Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Golden. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Melissa , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
After having babies and being a full time mom for 14 years, my youngest was about to enter preschool and I was going to have a few hours of kid-free time in the day. I thought, “If I could create any job for myself what would it be?” I instantly knew the answer: Design. I had a Bachelors Degree in Technical Sales and I had taken design classes, I had worked in sales for a major tech company, I knew I could do it….but I was rusty. Endless diapers and sleepless nights will do that to a person. Also, I haven’t ever run my own business, let alone a design firm, but neither did anyone else before they did it, right? The thought of combining business, sales, and design into one job was energizing to my soul. So, I jumped in.
At first I didn’t know what kind of design. I put it out there and thought if I can just start solo and fill my day during preschool, maybe by the time she is in Kindergarten, it could be full-time. I started designing for friends for a low rate to create some portfolio and I began doing some display work in the large street facing windows for a local store in my downtown. I still remember getting my first client that was a stranger to me. I was nauseous the whole drive, I felt like an imposter, but it was a project that ended up lasting 18 months and we did almost every room in her house. Within a few months, I was booked and had a full-time job on my hands, long before Kindergarten. I had a new problem, it was time to scale and niche. I started noticing my favorite projects were residential and commercial interiors and that I had a knack for it. I changed my name to “Melissa Golden Interiors” and started hiring. This was really happening.
Melissa , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I may have answered this a little bit earlier. Basically my upbringing led me to pursue a creative career. As a third-generation designer, my creative influences encompass a family legacy. My grandmother, aunts and my mother raised me in an atmosphere of creativity and the core belief that beautifying your surroundings has an empowering effect on the soul. I took that background to the next level by getting a degree while focusing on design. I feel so blessed to have been raised in the service of beauty and creation, it provides me deep connection and meaning. My grandmother always taught me, “Do what makes your heart sing!” and designing is just that for me.
Personally, my most favorite projects are those I can have a personal connection with. I always love when I find out that the client is my person, when we align in personal style and taste, it’s like a perfect match! This takes the projects to a whole new level of excitement. I love so many different aesthetics and can really have fun in many styles. Bringing it to life makes my job so enjoyable and rewarding.
As for the services we provide, most firms specialize in one particular thing like kitchens/baths or furnishings, but at MGI, we strive to provide a holistic, all-inclusive design experience for all areas of your home or workplace.
Even from the concept phase, we aim to begin each project with a heightened sense of empathy, to understand the subtleties of your daily personal interaction with your space and customize it for your best life. Meaning, we can use industry leading technology to design everything from where the walls are, where the windows and doors go/how they operate, to the cabinet design and all the intricacies involved, right down to the very last throw pillow on the sofa!
Every element is a brush stroke in a larger masterpiece which will be the backdrop to your memories. We take that trust very seriously to ensure every detail belongs. We design it all.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Absolutely! I would not be where I am today without all the amazing things I have learned from LuAnn Nigara’s podcast, “A Well Designed Business” during my years being, as what she affectionally calls a “Baby Designer”. Even though I have only been in business since 2017, I am not the most seasoned (yet) but I feel like I have the resources I need to grow in any stage through her podcast.
Another great resource I have found to be valuable is Cheryl Nagle Kees Clendenon’s Facebook group called “Small Business Think Big”. It’s been a great sounding board to answer a lot of my questions as I have them. It’s definitely a place of community verses competition for designers and Cheryl has been in the industry for a very long time and has a lot of experience to share.
One of the books I wish I read at the beginning was, “Branding + Interior Design” by Kim Kuhteubl. I actually first heard Kim’s interview on Luann’s podcast and instantly thought she was my person. I actually bought her book before the end of the podcast. Her refreshing energy and positivity matched with her unique background in media really captured me. She sounded like someone I could hang out with and talk to for hours. She really gives some directional advice on how to structure your business and build YOUR brand. I have marked up and highlighted every few pages of her book and reference it often as a refresher. I would love to deep dive more into her content.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
It’s so hard to quantify value for everyone. It’s not one size fits all and that’s okay. Different personality types value things differently and this can sometimes be a clash. The phrase, “You can’t rush art” is a good example. I am married to someone who values price and efficiency more than let’s say, how beautiful or detailed something is. You can see how being a creative luxury service might conflict with the fastest and cheapest way of doing things! It taken me a long time (and I am still learning) to recognize the difference in the value systems when they are happening. It’s very common between spouses, sometimes between designer and client, and sometimes it’s happening between both spouses with their designer.
The anecdote to this I am finding is educating people upfront and acknowledging the difference as soon as you find it. For a non-creative, they simply may not see the value at first, and sometimes they will not ever see it at all. The ability to pull off a whole project off and coordinate all that goes into it being totally finished takes a lot of creativity, problem solving, management and tons of logistics. This takes time and there will most likely be hiccups in the process. There will be revisions, there will be some unexpected delays, This is all normal although frustrating for everyone involved.
Creating something beautiful is like watching someone sketch and erase, sketch some more and erase again until they get it perfect. Where the artist stands back and decides “it’s done”, there may have been 100 or even 10,000 eraser marks unseen to the beholder who has no idea all that went into the masterpiece, but for them it just feels right. For interiors, its walking into a room where everything just feels like it belongs which means your brain is happy with scale, proportion, texture, color, line, shape, light, space, ergonomics, and placement without a care about how or when it got there or how much it cost. It just is…..and it’s beautiful, functional and comfortable. A place where you want to be. The ability to do this is valuable, worthy and even, amazing. Someone who values different things may not appreciate it at first, or want it for an unreasonable price and/or timeline….but it’s STILL valuable, worthy and amazing. I thank God that there are talented creative people all over the earth and throughout all eras of time that have been given this gift to create beautiful places for humans to live, work and play. I strive to be one of them.
Contact Info:
- Website: melissagoldeninteriors.com
- Instagram: @melissagoldeninteriors
- Facebook: Melissa Golden Interiors
Image Credits
Kayla Nicole Photos (1 photo) Mandy McCabe (1 photo) Melissa Golden Interiors