I am a master designer

For years, even long before I became a professional interior designer, I struggled with the job. When I was in my 30's, my father who was an architect, asked me many times why I wasn't pursuing what was clearly my gift and I would respond that I didn't really think it was a worthy (i.e. change the world) profession. At the time I was a dental hygienist and had regretted not going to medical school and felt I wanted to help humanity in a different way then decorating the inside of houses. But why then did I have such a passion for design and the natural gift for it?

There was a period of time, after my first daughter was born that I actually longed to be a designer. It sounded glamorous to me and I remind myself of that with a smile when I am schlepping samples around or tied to my desk for hours on end researching furniture on the computer  ... but for many reasons I put that desire aside and raised my girls while working part-time as a dental hygienist. I knew I was on borrowed time and would not be able to continue cleaning teeth forever; it was brutal on my back and it was never a job I enjoyed working at full-time. For years I searched and prayed (and prayed and prayed) for an alternative way to make a living. And quite by accident, if you believe in accidents, I had a dream one night that prompted me to become an organizer. Really. I started that very day. I put all my energy into that business and yet it just never really took off. Instead, I was constantly asked to help people decorate their homes. It is a long story how I actually got started designing and how I knew when it was the right time to quit my 'day job' - a story that is amazing and God directed but way too long for this post so I will save it for another time.

My business grew and all was great but there has always been a nagging underlying problem for me - balancing the materialism and the sometimes waste and greed in this business with my beliefs. I would read passages in the Bible, like Matthew 6:19-21 ...

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth or rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." 

... and would feel awful about spending day after day doing nothing but shopping for more "things".  In the early years, I cried out to God many times asking for confirmation that this was really what I was supposed to be doing and every time got a huge and undeniable, "Yes!". But it is hard sometimes to stay balanced. I am exposed to so many beautiful things. New things. Tempting things. Not things I need but want nevertheless. And it has been a good challenge for me.

So when I saw Darlene's blog series this week about balance and being a master designer, it resonated with me so deeply that I had to be part of it. Darlene states it much more articulately than I, and I would encourage you to read her post. She is also an incredibly talented designer (all photos I have shared today are her design), and you will love her blog, Fieldstone Hill which you can read here. Here is her manifesto:

“I AM A MASTER DESIGNER.

I LOVE BEAUTY;
I SEE POTENTIAL AND I WANT TO FILL IT WITH BEAUTY.
I AIM TO CREATE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL THAT IS WORTHY OF JOY.
DESIGN IS A HIGH CALLING, ONE THAT CAN IMPROVE THE LIVES OF OTHERS, BE A MEANS TO FOSTER RELATIONSHIPS, AND ADD MUCH JOY TO MY FAMILY.
I APPRECIATE FINE AND LOVELY THINGS, BUT THEY ARE NOT MY TREASURES.
I KNOW WHAT IS TRULY IMPORTANT, AND
I DO NOT AIM TO “STORE UP MY TREASURES HERE ON EARTH.”*
I LIVE TO BRING GLORY TO GOD, THE ULTIMATE MASTER DESIGNER.
HE CREATED BEAUTY.
HE CREATED ALL BEAUTIFUL THINGS.
AND, HE CREATED MY PASSION FOR DESIGN, AND SET THAT JOY IN MY HEART.
EVERYTHING THAT I CREATE,
AND HAVE CREATED,
IS BECAUSE I MYSELF WAS CREATED BY A MASTER.
I AM A MASTER DESIGNER.”
*{VERSE REFERENCE, MATTHEW 6:19}

All images via Fieldstone Hill Design