At Studio Designer, our goal is to streamline the logistics of an interior design business so that more attention can be devoted to creative pursuits. Our Designer Spotlight series highlights the business success and design work of Studio Designer users who use our platform to advance their goals and thrive as creative professionals.
In this Designer Spotlight, we are thrilled to feature Baton Rouge, Louisiana based designer, Rachel Cannon! Most recently, she was selected as a Style Spotter by High Point Market for 2020 to join an exclusive team of designers and influencers who source the best new products from the Spring and Fall markets. Rachel is also a business consultant who has an exciting new podcast called “Loudmouth Introvert” geared for creative professionals who take a different approach in the extrovert-dominant business world. In this interview, Rachel reveals her creative inspirations, how she uses Studio Designer to run her business, and shares advice for aspiring designers.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How and why did you decide to become a designer?
I was always artistically inclined and a good student as a kid, and when I was in high school, my parents hired an interior designer to help them with our home. It was the first time I’d seen the convergence of science and art, and I knew right then and there that I wanted to be an interior designer.
Describe your design aesthetic.
I call it Vibrant Classicism. I minored in Art History while I was getting my Interior Design degree, and it gave me a great love of each stylistic period. I think we gained at least one classic idea from each era.
Focusing my work [on introverts] has been the most creative I’ve ever felt, and the most connected. Really getting to know my clients on that level and then helping them design around it has been life-changing and rewarding.
Share some design references to turn to frequently to spark your creativity.
Most recently, I’ve decided to niche my design business into working with introverts. I myself am an introvert, and I have specific needs from my environments to help me do my best work and recovery from my daily activities. Focusing my work here has been the most creative I’ve ever felt, and the most connected. Really getting to know my clients on that level and then helping them design around it has been life-changing and rewarding.
What design project of yours are you most proud of and why?
My Windemere project. I was working with a dear friend while we both went through our own divorces, and watching our lives transform as we transformed her house was an incredible experience. It affirmed how much our homes impact our mental and emotional wellbeing. Her old home had been dark, heavy, and drab. Her new home is light, colorful, and calming, and it completely embodies the spirit of her personality!
[Studio Designer] was the first step I took in systemizing my work. It completely simplified the bookkeeping side of things for me—way back when I was still working solo, which many designers do.
Share your advice on how to run a successful design business and maintain a creative edge at the same time.
This is where the science and creativity convergence has held true for me my whole life. I’m a linear thinker, so everything I do follows a process. Step-by-step, logical, thoughtful. Once I realized that in order to run my business, I needed to guide the client down this process, everything changed for me. I put systems into place that helped position them to move to the next step as we wrapped up the one before it. It’s made my creative life much richer because it frees me up to focus my energy there, rather than on putting out fires that happen when there are no systems or processes in place.
How do you use Studio Designer to successfully run your business?
This was the first step I took in systemizing my work. It completely simplified the bookkeeping side of things for me—way back when I was still working solo, which many designers do. It meant never having to reinvent the wheel when it came to proposals, orders, or invoices, and that is HUGE in getting your business set up legitimately to accept client payments in exchange for services or goods.
What advice do you have for designers building their businesses?
Create your ideal client profile and market what you do that is specifically for them. It will start to work on your behalf and attract the right kind of clients to your business⏤the ones who will allow you to truly exercise your creativity, see the value in your ideas, and pay you well for them!
Studio Designer, an interior design software solution, allows you to run the accounting and project management of your design business in a cloud-based, integrated platform that can be accessed conveniently from computers, tablets, and phones. Email info@studiodesigner.com or visit this page to sign up for an online demo.
Photo Credits: Rachel Portrait / Laundry Room photos by Andrea Kinnear; Mood Board photo by Heather McClellan; All other photos by Jessie Preza