Daily writing prompt

What do you enjoy most about writing?

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Writing gives me the opportunity to express thought in a fully realized way. In conversation you constantly have to deal with people cutting you off or going off topic. This way I can just say what I want fully, no interruptions.

Like right now, what’s on my mind, and has been on my mind, is that interior design has a branding problem. Or marketing or PR; whichever makes sense. I’m saying this because we’re always faced with a common problem in the industry: designers are constantly explaining their job to everyone and clients are either misinformed or completely oblivious to what we actually do. That leads to a communal distrust. Designer: Are they going to let me do my job? Client: Are they going to be able to do what I want? Every day, designers and clients have to navigate this relationship, and it’s frustrating. And yes, this happens on the luxury end, too. I cannot tell you how many stories luxury designers have about instances that point directly back to not understanding what a designer does and does not do.

But the whole reason this is a branding problem is because the only thing you ever actually see of design is mostly boiled down to decor upgrades, DIY makeovers, and some celebrity’s home tour. Are we showing what really happens in the process? Or how time is allotted for a project? Or the truth about the pricing (cuz HGTV will have you thinking a $100K makeover only cost about $35k)? We definitely don’t share enough, or promote such things on the platforms that the public views. And don’t even get me started on people who have no clue that interior design extends far beyond residential projects. Retail, healthcare, hospitality, corporate, education, government, entertainment, etc. There are so many avenues for design, and a good amount of designers never even touch a residential project. Yeah, think about that.

It all makes me wonder, what can be done about this? Can anything be done about this? And what’s my role in making that happen? I’m pondering my answers for now, but let me know your thoughts. ✌🏽