We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrea Meats a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share a story that illustrates an important or relevant lesson you learned in school

I am originally from El Salvador, so my first language is Spanish. I went to school at a CIDA Interior Design Accredited School, which means that the first two years of school are Architecture related. You don’t get to Interior Design until the third year. I was already dealing with a cultural shock by moving to a different country, an exciting, but also challenging season in my life. Taking classes in English was so hard for me, I wanted to quit every day! Talking and thinking in English all day was giving me headaches and making school even harder. I remember vividly the first semester when we were asked to get our architectural scales out, the metric system is so different that I was at a complete loss. There was a part of me that kept thinking: “why am I even doing this?, Is this even worth it?” but I kept on going, I kept telling myself: “I just need to get through this semester, just one more”. I stopped thinking about the 4 years and focused on one semester at a time. Little by little, I continued on, until I got to the Interior Design part of my major, the exciting part! That part of my life taught me what I now tell my children all the time “You can do anything you want to, you just need to try”.

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 passion for art began as a little girl. From a very young age, I was introduced to paint, ceramic classes, ballet and jazz. I spent my free time creating, playing with paper mache, designing and redecorating my bedroom a million times. I would spend my allowance on paint, wall coverings and other bedroom accessories. I went to school at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. At the time, I thought I wanted to pursue a career in Residential Design. However, I got an internship in an amazing architecture firm while I was still in School: Lawrence Group, St. Louis. I started gaining experience in commercial design and took on residential projects just for fun, to help family and friends. As we moved to Colorado, I continued to grow in my career as a commercial designer. After having children, I started painting again. When my daughter was 6 months old, I started taking Montessori and Reggio Emilia courses and decided to open my Art and Design Studio while being a “stay at home mom” in 2023. We started off with art classes for children as young as babies and toddlers, family art events and interior design services for children spaces. Now, House of Heart Design Studio | Tinkering Hearts, provides online and in person residential design services including master bedrooms, kitchens, home offices and any other space in your home that may need a transformation. My favorite part of my job is that I am continuing to make a difference now on a more personal level working with families. “I believe that every family, every project, every client, has a unique story, unique needs and soul; my job as a designer is to evoke that feeling, that memory and transformation through space planning, interior finishes, furniture, nature and every single detail that becomes a part of the project”.

Have you ever had to pivot?

For the past 10 years of my life, I worked, lived and breath design. I loved my career, I still do! However, when I became a mother, I kept hearing a call, I can’t explain it, but there was something always in the back of my mind pulling me closer to my babies. About a year and a half ago, I finally made the decision to be a “stay at home mom” and I say it in quotation because 1. I believe that raising children is the hardest most important job that I have ever had and 2. Because “staying at home” is really gaining a million jobs and responsibilities at once. It took a lot of courage for me to realize that though I reached my dreams and goals as a career woman, I was now embarking on a new season in my life. It took a lot of courage to walk away from something I worked so hard to achieve, but being at home with my children at this season in my life has been so fulfilling and rewarding and I would make the same decision over and over again any time. My kiddos won’t stay little forever, and I am absolutely grateful to be able to spend these moments with them.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I have always been a dreamer and a positive person. Going back to the story I mentioned of the major lesson I learned while in school, the fact that whenever there is a difficult situation, I try to focus on the end result, my why; I think that is what keeps me moving forward. I try to stay positive and this is reflected in my attitude, every time I face a difficult circumstance. I did this when my husband and I kept our long distance relationship when we were engaged. Especially when he was station in Iraq. That was a hard time for both of us, but I kept thinking about the date we would meet, the next vacation we would take, the happy memories that were coming our way and that kept us going. Focusing on the end result and the way is what brings me closer to my goals instead of sinking. It is a work in process, always, life is constantly changing, and there will always be difficult times; but I believe that we cannot change what life throws at us, but we can absolutely change the way we respond to it. This is something I hope I get to pass to my children.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tinkeringhearts.com
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/andreameats

Image Credits
House of Heart Design Studio | Tinkering Hearts