I had the pleasure of speaking to the Senior Designers at Purdue University for their Professional Development course this week. It is always great to step back into the classroom and talk about our industry from a professional level while reflecting back on my experience preparing for graduation and finding the job that is the right fit for me. I wanted to share my introduction to my class presentation in hopes that it will rejuvenate the young designers in our community.

“What does Interior Design mean to me? Interior Design is inspiring a drive to create, to inspire. What do I mean by that? How many of you walk into a room or walk by a building and immediately begin to analyze the materials, layout, and function of the space; maybe even pull out your camera and take some pictures? It is safe to say that many of us do this on a daily basis. In doing so, we would have had a physical or emotional impact by those surroundings that grasped our minds and made us think of how we can replicate or transform that space. Within seconds and before we had time to even pull out our smart phones to document, we have begun to design and re-imagine those different elements putting our basic understanding of design principles into action.

Therein lies what I feel to be most true, that interior design is inspiring a drive to create, to inspire. Meaning, to influence others. From the beginning of any project, we as designers are already thinking of how our clients will like and fully experience their new surroundings. Can we inspire them? If all I said is true, and you share similar feelings, then the road ahead is the beginning of a great journey full of opportunities in the design industry.”