So I pondered the question with respect to my own life and career. While I don't have "heroes" in my life, I always look towards people I know who are going through an extremely difficult time - whether its health, career or family related. It puts all my little "bitchin's and moanin's" in perspective. If they can get on with life, I certainly can! When I was pregnant with my daughter, I developed diabetes. I was hospitalized so they could regulate my blood sugar and teach me how to give myself insulin injections. "You want me to stick a needle in my thigh and prick my fingers how many times a day???" " No thanks, I'll pass!" Then I remembered a friend's granddaughter who was 5 years old and able to inject herself. Her condition was going to last a lifetime, not just the next three months. Ok Self, suck it up and get on with it! She was my inspiration that day. And, you know, once you did the initial stick, it didn't even hurt!
In my design business, I look around a client's home for that one "spark" that will get the design ideas rolling. It may be a piece of furniture, a color on a piece of pottery, an architectural detail in a room. In previous posts, I looked towards the colors in nature...my travels... a pet. I guess our life and experiences are our best inspiration!
My first client, Chris, (who didn't know she was my first client!) hired me to pick the paint colors for the home she was moving into. I had to do some quick thinking on my feet to dazzle her with my design brilliance so she wouldn't know I was a novice. She had this wonderful room with a hexagonal cut-out in the ceiling. It almost looked like the dome of an observatory. We decided to paint it a pale blue-green so it looked like you were looking through a portal to the sky. She also loved the sleeves of my jacket - a worn out, brown leather bomber jacket. That became the inspiration for the sofas! We found a great red striped fabric that added punch and tied in all the colors and voila! Family room done!
Well, maybe not that easily, but once you have the basics laid out, the rest usually falls into place.
I guess my initial inspiration to go into interior design came from other people's homes. I would find myself asking, "If this were my home, what would I do with it?" Then I would plan out (in my head, of course) how I would change colors, change furniture, change traffic flow. I took an adult ed course on interior design and that was it! Full steam ahead! Get the degree! Get into the business! I had found my calling!
So. my readers...I put the question out to you...."Where do you go for inspiration?" I would love to hear your answers!
“ I certainly don't regret my experiences because without them, I couldn't imagine who or where I would be today. Life is an amazing gift to those who have overcome great obstacles, and attitude is everything!" - Sasha Azevedo (American Actress, Athlete and Model)
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