What do you do if your interior design career is facing setbacks?

When your interior design career faces setbacks, remember that challenges often pave the way for growth and resilience. Stay determined, adapt to new circumstances, and seek support from mentors and peers. Use setbacks as opportunities to reassess goals, refine skills, and explore new opportunities. By maintaining a positive attitude and persevering through adversity, you'll emerge stronger and more resilient, ready to overcome any obstacles on your path to success in the interior design industry.

Reflect on Your Passions and Strengths: Take some time to reflect on what truly drives and motivates you in your interior design career. Consider your passions, interests, and strengths, and how they align with your current goals. Identify aspects of your work that bring you the most joy and fulfillment, as well as areas where you excel. Assess Your Current Goals: Evaluate your existing goals and objectives in light of your reflections. Determine whether they still resonate with your passions and align with your strengths. Consider whether any of your goals are no longer relevant or achievable, and be open to revising or letting go of them if necessary.

Sometimes it may be that we aren't entirely clear on the message that our brands stand for. When we know and have clear goals, the next step is to communicate it in a clear and simple way. Build a story and communicate it. When this is defeated, we'll have to go back to our drawing boards to see where the loose nuts are.

dentify Areas for Skill Expansion: Start by identifying areas within the field of interior design where you would like to expand your skills and knowledge. Consider both technical skills, such as learning new design software or mastering sustainable design principles, and conceptual skills, such as understanding architectural history or exploring emerging design trends. Set Clear Learning Goals: Once you've identified areas for skill expansion, set clear and achievable learning goals for yourself. Determine what specific skills or knowledge you want to acquire, and establish a timeline for achieving each goal. Break down larger goals into smaller, manageable milestones to track your progress effectively.

When we know where the gaps are, we can easily start to fill up those areas. - Marketing - Communication These may the basics for most businesses but they're vital. Design skills work in hand with business strategy. Balance both and you'll see a huge difference in your journey.

Identify Your Networking Goals: Start by defining clear goals for your networking efforts. Determine what you hope to achieve through networking, whether it's finding new clients, exploring job opportunities, seeking mentorship, or simply expanding your professional circle. Build Your Network Strategically: Identify key individuals and organizations within the interior design industry that you want to connect with. This may include fellow designers, industry professionals, potential clients, suppliers, or influencers. Research relevant networking events, conferences, workshops, and online communities where you can meet and engage with these individuals.

etworking: Build relationships with colleagues, join professional organizations, and attend industry events to expand your network. These connections can offer support, advice, and potential opportunities. Skill Expansion: Consider learning new design software, exploring sustainable materials, or delving into architectural history. Enhancing your skills can increase your value as a designer and reignite your creative spark. Adjusting Strategies: Reflect on your business strategies and client interactions to identify areas for improvement. Revamp your marketing efforts, offer different services, or adopt a more client-centric approach to adapt to current demands.

Stand on the shoulders of those who have been down that road. Mentorship goes a long way in identifying and predicting a lot of things in our brands. Ask questions. Ask for help

One of the most detrimental effects of losing a job is lowered confidence -- I speak from experience. It took me years of really searching within myself to find the resources I needed to improve, recover confidence, and ensure that this situation didn't destroy who I was as a young Designer. That being said, if I never reflected or adapted to the situation, I never would have flourished in my career. It's imperative to try and view every opportunity as a learning opportunity, regardless of how painful. You will come out stronger for it.