If you’re not working from the blueprint of an inspired vision, it will feel like you’re throwing a whole lot of things at the wall in the hopes that something will stick. You may have momentum but you won’t have strategy. What can you do today to clarify your design brand’s vision?

I’ve set fewer goals this year but they mean more and so before resistance starts to get in my way, I’ve decided I’m going to use another tactic. I often speak about baby steps and the idea that when you’re in alignment, change eases in. So that’s what I’m practicing. I’m doing at least one […]

Yesterday I was shopping in Beverly Hills and I stumbled across this. No your eyes don’t deceive you. It’s a Bentley, covered in velvet, and it was parked in front of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel attracting all kinds of attention. The comments on my Facebook page ranged from “Sweeet” to “Whattttt?!” to “Why”? But I’m curious […]

Although I prefer to lurk in online groups as a rule—unless I run them—I recently saw a thread about a publication I used to love and it’s offer for cheap design services so I found myself chiming in. It started out interesting and potentially educational but like a lot of online talk, a couple of […]

I hope your 4th of July (Canada Day for those of you who live in the North) was spectacular and that you took a moment to think about how lucky you are to be free to run a business that is an expression of what you were called to do. Philanthropy and social responsibility are important […]

In 1905, at the age of 40, Miss Elsie de Wolfe gave up her struggling acting career for good and set up residence at the historic Washington Irving House with Miss Elizabeth Marbury, a prominent theatrical agent. The combination of de Wolfe’s style and Marbury’s connections transformed Irving House into the American version of a […]

With the rise of the Internet and designers’ increasing savvy to opportunities for licensing and information products, the phrase passive income has created a new sense of urgency. Everybody wants to start earning some, now. I get it. Earning money on the work you’ve already done, in perpetuity, sounds pretty good but unless you get […]

In 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. It was the culmination of unrest and critical debate that had been occurring with the expansion caused by industrialization at the start of the 1900s. A year later, on the 28th day of February, the first National Woman’s […]

I love award shows and I’m particularly excited about the Oscars this year because I’ve had the opportunity to screen most of the films and also because I’m heading to a party hosted by the Producers Guild. I’m rooting for Whiplash and The Theory of Everything, films that were character-driven, high-stakes emotionally and beautifully acted […]

Recently a client of mine was going through the hiring process for her team. She had narrowed it down to the final two and told me she was going to check references. I suggested that she pay each of the gals to come in for a day, or even two, to get a sense of […]