This week we venture out to University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point to deliver out message.

Other resources:

• Great article from Mashable on Personal Branding.

• Great (founded in Milwaukee) online resource for young professionals.

• Great professional women networking group. Milwaukee chapter now active.

We give students tools to identify their “brand” and teach them how to sell it.

Looking back, three years went by way too fast. On a quick glance, it seems as though not much changed, but believe me, when you run the show all by yourself, you learn from every small and large mistake and adjust very quickly.

YEAR ONE

I remember the fear level on one scale, and the enthusiasm on the other. They were both high. But as the saying goes: no risk, no reward. My first year of business was pretty much a lot of chasing, networking, trying different marketing and business development approaches. Frankly, most of them did not generate much business (at the time), but how would I know that, if I didn’t try it. That’s also when I got hugely involved in social media, and met a lot of interesting people through all those channels.

YEAR TWO

• Focus

Second time around, I focused my business offering and went after a narrower market. It helped  me articulate what I did, and automatically, helped my audience remember me and the service I provide. The more specific you can be, the better.

• Protect yourself and your business

I eliminated dysfunctional processes and software; hired people, who could help run my business and make sure it’s protected (accountant to analyze my earnings and help file quarterly taxes, attorney to review my contract, insurance agent to secure a sufficient business liability insurance).

• Know who to ask

That’s also when I learned that as far as business advice, one should only solicit any input from trusted and experienced individuals. Otherwise, you run a risk of being redirected and pushed off course by inexperience and recklessness.

YEAR THREE

• Networking pays off

I found myself doing business with individuals I met back in 2009, which ( I thought) had no customer potential. Wrong. I quickly realized that you can’t disregard any connection, and once you plant those seeds, it takes time (sometimes a long time) for them to sprout and generate any fruit.

• People notice you

It also became clear that the longer I’m out there, actively doing, searching and promoting design, people see me as a point of authority and inspiration. Once you realize that the burden of doing good work becomes that much bigger. Once you know that your every step is being watched, and people may or may not like what you’re doing, it shines a totally new light on your business approach. Very humbling indeed.

PLANS FOR YEAR FOUR

Inspired by Chris Brogan’s three word New Year Plan idea, I decided to give it a try. My three words happen to make up a powerful in itself acronym: V.I.P.

• V for video

Three years in a self-employed seat and three years of prior design work experience has lead to many discoveries and revelations about the design industry, its profitability and best practices. I am starting to see gaps, untapped potential in many areas, especially related to the commercial interior design field. In 2012, I wish to focus on promoting design, rather than doing design from an angle of trend observation and reporting, educational and inspirational webinars and speaker events, all done via web video. It will be an exciting year.

• I for intuition

Too many times in years past, I found myself ignoring my “gut feeling” and then regretting it. This year, I will make a conscious effort to listen to the inner voice and acting on these feelings. There is not a better adviser than your own self. Just need to empower it and listen.

• P for persist

I purposefully use a verb here, not a noun, as by definition, verbs describe action. Following the saying “persist to exist”, I hope to find the strength and energy to keep at it…by “it” I mean, personal goals and professional goals. There are many, and I’m sure as the year goes on, my time availability will change, but that’s the real challenge. With everything that happen in our lives, are we willing to make the necessary adjustments and keep at it?

And as a total side note, I have to slow down when I write…Seriously, the “I’m Polish” excuse is starting to wear off…I promise to deliver spell-checked content this year.

I rummaged through the ‘life, work, inspiration” section of my large IKEA bookshelf and viola. “Juggle! Rethink work and reclaim your life”  by Ian Sanders popped right at me. I flipped through it and decided to give it a try. That was by far the best decision I made…that day

It’s a fairly quick read. In 191 pages, Ian Sanders goes through a lot of valuable stuff. I liked the format he chose. There are four  parts to the book, each consists of several short chapters. Each chapter is a quick, condense lesson supported by a quote from one of five Professional Jugglers. Ian not only talks about the challenges of managing work and life from his own experience. He also brings insight from five well known business individuals (Gary V, is one of them) to support his theories. Most of which I agree with one hundred percent.

Being a Pluralist

Recently, I have been battling with the thought of adding more responsibilities onto my already busy plate. One can argue being busy equally translates to being productive. That’s something Ian addresses in the book very well. Depending who you ask, you may be told all about picking one career/specialty and focusing exclusively on that area; and that you can’t do it all without sacrificing either family life or quality of work. Thanks Ian for giving me hope that YES, it is possible to juggle many different professional endeavors and finding time for personal life. It’s just a matter of prioritizing in a given time. I loved the paragraph on “picking what not do”. That’s just it…certain things have to get done now, others can wait.

The plan is – there is no plan

That’s the difference between entrepreneurs and corporate ladder climbers.

“There isn’t a career ladder for the Juggler; (you try walking up a ladder juggling balls!)”.

Surely, one needs focus (Ian talks about that too), a set of short-term goals to keep moving forward, but realistically, the beauty in being a juggler is that whatever the world throws at you, you are able to learn from, adjust where necessary and keep going. In my business, I have already changed directions three times, and I’s been only three years when I became self-employed. I can not have imagined building a five year plan and sticking to it.

