We recently connected with Ezada-Capri Mills and have shared our conversation below.
Ezada-Capri, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?
I’m happy I took the plunge and started my own business. I’ve been working for others at regular jobs for so long that I think I need to work for myself from now on. I currently work a day job until my design business is lucrative enough to be my full time gig and all day long I wish I could go off and be my own boss full time. Being able to take breaks when I want, make whatever decisions I want, and never worrying about co-workers or someone else’s company policy is very freeing. I do sometimes wish I had started my career as an assistant or an intern at an established design firm but I think I wouldn’t be the kind of designer I wish to be. I fear I would, instead, be molded into the kind of designer the company would want me to be and I’m not too sure that would be authentic to who I am as a person. I want to be able to grow and evolve on my own without trying to stuff myself into a box that wasn’t created for me. I may not be the best designer in the world right now but I know that with practice and experience I can get somewhere truly great.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Ezada and I’m a married mom of one living in Western New York. My passion from design came from my family. All of the women in my family are very stylish and design oriented, especially my grandmothers. My maternal grandmother made her own curtains and decorated the house for every holiday and my paternal grandmother has a very eclectic style that I’ve always admired. I didn’t even know that interior design was a job until I had gotten older but by then I was already earning my bachelor’s in psychology and I was very focused on that career path. As I got older and looked at the direction my life was going in, I realized that maybe I needed to make a change. After my husband took a risk and started his voice over business I decided to follow in his footsteps and began an online program at the New York Institute of Art and Design. After graduating, I came across a designer on YouTube name Alexandra Gater and saw that she offered virtual services. It was a concept I hadn’t thought of before but realized suited my current way of life.
So, after realizing that everyone had a business called Lace and Lavender, I started Wilde Flower Interior Design which offers virtual and in-person design services such as full room transformations and color consults. My personal style is a bit more vintage and witchy and I tend to favor brands and vendors with those same aesthetics. I’m also a big fan of flipping thrifted furniture and getting custom pieces made. I love color and mixing different styles and aesthetics to create something unique and fun. My current favorite design trend is the Grand-millennial style. It’s such a fun mixture of vintage and modern that feels fresh without looking old. I’d like to redecorate one of the rooms in my house in this style but with a 2 year old, having porcelain jars laying around is never a good idea.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I started my adult life, I wanted to be a marriage and family counselor. If you knew me personally then you’d know how disastrous that would be. However, when I graduated college, I had high hopes of getting a job in my field as an assistant or secretary in order to save money to go to graduate school and earn my Masters. Imagine my surprise when every job I wanted required you to have a Masters degree already. It took several years of searching for jobs and researching colleges and hopping from temp job to temp job to make ends meet before I realized that I may need to give up on this dream. I, eventually, got a job in childcare and have spent the last several years as a teaching aide in a daycare and at one point thought to myself that maybe this could be it. Maybe this is what I’m meant to do. But even then, it never felt right. I finally realized what I wanted to do at 28 years old. I’m 32 now and I’m still working towards my dream but I have, at the very least, begun my journey.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect for me is when I find the exact piece I need to bring a room together. It could be wallpaper, a lamp, or a decorative pillow. But seeing everything come together gives me the greatest joy and makes me feel like maybe I am good at this design stuff.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wildeflowerinteriors.com
- Instagram: @wildeflowerinteriors