and you get a better end result. You get more beautiful images when people are happy to be there and are enjoying themselves, and it keeps creativity flowing. I think being nice is important.
I also think if you are at work you need to work. Strong work ethic has been ingrained in me from my parents since childhood.
Downtime
What do you do during your downtime
to refresh and recharge yourself?
Travel is the most important, and
anything I can do to be outside. I have
trouble with that because I'm kind of a
workaholic. I don't always know when
to turn it off because the things I enjoy
as hobbies are actually my work.
Reading magazines, interior design,
and drawing and painting, those are
hobbies, but they are also actually my
job. They all start to intertwine. For
me, literally getting away is the thing.
As soon as I am somewhere else, out
of my normal realm, that's when I'm
the most relaxed.
What's your favorite place that you've
been and do you have any trips on
the horizon?
I have a few favorite places. I love Mexico City. I love Granada, Spain. Palm Springs is a favorite. I actually go there a lot. I really like southern California. I'm supposed to go to Guatemala this year. I haven't been there before.
How did your parents influence your career? You mentioned work ethic.
They were just always super encouraging and supportive in anything I wanted to do. Even from the time I was little, my mom let me be creative. She let me design my room. I was allowed to write on the walls and paint the walls crazy colors. I was allowed to dress myself and dress however I wanted. Anything I wanted to do as far as art or art classes. Travel. I traveled a lot in college and it terrified them that I did it, but they didn't give me a hard time about it. They let me go. They were always supportive in that way. They never told me that I needed to have a "normal" job or a backup plan, or something stable and consistent. They never said that.
They've just always been my biggest fans. They give really good advice too. It's risky owning your own business, and it's risky leaving a good job to go out on your own. They just really give me serious, good advice on how to manage money, or make sure I know what I am doing. "Take everything into consideration and then just chase your dreams."
What currently fascinates you?
It's always changing. For a while it was tiny houses. Then I got a tiny house. I have hobbies, but my hobbies really are all painting, drawing, decorating, playing with stuff. I like junking. I like going to thrift stores, flea markets, I like big trash day, and going through people's trash, dumpster diving. All that kind of stuff.
Did you say you go through people's trash?
On big trash day. Not their garbage cans. Big stuff. It's like furniture, but it's also like really good scrap wood. A lot of the really nice scrap wood. People just put out furniture, like nice things, on big trash day. You don't always get something good, but it's interesting to see. I've seen all sorts of stuff, like a cello. I have gotten some wooden chairs that way. You have to be careful because it's trash. You don't want a sofa ... you know what I mean? Like something that's going to have gross germs on it. More so thrifting and flea markets than that.
Another long time obsession of mine is survivalism and Mount Everest stories of survival. I think I've seen every Mount Everest documentary and TV show about people that live off the grid in Alaska and build their own cabins and hunt their own food. That's fascinating to me. I don't ever want to do any of that stuff, but I have lots of books and have seen all the movies. It's a little weird. I have an end of the world backpack. My brother has one too. He's the one that gave me the idea. Like in your car, an emergency backpack but it has water and food, matches that don't get wet, and everything. I'm really not scared of any of that stuff, I just think it's fascinating and it's fun. I just think it's interesting.
Paige's styling tips for interiors:
1 - Have objects out where you can enjoy them.
2 - Things should be layered, like pattern on pattern, and
color and texture. Even though my space is all white,
there's a lot of color, pattern and texture in here.
3 - Have things styled: books on the coffee table, a tray full of objects that you've
collected, or family pieces out where you can see and appreciate them.
4 - Print and frame travel photos of places you've been and display them so that
you are surrounded not just by beautiful things, but by personal experiences.
