A New Chapter

Re-posted from May 6, 2019: Three years ago, I shared aloud for the first time that I wanted to be an interior designer. It was during a vision board workshop and as I explained the meaning of the pictures in my completed board with the group of women in that room, I knew that what I said was more than just words... in that moment I began the journey towards the rest of my life.

That was December, 2015 and in January, I enrolled in Temple University's interior design certificate program.  Here I am at over a decade in the field of marketing at that time, recently promoted to Assistant Vice President and considering a career change. It all started twenty years before, when I drafted my first floor plan at 10 years old for a school assignment. It was then that my admiration for design began. Like many designers I decorated and rearranged my bedroom more times than I can count, but that was a far as my exposure to interior design went. It wasn't until college when I had access to cable TV and shows like, Divine Design and Design on a Dime, on HGTV that I realized that interior design was a thriving and obtainable industry.

(Candice Olsen and I of Devine Design at High Point Market) 

Still... I went forward with a professional path that felt familiar. I graduated college with a degree in marketing and international business and later obtained a masters in business administration. I pursued marketing because I was familiar with the concept of business and through the process of elimination I knew after receiving a C- in accounting even with a tutor, that math wasn't my strong suit, so finance, accounting and even economics were out... and more importantly Gina from the 90's sitcom Martin made the world of marketing seem so glamorous. A perfect blend of creativity and business... and so I began professional journey in marketing... Side Note: whose idea was it anyway to let 17 year olds select what they would do for a living for the rest of their life???

(first day of entrepreneurship )

Fast forward ten years... I had a growing career working for major insurance and financial service corporations, promotions and performance awards, tons of business travel to the top resorts and destinations all over the country and more... but something was missing. I was extremely grateful for all of the professional opportunities over the years, but I always knew that I hadn't yet tapped into my purpose. Prior to that vision board workshop in 2015, I spent a few years in prayer, hoping to discover my purpose... what am I here on this earth to do... So when I finally yielded to what had been apart of my life since I was 10 years old, it all started to make sense. From the lime green walls in my first apartment, to the massive renovation in my current home, it was always there and now at 33, I realized it could be a viable career... SO I WENT FOR IT!

 (1st Gray Space headshot)

The last 3.5 years have been an amazing journey. During my coursework at Temple, I pitched my first client... which I met through a connection from a friend (that friend was in that vision board workshop and she remembered my declaration of becoming an interior designer and connected me with a friend of hers looking for an amateur designer... wow... the power of our words). That was #projectnewark and then right after came #projectmtairy and now almost 50 design projects later, about 1,215 days of working 9 to 5 at my day job and 8p - 1a most nights on Gray Space, many lessons learned about design, business and myself, sacrifices of myself and my family, the highest of highs and the lowest of lows both professionally and personally, strategy, discipline, consistency and the deepest form of faith... after fifteen years in corporate... 

I stand before you today on May 6, 2019 to say... At the age of 36, I am officially retiring from a career in marketing and today marks the rest of my life as an Entrepreneur and Interior Designer! Gray Space is officially launching full-time and ready for business

Epilogue: I'm immensely grateful to those who have supported and encouraged me in this journey. From family and friends who have supported me without hesitation, to all of my amazing clients along the way who have trusted me with their most valuable asset - their home, to my trusted mentors and advisors and all of the connections I have made online and beyond. Thank you so much for allowing me to live in my purpose and share my gift with the world!