It was painfully pleasant to read all the responses to my ‘Frustration’ post and it again brings to the forefront of my mind what is really important to you about what I have to share on this blog. I think that sometimes one thinks that people want to hear the fluff, but it’s good to hear the pain and the problems too. In our industry, as I said when I wrote that post, I think we’re so misunderstood in terms of what our values are and what it takes to be a professional, to handle suppliers and create, estimate and produce a job.
Most of you wrote about HGTV and the added pitfalls that it has brought to our industry, but they only produce the shows that people want to see. And people want to see how one can be creative in 30 seconds because their understanding of what creativity is is very far from the truth. It’s like telling a blind person to see something. If you can’t see it, you just can’t see it.
I try to share this experience with you all because I know that designers out there are going through this all the time and only when we stand for what we believe in, and when we stand up for our worth, will things start to change. We may not get those clients, but water seeks its own levels and if we keep going down to that level by cutting ourselves short, we will keep getting the same type of clients. And it is something that one never comes out the winner – 99.9% of the time we never come out the winner when we sell ourselves short because it erodes the respect that we deserve.
Thank you for all your comments – I truly appreciate the time and effort you take in not only reading this blog, but also sharing your own pains and frustrations with me. When we hurt, we all feel it the same way.
Crossing Boundaries
Learning to See
Lifting the Curtain on Design
God's Love We Deliver
Publicolor
Remember Haiti
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VW Home by Vicente Wolf
www.vicentewolf.com
#1 by The Countrypolitan on June 29, 2009 - 7:18 pm
Thank you for all your openness. This is very much like a conversation that I shared with you in Houston a couple of years ago, when you gave encouragement of not submitting to jobs that were counter to my own aesthetics and values in terms of design. While some designers give the air that they are not bothered by such challenges, I think the truth is that regardless of your level of expertise and acclaim, that will always be part of the territory. Like you say, the real challenge is the one we accept from ourselves, to stick to our values and not cut ourselves short. Thank you.
#2 by Lisa P on June 29, 2009 - 10:14 pm
Thank you for sharing this with designers and potential clients. We all know the work and passion that is used in creating environments that are lasting and soulful. That a designer of your reputation was approached with such a proposition is appalling.
#3 by Jacquelyn on June 30, 2009 - 1:04 am
Perfectly said…and I agree wholeheartedly that we must not lower our standards, fees etc. As professionals, we need to maintain industry standards. To lower ourselves to some prospective clients ideas is to do ourselves great injustice. There should be minimum fee guidelines and industry standards for each segment of the design industry (ie graphic design, interior design etc.) just as there is in other major professions
#4 by Mary Anne Lewis on June 30, 2009 - 9:29 pm
Our environments are so important to a daily sense of well being. Thank you for this blog, your books and your inspirational approach to living life in a creative manner.
#5 by Shani on July 6, 2009 - 2:23 pm
I think that was a fascinating conversation! I know so little about design, but it seems to me that if it is a field that requires years of study that includes history, aesthetics, mathematics, and, inherently, psychology… how on earth can people think that it interior design concepts can be “thrown together”? Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and starting a great conversation in that last post.