How can you make a living?
I got a lot of flack about making furniture for clients. I’m making furniture for clients and I have to do it because that’s what people say I have to do. It’s like telling a woman to get an MBA or a doctorate in something; you shouldn’t do it and you might regret it later. People are so judgmental, people can see through everything and you shouldn’t have to worry about anything – in the moment!
Tell us about “Kathleen” and how you came to design her. It’s such a complex process, how do you make people understand, how do people see it in their own life and design it?
I’ve always been in love with design and having a vision in my head and feeling like I’m going to make something out of it. I always wanted to make something that would speak to people and be really strong. I wanted to really take the furniture from the street or the home and turn it into something beautiful for somebody who needed it. It was important for people to see myself as a designer because it gave me a point to prove to everyone who was going to be interested. My design style is very expressive and people can respond to that a lot more than my actual sales and what I do.
I want to take a seat. I want some privacy.
Yeah.
That’s okay.
What I found is that by communicating that and having that vision is the most satisfying thing. I also feel like the more things you do, the more your vision is challenged and challenged is really satisfying. It was a real challenge for me to make someone feel that they were the designer.
How do you make the right decisions to show a piece on the catwalk or a runway and get a good reaction from your clients?
I’m always thinking about what do they want from a furniture piece and how can I communicate the look of it to them. If you see it, it works. If you don’t, then I’m going to do the same thing. If it’s not that good then I’m going to go back and work on it and try again. I don’t go into it having a goal or a dream or whatever but just coming up with a concept and coming up with a solution and then seeing how it works and going off on it.
Have you made anything in the last few months, anything at all?
I’m working on an
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