We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Turney. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.

Jennifer, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work on many wonderful projects over the years. Many of them complicated and intricate. In my profession attention to detail is important, but it is also important to understand the client and their needs and their design aesthetic. I love brainstorming ideas with my clients, it is exciting to stretch the boundaries of design while also making sure the materials are appropriate for the application. Working in carved stone is a very technical medium and satisfying when the installation is complete. Fun to say….hey “I did that!”

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My degree is in Interior Design, I happened to land in the Tile and Stone Industry by accident. And 25 years later I am still loving helping clients select their “dream” tile, fireplace, column and even pool decking. It is a fun industry that requires a lot of knowledge and technical understanding. Each client’s approach is different and understanding them is important. Some want to work room by room; others want to pick the things they love an then we figure out which room it would work in best. You have to be flexible in my industry. Some want a quirky colorful environment; others want a cohesive color pallet. It is about understanding the client.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Not all people can visualize the end result, knowing that is important. There are times preplanning for a meeting so that the client can understand the direction. This can include finding images online to help them see how I see the project colors and textures coming together. Sometimes I ask clients to pull images of what they like, they may not be able to articulate it, but images help us to be on the same page.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I am creative in most aspects of my life. I draw, color, cook make jewelry and my job is about creating spaces that clients will live in and love. Hopefully they see what we did together and come back for their next project. It is rewarding when I hear from them years later how much they love what we did together.

Image Credits

These are previous projects and the names are private. But I do have permission to share them.