My views on my chosen profession, Interior Design, are continually evolving. The way that I saw Interior Design in the beginning of my career is very different from the way I see it now. When I began my studies and selected Interior Design as a major I based my selection on the fact that I loved art and business and was interested in a field of study that combined my two areas of interest. While attending undergraduate school I learned the basics of interior design from a mostly commercial standpoint. I began to learn about codes and space planning and materials through my courses and gained an understanding of the structure of Interior Design as defined by the frameworks set forth by the NCIDQ, ASID and IIDA. I vehemently defended my chosen field whenever anyone confused it with decorating and looked down on decorators as I sought to exclude them from my definition of the field of professional Interior Design.
Fast-forward nine years to include a business degree and NCIDQ certification, I am now a licensed Interior Designer in the state of Florida and, as I said before, my views on Interior Design have evolved. After working as a staff designer and project manager for several years, I now run my own business and teach as an Interior Design adjunct. While I continually seek to educate clients and students to understand the full definition of my chosen profession, my views on Interior design have changed. I now have a strong respect for the decorators that I tried so hard to separate myself from earlier in my career. I have learned that while education and licensure is incredibly valuable and important to my profession, there is also a lot of value to what unlicensed creative professionals like certified Kitchen and Bath Designers and successful decorators can do. The truth is that in the real world, we all end up working together and collaborating on projects and each team member plays a valuable part towards a successful project and a happy client.
As my experience grows, so does my appreciation and love for Interior Design. Through life’s turns and the economy’s shifts, the multi-faceted aspect of the field of Interior Design has provided me with a valuable skill set that has evolved with the needs of the changing marketplace. As my experience has grown and my skill set has evolved so too have my views on Interior Design as a profession. While still maintaining the integrity and importance of my license and occupation, I have a better understanding now for the value of the professionally creative community.
I totally agree about appreciateing the contributions of each and every creative person in our field; whether it be design or decorating. Since being a student for the last few years, I’ve met so many different types of people, but we all love design. What I’m learning to appreciate is that we are all stronger in one area than someone else…we are uniquely gifted in our own special way and I love to learn from and observe everyone’s unique contributions. I’m learning that we certainly need all types with all different skills in this field! Nice post, Lesa!