Retire Retirement

I’ve been saying this for many years now. What’s the point of retiring if when you get there, you end up realizing that you “worked” through 30, 40 years of your youth, and now, that you have reached the glorious retirement age, you feel spent, exhausted and don’t recognize yourself any longer. For the last few decades, your life was being about meeting someone else’s need (employer, family, community), and along the way, you totally lost track of your own. Thanks Ian for pointed out that:

“work is good for the soul, and if you’re going to have a 50-year+ rather than 40 years, juggling is more important than you think, so find time for your passions NOW before it’s too late.”

I encourage you to take 2 hours of day, and read this book. If you are anything like me, where ideas come to your head often and in plural form, this book will help you realize your own potential and establish a plan of execution. Want to contact Ian Sanders directly, visit his awesome website.

Happy reading!

Human Eye

Before I get to explaining the specific issue, let me run through the mechanics of an aging eye. When a human eye ages, it looses the ability to focus, to adjust to light level differences and to render color correctly. These alone are enough to think about a space differently when making interior finish selections. A good designer will take these aspects into consideration and remember to implement:

• high finish contrast to improve spatial recognition
• saturated color scheme to improve color discrimination (especially the short wavelengths, otherwise refereed to as “blue light”),
• increased light levels throughout
• balanced light levels throughout (eliminating uncomfortable transitions from dimmed to high-lit areas)
• flicker-free, quiet lamps
• minimize glare throughout

All these solutions allow for maximum eye comfort and performance in a senior living housing, whether residential or commercial.

Standards

Just like The International Code Council (ICC) establishes and revises various Building Codes, The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) is responsible for creating lighting standards for different applications, senior living included. The most current research paper on Lighting and the Visual Environments for Senior Living has been released in 2007, and even that information, though thorough, is a bit outdated.

Project Issue

Often times, the older independent living facilities rely solely on wall sconces, scattered along corridors, for the main sources of light. Regardless of the shade, wattage or light color, there is only so much one can do with these predominantly decorative fixtures. These are not meant to illuminate large spaces, and especially not corridors, where wayfinding and safety are of equal concerns.

Solution

With a concrete slab ceiling, our solutions are to add a drop ceiling system, or run a number of evenly spaced soffits and implement down lights within them. Both are viable solution, but expensive, and not the kind our budget allows for at this point. Other than maximizing the wattage of the lamps in the wall sconces, there is not much there can be done. Slim chances to achieve a full ambient light level with fixtures that are design to function as accents. Imagine trying to get milk from a giraffe. It’s just not possible.

End Result

The end result is satisfactory, though not perfect. Adding a secondary source of light in the future would be the most ideal, but at this point of time, and with largely limited budgets, the result is better than what we usually start with.

The five years I spent studying interior design, were not just boring theory. As a non-traditional student, who held a full-time job and attended classes at nights and weekend, I quickly picked up on the idea that what you learn in school is only one part true. There is this entire world out there that school does a poor job addressing, not to mention teaching about.

“reDesign, reCreate” by Guillaume Wolf (Prof G.) covers all the topics, and gives you clear action steps, that school does not. No matter what creative program you are in, the rules remain the same. Of course, this book speaks to not only students, but also those, who find themselves at professional crossroads as a result of the recent recession or by choice. Whether you want to pull a trigger on that business idea you always wanted to test, you lost a job and want to try something new, or are about to enter this very volatile and uncertain market as a graduate, read on.

Is your mindset right?

Before he gets deep into the topic of reinvention and creating opportunities for oneself, Prof G. explains the power of mindset. One must fully believe that change is critical and the only way to succeed. Full commitment and positive thinking are key to persisting through this process. Noone is saying it is easy, but the idea that you have the power to implement change, and make something happen, should be enough to get you going. If you are still unsure about the concept of “redesign, recreate”, maybe you are not ready.

Workshop format

I really like the workshop format of the book. I think it is the most effective way of teaching, and allowing your audience to test the content immediately. The first part of the workshop helps a reader identify what creative idea they want to focus on, redesign and recreate; what it means to be creative and how to give that creativity the platform it needs to blossom. The second part goes a bit deeper into idea cultivation, communication and promotion areas. Every chapter ends with an action step, a blank page for notes and questions to keep you working on the idea at hand.

Video Exclusives

Prof G. went as far as implementing self-recorded video messages. A book purchase will get  you access to those exclusive files. It was really nice to read the content, and follow it up with the author’s additional thoughts, examples, stories. Neat idea.

Personal favorite: get a notebook

Somewhere in the beginning of the book, Prof G. convinces the reader to become friends with the old-fashion pan and notepad. I love it. I myself have been on a mission to promote sketching, brainstorming, and ideation phase on paper amongst students of interior design. Many reject that step and go right to creating on a computer. I strongly believe that seeing your words and ideas on paper, makes you refine your thoughts and allows for greater creativity and better solutions. And I’m glad to learn that it’s not “just me”.

In summary, get the book. It’s written in a non-scholar way. It will help you define WHAT you want to redesign, HOW you should do it, and WHAT it takes to keep it alive and growing. Sounds like a great deal to me.

Last year, I traveled to Los Angeles to be part of this first ever gathering of design professionals and bloggers. Two days packed with outstanding speakers and topics, inspired and motivated many to make drastic changes to the way they do and market their businesses. I blogged LIVE, met people from all over the nation, and had a great deal of fun. This year, I am debating whether the impact will be just as great….Still on the fence whether to go or not. Have you gone? Are you planning on going this year?