With the economy in a poor state, and employment right there with it, I think now is a nice time for everyone to reflect. I thought I'd share why I decided to go into interior design, as a reminder to myself-to stay true to my values, and as a way to keep hopes up about what the future holds.
Growing up, my mother was always decorating and redecorating the home we lived in. My dad worked all day and my mom was a homemaker, and she always kept a beautiful home. My only issue with that, is that growing up, I lived in one of those museum houses....where you weren't supposed to touch anything. We also had white carpet, which with 4 kids and a dog, was never kept clean easily (I'm sure it drove my mom nuts). Anyhow, my mom was always rearranging furniture, and allowing us to switch bedrooms with our siblings. It was fun to be able to have a fresh space and to reinvent it as well.
I think this is where my interest for interior design came in at first. My mom passed away when I was 14 (another topic for another day), and after that it was just me, my brother and my dad living in the house. I think maybe I felt as though someone had to take on the responsibility to fill her shoes and keep up the house. I was also the only female left in the house, so living with two guys was definitely challenging.
Once my brother moved out of the house, I got to keep his room. I was in high school, with two bedrooms in my dad's house-the coolest thing ever (living in a one-bedroom apt now, I'm jealous of those times). I used one room as my sleeping and clothes space, and the other as my craft space and dance area. Being able to personalize both rooms, both to different styles, was probably what opened up the window for my interest in design.
After talking with a counselor, it was suggested that I look into design school. At first, I sort of shrugged off the idea. At the time, I wanted to own a bed and breakfast (even though I had never been to one before). After research, I decided interior design was exactly what I wanted to do, and off I went to college.
I recently earned my Bachelor's of Art degree in Interior Design from the Art Institute of Colorado. If you ask me why I went into design, it's because I feel as though everyone deserves to live in a place they love, and that I feel like a functional home can bring families closer. I want to make sure as I go through life, that I keep my ideas and values in mind through all that I do. With the economy in the state it is, the need for interior design is minimal, and design jobs are scarcely available. I want to keep in mind to have integrity for whatever work I do, whether it be interior design or not, and to try my best to do things that will impact others positively.
That's my two cents for today.
Rachel May
