Brain Surgery or fun?

I've been an Interior Designer for over 20 years and during that time I've learned a lot of things about people. From an interior design standpoint there are about four kinds of people who call in the aid of a designer:

-The 'I've got a lot of money and a nice house but no time or talent for decorating so just do it for me' people.

-The 'I know what I want and like but just don't have the nerve to pull the trigger without professional advice and guidance' folks.

-The 'I know I should decorate my house and I've heard you were good, but I don't really believe you know what you're doing and therefore I am going to make your life hell until you PROVE you know what you're doing' clients.

-And finally The 'I'm so completely terrified that I will make a mistake that I cannot buy anything' people.

Though the four descriptors have different qualities, what they all have in common is that, at their core, they all must have faith in my ability to be able to read them, understand their needs and provide them with what they are looking for at a cost that is within their budget.

I jokingly say this job is not 'brain surgery' and for me it's not-at least not anymore. As with anyone who has a creative talent it more or less comes naturally and, therefore, easily to me. I do understand however that, at times, it is like brain surgery for my clients as they try to visualize a 6" X 6" piece of fabric covering an 8' sofa and the picture just will not form in their head. I can see what they cannot and, afterall, isn't that why they've hired me in the first place?

It's in that place of not being able to visualize that my client's faith in my ability as a designer comes in to play. I believe this career encompasses all of the skills involved in salesmanship as well as the innate abilities of an artist: the ability to elicit faith from my clients is the salesman part, the design is the artist part.

Lest you think I am completely full of myself, let me remind my readers that it has taken a full 20 years to pull all of these pieces together in my own head and consciously develop the understanding, patience and timing involved in pulling a successful project together.

So thanks for reading the philosophy part of my blog and from here on in I hope to bring my experience, insights, ideas, and fun to your design projects as well as sharing some successful projects, anecdotes and occassionally even some bloopers-I'm good but not perfect!