Friday 30 January 2009

Catch the Spirit

Residential project in Ucluelet, Michelle Morelan Design

Cleaning my office today, I found this handout by Mary Knackstedt. She shared it with us at her recent seminar. I'd love to share it with you :)

THE DESIGN SPIRIT
BY Mary V. Knackstedt

"Catch the Spirit, or catch the bus.
We know the power of our design spirit. How can we pass this spirit on to our clients?
One thing is certain; you can't pass on the spirit if you're not willing to demonstrate it in every move.

People today are attracted to people who have direction and are able to communicate their enthusiasm.

Interior design has a power and an excitement like nothing else in the world. If you don't love your work, do something about it. Go to a seminar. Hire a coach. Learn why you don't like it, or get out of the field.

Remember that special teacher who explained things better than anyone else? Interior designers should want to be that special "teacher" who inspires as he or she explains and informs.

People follow examples. How do you live? Do you exemplify the word "designer"? Look at yourself first. Is your home your haven? Does it suit you? My private space is austere but peaceful, like the art of Japanese flower arranging. Clients think it's really "me".

Are you really you? Be honest with yourself. We must know our field and how we fit into this sacred discipline of design. We are the high priests and with this responsibility, comes great opportunity-a chance to make everyone's lives more artistic, to give pleasure to a child, the aged, to everyone our work touches!

Express love and caring in the way you design. Help your clients show caring by creating an interior that speaks to all who enter.

How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? How do you treat yourself? Is the vision you see from your bed an experience that establishes your spirit for the day? You are affected by design as much as your clients are.

Today, business is based on high-tech humanism and relationships. We use technology to reduce the time and effort we spend on repetitive tasks so that we have more time to spend building the human part of our business. You're part of a community. In this world of the impersonal, we like to be supported, liked, and loved by those around us. This is probably more important than ever before. We expect this human element in the businesses we support. They're part of our neighborhood.

Interiors are motivation; and they speak louder than voices. People are searching for spiritual experiences. Environments featuring art and design can provide those experiences. All of us have a real need and a craving interior designers can fill.

As a human factors specialist, I've learned to fill physical needs first. But when I interview clients many years later, they will say, Yes, the space worked. But it's the emotional experience they remember and treasure.

Your clients will have only the best, if they catch your spirit."

3 comments:

DesignTies said...

This post is great and, for me, timely! I'm taking my first steps in starting a consulting business specializing in home remodeling/renovation & decor. I'm not a trained designer nor would I ever profess to be, but I have a love of houses, decor and collaboration that I can't wait to share with future clients! Mary Knackstedt was speaking about the experiences I want to foster with my clients when she wrote "Your clients will have only the best, if they catch your spirit". Thank you for sharing this article!
Victoria

Unknown said...

Michelle
Thanks for sharing that wonderful inspiration from Mary Knackstedt!! So well said. It is sometimes difficult to explain the 'soul' of Interior Design and what the psyche needs and longs for. Good Interior Design is like good art, it gets better every time you gaze upon it and enriches your life and everyone's life it touches.

MEADE DESIGN GROUP said...

Great piece of advice! Thanks for sharing