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

Camille, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the early days of establishing your own firm. What can you share?

When I first decided that I wanted to become an architect, I knew that in the future, I would love to start my own firm. I also knew that I wanted to become a mother some day, and architecture and motherhood seemed like they could go well together, at least in my naive, teenage mind. The journey that guided me to eventually start my own architectural practice took many years. I became a licensed architect, which meant enduring the challenges of undergraduate and graduate studies in architecture school; pursuing jobs as an intern architect at various architecture firms large and small to receive crucial experience in the field; and successfully passing all of my licensing exams. Simultaneously to all of this, I married my husband, and we welcomed four beautiful daughters into the world. With the birth of each new child, I went back and forth between taking time off of work for maternity leave and returning to work in various capacities, sometimes working full-time in office or part-time from home. My “breaking point”, so to speak, came when I couldn’t juggle driving into my employer’s office any more, since I had four young daughters at home, and I was the primary caregiver. A client approached me with the opportunity to design her home, and I decided then to leave employment at that firm and venture out on my own, so that I could work from home and continue to provide the care that my children needed. With starting my own firm, I’ve had to learn a lot along the way: how to schedule the correct number of projects so that I’m not stretched too thin; how to say “no” to projects when the client or project isn’t the right fit; how to juggle work deadlines with parenting; how to work late hours after kids have gone to bed so that I can stay on top of work; how to confidently send invoices and collect payment; how to correctly keep track of business expenses; and many more business skills that I never learned in any previous jobs or in school. Fortunately, I have an excellent network of fellow mother architects (colleagues from work and friends from architecture school) that have provided much needed advice, guidance, and mentoring in everything from setting up a federal tax ID number to drawing up appropriately worded proposals and contracts for potential clients. I am grateful that I’ve been able to learn from those around me, and from all of the experiences I’ve had in architecture and motherhood. All of these experiences have informed the establishment and running of my firm, and it’s been rewarding and fulfilling.
My best advice for a young professional who is considering starting their own firm would be to pick other people’s brains who have started their own firms. Learn from others. Gain the education you need, from school and from job experience, in order to be as informed as possible when deciding to start a firm. It can be a scary step, but so many architects have successfully done it! Also, don’t be discouraged when clients change their minds about projects.
Sometimes a client decides not to build a project you’ve designed, and it’s okay. There will always be another project and another client. There’s always someone who needs an architect. And don’t be afraid of hard work!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I went to school to become an architect. I attended the University of Utah and received my B.S. Architectural Studies, Honors (summa cum laude) and my M. Arch. from the University of Utah, graduating in 2008. I began my architectural licensing exams after the birth of my first daughter in 2010, and subsequently became licensed in the state of Utah in 2013. I have worked in all sizes of architectural firms in Utah since 2005, and have contributed my design talents to projects large and small, from religious temples of worship and high-end custom residences to National Park Service bathrooms. The birth of my fourth daughter prompted me to leave architectural firm employment to begin my own architectural practice in 2017, a dream I’d had since my early days of architectural schooling. I haven’t looked back since and have enjoyed the freedom that owning my own design studio offers.

I am the licensed architect/owner of Dot Dot Design Studio, a full-time mother of four, and a LEED Green Associate with 19+ years experience in carrying architectural commercial/residential/public projects through from start to finish. I specialize in small custom commercial and residential projects, new construction and renovations/additions. I listen carefully to clients and help them bring their imagined dreams to built reality. I am a communicator of ideas through the written word and also a creator of abstract photographic art, exhibited in art shows and galleries.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The absolute best source of new clients has been word of mouth. I am highly dependable, and I produce high-quality work. My former clients have spread the word about the quality of my work and my work ethic, which means that I have never had to market myself to the broader public. My past clients and past projects do the marketing work for me, for which I am very grateful.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

“The Creative Act: A Way of Being” by Rick Rubin is a life-changing read.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dotdotarchitecture.com
• Instagram: @dot.dot.design

Image Credits

Camille Wheatley