International Interior Designers Association
Change,
the interior design way
start where we previously wouldn’t have had the courage or
the motivation to do so.
But transformations are tiring and intensive. With all of
this introspection we’re doing, it would be easy to suffer a
fracture of community. It would be easy to become isolated
from our successful peers, especially if we’re out of a job.
It would be simple to focus all of our efforts on reinvention,
and ignore the distractions around us. The trick is to renew
The economy, the economy, the economy. When will the and rally. If you think about it, our profession has the fortu-
talk about the economy and how it’s affecting our personal nate dilemma of thriving when we function as a community
and professional lives come to an end? The truth is that and shrinking in isolation.
the recent slowdown in business activity has put a gloomy We read trade journals such as this one to stay abreast of
cloud over our profession. We’re hesitant and unsure how recent trends and see what our peers are doing. We gather
to proceed. The consensus is that the world is changing for- annually at national conferences and more frequently on a
ever, and that’s a scary thought. But what if it’s changing for local level to socialize, learn developing technologies and
the better? What if we are able to turn the tables, take the bounce ideas off of each other. Interior design is dynamic.
initiative and use the economy as a catalyst to effect posi- The fluidity of form and style keeps us on our toes. For
tive change, instead of becoming a victim of change? some of us, this is why we were drawn to design in the first
At the recent IIDA Leaders Breakfast in San Francisco, place. We love the freedom to create a new thought process
Greening the Ghetto speaker and visionary entrepreneur and mold a new style. The economy may be forcing us to
Majora Carter sat through a heartening round of honorees change and adapt, but it shouldn’t be the one reason out of
and an introduction from IIDA CEO Cheryl Durst, and a dozen that we finally do.
upon addressing the crowd commented on the camaraderie Once we take this step, it’s important that we have a com-
in the room. “Never have I had the opportunity to speak to munity of like-minded peers for support. IIDA is a leader in
a room full of professionals so full of gratitude for a chance creating communities, not only at the chapter level, but on a
to connect, reverence for the community and true apprecia- greater scale as well. It creates virtual communities at an or-
tion for one another,” Ms. Carter said. “I can really feel the ganic level with blogs, Facebook and Twitter all serving as
love in this room.” an accessible medium for discourse and idea-sharing. IIDA
This is likely the first time love has been associated with also provides the service of organizing structured commu-
a Leaders Breakfast. While interior design has the stigma of nities and linking us with the greater identity of the associa-
being a touchy-feely profession, our events don’t consist of tion, especially with programs like the Principals Round-
emotional bonding exercises like trust falls and group hugs. tables and publications like Perspective and DesignMatters.
Not the morning events, anyway. Nevertheless, Ms. Carter If it weren’t for IIDA, I’d be having this lively discussion
wasn’t too far off the mark. The love in that room was pal- on my own.
pable, and it was the love for our profession. On that sunny For myself, I’m happy to gather in a room with more than
morning in September, San Francisco’s community of indi- 400 interior design professionals … and celebrate the love.
viduals — manufacturers, dealers, business owners, facility Join me — and IIDA — anytime.
planners and design professionals — all came together to
celebrate the future of interior design, and they made sure
to check their egos at the door.
This sense of community is essential, now more than
ever. No matter what the economy is doing to our bottom
rade
line today, the reality is that we are going to bounce back
eventually. Instead of waiting passively for something to
Design T
happen, why not take action? This is the time for us to re-
Steven J. McCollom
evaluate what works and what doesn’t, and make a fresh
Vice President of Communications for IIDA
44
IIDA.indd 1 10/28/09 1:00 PM
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