re:Work-ing it

Earlier I described my relationship with the design field as an unrequited love affair. But I could draw other comparisons. Have you ever been reunited with a former love only to find your passion re-ignited, despite the fact that you had convinced yourself it was over between the two of you? Last week at NeoCon was like that. After my unpleasant stints in various circles of retail hell, I had soured on the interior design field. I felt that I had been betrayed, spurned, and scorned by it. But now I can think of nothing else but reuniting with my long lost love.

After spending 3 solid days surrounded by design, I was sad to leave it all behind for my ordinary non-designer life. And so I was very glad that today's re:Work seminar gave me another reason to make my way back to the Merchandise Mart again.

I really appreciate what The Mohawk Group is doing for designers and architects who have been displaced by the recession. They see it as an opportunity to give back to friends who have supported them. A lot of people are out of work right now some of whom were in the industry over 10 years. It was sad to see their third floor showroom fill up with out of work designers, a few of whom I even recognized from Harrington. Some had many years of experience, while others were laid off from their first design job.

Despite this, the presenters were all very upbeat and positive. Some of the positive things I learned were that there is a lot of pent-up demand for our services and projects are on hold everywhere. The three dimensions of the design landscape that are changing—technology, environment, and demographics—are the three that out of work designers can increase their expertise in to become more marketable. They also provided valuable tips about resume writing, networking, researching potential companies, and job search strategies. The information they provided in the seminars was also supplemented with re:Work workbooks for us to take home. This was especially valuable to me since my work obligations prevented me from staying for the whole day.

I returned to work this afternoon thankful to still have a job, even though it is not in the design field, but still yearning to re-connect with my old flame, interior design. After attending re:Work, I'm ready to take the next steps toward mending my broken dream. I think I will start by updating my portfolio. And when I do, I'll be sure to post my designs here on my blog.

Designers, interrupted: NeoCon 2009 and the Great Recession

photo by by Patcraft Designweave

Beneath the festival atmosphere at NeoCon 2009, there was a sense of sadness. I ran into a designer I know and he told me how hard it's been lately, as did the 2 architects and 2 designers he introduced me to. And on the morning of the ASID Career Exchange, well coiffed and well heeled design grads flocked to the 7th floor cafe with their portfolios in hand and panicked expressions on their faces. Would they find good jobs? Maybe not. Times are hard, and many firms are not hiring now. At least they had the decency to tell us so.

Veteran attendees of the trade show quickly realized that the lavish parties the showrooms had given in previous years were scaled down significantly. And so amid the live jazz, flowing champagne, tinkling cocktail glasses and platters of hot hors d'œuvres, there was still a palpable air of melancholy. What will become of interior design? Where are the clients? Where is the money? Who can afford to hire us now? If only things were different...

The unfortunate reality is that few of my fellow design alums are working in the field, and neither am I. And after three solid days of immersing myself in the interior design milieu once again, it hit me: I miss working in my field. It breaks my heart to not be a part of it anymore. Even listening to the textile showroom reps talk about how many double rubs their upholstery fabric could withstand made me feel sentimental; I had sold and specified upholstery fabric once. Every piece I liked I wished I could specify for a client. But I don't have any clients.

Our design careers have been interrupted by the unfavorable economy. We are all part of the great diaspora of displaced designers who are doomed to labor in the dreary world outside the field of design until the economy improves. But we found solace at NeoCon this year, discovering that we are not the only ones.

My quest to find work as an interior designer has been like an unrequited love affair. Being excluded from a field that you are passionate about is just as painful as being in love with someone who does not love you in return. It engenders the same sense of heartbreak. The Merchandise Mart is like a monument to that heartbreak, a mausoleum for my dead dreams of design. And now, even though a week has passed since I attended NeoCon, I still long to be a part of that world. But instead I have returned to work at a job that has nothing to do with design. It's a good job, and I am glad that I have a job at all in these circumstances, but it is not interior design. But at least when we moved into our new office space last year they let me put a few finishing touches on things.

Still, I am hoping that NeoCon 2010 will be a much happier occasion for all of us. I hope that what has happened now will prove to only be an interruption, and once it is over we can get back to doing what we do best.



By the way, if you are a displaced designer, check out the free Rework career workshops, sponsored by The Mohawk Group. The one in Chicago will be held Thursday, June 25th. Click the link above for all the details.

Widget Wednesday, NeoCon 2009 Edition: Designer Pages

As fields that have been in existence long before the rise of the Internet, architecture and interior design have long-established ways of organizing information. Much of it relies on hard copies, or as I was taught in my Materials and Sources class in 2005, Excel spreadsheets. Now with the advent of Web 2.0 and social media, we have so many new ways to share our finds. This is where Designer Pages comes in.

I learned about Designer Pages while working with them on the Twitter campaign. As a designer who spends most of my product research time on the Internet, a really appreciate the cloud computing solution Designer Pages provides. Think of it as a virtual 3-ring binder where you can save all your clippings for a particular project. You can also invite other designers to collaborate with you. And it's free!

Now I think I'll try out my new membership by moving my furniture & finishes for my dream house from a cumbersome Excel workbook into Designer Pages.