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

Grace, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I am anxious, excited, worried, and stressed as a business owner, but everyday I choose to do what I am passionate about. I am happier as a business owner because even though I do experience these thoughts I get to choose how my day is spent and I get to choose to be creative. I would be lying if I said I don’t think about working a regular job. I think about it all the time actually. I think and wonder if it was the best decision to start my business when I become fearful of making the right decisions or get impatient to see myself and my business grow. I think about how working a regular job might alleviate the unknowns and make things easier. But when I have those thoughts I remind myself of this…

After college I wanted to jump right into creating my business with the hope of bringing healing and creativity into people’s homes, but I always felt I needed more experience, more knowledge, more skills. I knew myself and that I wouldn’t feel ready until I was able to gain as much personal experience and confidence in myself as I could, so I reached out to some well loved designers in my hometown. Their businesses were growing fast with the renewed interest in home design post lockdowns. I was given opportunities to help them with concept designs, installations, renderings, and client meetings. To fill in the gaps in my schedule and help pay the rent I picked up a job as a barista at the local coffee shop where my sister once worked. My high school cross country coach heard I was back in town and asked if I was interested in being the assistant track coach. I said yes to this as well. On top of this I would paint/draw custom portraits. Looking back I see that this drawing and painting time is what likely kept me sane as this is when I was able to relax from the chaos of the days. My family thought I was going nuts for working not 2 but 5 jobs at the same time, but I loved it. The design mentorships helped me gain confidence in my skills and taught me the ins and outs of growing a business. I learned I could handle all sorts of different things thrown at me even those upset customers who were dissatisfied with their coffee. Still to this day I think it was one of the best learning experiences I have ever had. I loved the madness, I loved that everyday was different. I suppose I liked the feeling of being back in the world after Covid lockdowns.

After months of running around from job to job like a mad artist post graduation, I started to see others seemingly happy working a 9-5. I wondered what it would be like to work in an office full time. This was something I hadn’t experienced before and my curiosity was pulling me in.
There was a part of me that wanted to start my own business, but I kept thinking, “Now isn’t the time, I need to learn more.” So one day left my hometown, moved to South Carolina and became an architectural draftsman at a boutique renovation and drafting company. I wrestled with a feeling of disappointment in myself that I didn’t take the leap to start my own business, but I also valued the lessons I learned and the people I met at this company.

Soon after, I found out I was going to be a mom everything changed. My son Henry arrived at 34 weeks and 4 days and had to stay in the NICU for 6 weeks. My maternity leave was spent at the side of my son’s bassinet in the hospital. The thought of going back to work when I felt like I missed so much bonding time was killing me. I was also faced with having to relocate for my partner’s job once my baby got out of the hospital. The thought of leaving my job and moving and wondering how this was all going to work with a new baby was overwhelming. I knew I had to make a decision to find a new job when we were relocated or to take the leap. At this time of so much uncertainty, my heart won and I decided to start my business. I was going to leave my stable job and be brave so I could be with my son and give him a happier mom.

Now when I feel uncertainty I remind myself that I am my happiest self being creative and flexible and that’s the best thing I can give to my family. There is a song I love by Ivan & Alyosha and it goes like this. “Do what you love and the money will come, oh but most of all don’t lose your love.” Though my days are often crazy and things do not always go as planned I chose the love of what I do and the love of my little boy over it all.

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?

Hello! My name is Grace Cousins and I created Grace Ryan Designs, an interior design studio. I started my business out of my childhood home almost a year ago and now my team and I have made my childhood home our studio space and work throughout PA! Our services include interior design, virtual design, styling, 3D design and custom art work. Our team focuses on making the world a better place by showcasing the beauty within our homes and highlighting cherished family treasures. We create custom artistically made art work for our clients to personalize their spaces including custom wood furniture designs. We have an ongoing love for older homes and vintage pieces and incorporate them throughout our designs.

Growing up I knew I had a love for making spaces. I would spend hours sprucing up my tree house and doll house rather than actually playing in it. I’d watch my my mom draw floor plans of our home and would sit in my tree house and create my own. I grew up watching my parents rip out pages of magazines and make them a reality as they historically preserved our 1870’s victorian home. I loved seeing how you can make your design dreams come to life with your own hands.

I started my freshman year at Savannah College of Art and Design studying illustration in hopes to be a children’s illustrator. In my first semester my drawing professor saw my love of drawing furniture and persuaded me to look into interior design knowing that drawing is a strong skill used in the practice. Interior design was something my family had encouraged me to pursue but I felt intimidated from all my years of struggling with a learning disability. I took my first interior design class at SCAD and I was sold. I loved it, from there I decided I wanted to create not only beautiful spaces but make them feel personalized and special to those I design for. Implementing my love for illustration and design I created what is know known as Grace Ryan Designs.

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

My final years of college took place in my childhood bedroom due to the Covid-19 lockdowns. At this point of my life I was so far way from who I was. Two months before lockdown I was sexually assaulted. I was now relying on my mom to get me out of bed for online class. The person I worked so hard to become during my time at the Savannah College of Art and Design, confident, creative, happy and healthy, didn’t feel like me anymore. This point of my life was some of the most anxiety provoking and healing time of my life.

When my senior year hit, our senior project was to design a space that solved a problem and focused on something we were passionate about. I created a project called Luna House, a sexual assault crisis center for survivors and their loved ones. The rooms were designed to comfort and remind visitors that they were safe. I designed a crisis resource library, therapy offices, offices for legal council, art therapy spaces and more. In the end I was designing a space I so wished I had in my life.

My wish was to take the pain I was feeling from my experience and trauma to help someone else. I know it was just a senior project, just an idea but it healed me creating it. I remember presenting on the last day of class and afterwards having multiple people reach out to me and thanked me for making them feel seen, heard and comforted. That is what I design for, with the hope that I can help someone feel better and giving them the sense of home. I am still healing but remembering that I was able to turn the worst thing that has happened to me into designs and ideas that have impacted someone positively keeps me going. I still think about Luna House to this day. It may look a little different than my original senior project but I’m working on a new project with the idea so stay tuned to see what we are working on!

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Podcasts are a huge inspiration for me. I love listening to them while working or puttering around the house. My favorite interior design and businesses podcast is The Interior Collective from IDCO Studio. I love hearing the different perspectives from designers from all backgrounds. These help me with the lonely parts of running your own business and the feeling of “Am I really cut out for this?” It is good to hear that there are other designers even some who have been on shows, and magazines covers who are feeling the exact say way I do.

I have also found great inspiration from the book “Sacred Spaces” by Carley Page Summers. This book was gifted to me for mother’s day. Carley interviews homeowners whose spaces have inspired this author/photographer. Carley highlights how well loved homes and designed spaces can heal and transform a person’s life. Her personal story of resilience has especially affirmed that home design and creating sanctuary spaces really can impact a life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.graceryandesigns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grace_ryan_designs/
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/grccousins/ https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2OGAYvKvaH8iVRRLSSA4Pq?si=bbe5ccc213114620&nd=1