Before I turned 8 years old, my parents bought an old fixer-upper farmhouse on a beautiful plot of land next to a Christmas tree farm. My parents involved me and my older brother in the remodeling process from painting trim, pulling nails, and ripping up old flooring–my mom was pregnant with my little brother then, else I am positive he would have been involved in the fun, too. I will never forget how cool I felt, how adult it all seemed, to have a hammer and a putty knife just chipping away at the old surface the previous owners used to cover up the original wood flooring. Growing up, I learned how to flip houses, how to work in construction, and watched my mom start her own improvements company after my parents went their separate ways. I worked under my mom’s company, Blue Sparrow Improvements, for most of my childhood on and off. This history of remodeling and working on construction projects sparked my interest in architecture and interior design. My first construction-related job outside of Blue Sparrow Improvements was as a professional painter for a couple of years, where I first met my husband and was pursuing my associate's degree in interior design. Currently, I am working as a design consultant/furniture salesperson as well as running my own interior design company. Both of these positions coexist together as my boss is incredibly supportive of my budding career in design. I work part-time in the furniture sales store and every Wednesday and Saturday I have open availability for house calls, working with clients, and running design errands for my company, Honest Home Interiors. Eventually, I would like to stand alone as my own designer with a well-known company and have a strong client base so that my furniture sales are the side gig and my design services would make up a consistent work week. On top of working in these two coexisting positions, I am also pursuing my bachelor’s degree in interior design as an all-year-round student, so that I can further prepare myself for working directly with clients and contractors. With a bachelor’s in design, I will be adequately equipped with the knowledge and experience in design to aid in creating a project from beginning to end. My passion is to work in residential design, though I wouldn’t mind participating in commercial projects here and there. In these past two years, I have learned more about myself as a designer and business owner than ever before, and I am enthusiastic about the opportunities gradually becoming available through working as a salesperson and design consultant. Just within these past few months, I have redesigned my business cards, adjusted my company’s expenses and income, and designed a professional letterhead for invoices and paperwork. Taking a step back and looking at my life up to this point, I am finally beginning to set roots down and start building my future career in my hometown and the surrounding areas. There is an overflowing amount of potential for my future, for my company, and for my husband and me working in residential design. My husband and his brother are starting the process of taking over the family painting business, and while I’m running my design company, we are building off of each other’s success to create a concrete foundation for our future families based on hard work and dedication. Even as a standalone, my success will bloom from my enthusiasm and passion for interior design as I continue to grow and develop my services in design.