Dear Comfort Zone: It's Not You, It's Me | Poppsee

What do you do when you take a risk and close a perfectly good interior design company to start an entirely new business? Panic? Well, just a bit. Have second thoughts? Of course! Who wouldn’t? Or, do you take a breath, smile and realize that you just did the hardest part. You stepped into the unknown.

Yep, that is what I just did. After 18 years of owning my interior design company, I said goodbye to my comfort zone and my fabulous clients that I love to death.

I shopped for a living! I told people what to buy! I met wonderful clients and I helped to make their homes beautiful. Going to lunch with clients that I considered friends was a weekly event. I got my creativity on…every day. So why would I be crazy enough to stop doing what I enjoyed so much? Was I out of my mind? Not really. I did it because things change, we grow and we evolve. It was time.

As an interior designer, I feel art is a very big part of a home. It finishes the space. It speaks to who you are and the space you want to create. You may lean toward bright and bold colors to make a statement or you could want a softer palette for a soothing cozy space. Photography may be your thing or family photos could be your passion. Any of these choices are good, but in the end it should be a reflection of you.

The difficulty with art is it is hard to find just the right piece. It can be too big or too small. The subject is right but the color is wrong. You want a quote for inspiration- but not the one that is on the image. You would prefer a different frame. Etc, etc.. Argh!!! We have all been there. The reality is most of you know what you want, you just can’t find it. So, that space on the wall sits empty and it drives you nuts every time you pass by.

There will be a few times in your life when all your instincts tell you to do something. Something that defies logic, upsets your plans and may seem crazy to others. When that happens, you do it. Listen to your instincts and ignore everything else. Ignore logic, ignore the odds, ignore the complications, and just go for it.

-Author unknown

So why am I talking about art? Because, that is the reason I left interior design (although you never really leave....it is always in your blood). The struggles of finding the right piece of art drove me crazy and I saw an opportunity to fix it. As of February, I officially began the scary process of building an eCommerce website where YOU get to create your own art. You can get the right size, the right color, the right subject the right frame-or no frame at all! You like the color but not the subject? Change it! Create an entirely new image! You are allowed. I know what you are saying. Some of you are saying, “yay! I can’t wait to create something!” To which I am smiling all the way to my toes. Now,... to all of you saying “I am not creative” I say, yes you are. You just don’t know it. We will help; we will make it easy and fun and it will blow! your! mind!

While this amazing website is under construction I will share my design experiences, love of all things art, color and texture and show you how you can take that blank wall or space and make it into something that brings joy and creativity into your home.

We can share stories and I can tell you about the good, the bad and the avoidable ugly.

I will try not to bore you to death with the daily minutia (sitting at my desk thinking up frequently asked questions or scanning through terms and conditions…..sooooo boring you can almost hear my head hit the desk as I start to fall asleep), but I will keep you up to date with the websites progress and what we are accomplishing.

Sometimes I lay awake at night stressing over everything that I have to do. Can I do this? Can I have a full blown eCommerce site up and running by September? We have to create software, I have to find vendors, I have to market the idea and find my community…my peeps (do they still say that?)! I have to write a blog! OMG, I think this is the hardest part. Will I say the right thing? The wrong thing? Something stupid? Maybe...Probably...Definetly! This is entirely new territory for me. Maybe I am crazy, but I do love a challenge. So I focus.... and I take another breath.

So! Join me and sign up for my blogs! I will keep you posted on how I am coming along and give you sneak peeks into the awesomeness that I am building. Help me celebrate my successes and laugh and learn from my missteps. I love to chat (just ask my husband Keith) and would like to listen as well. Have you started a new company and have insight for me? Do you have a wall that needs help? Do you adore art as much as me? Let’s start a conversation. Do you want to be part of the Beta testing (perks included!) when we are ready? Sign up here!