Autumn is always a time of reflection for me. I don’t know if it’s the start of a new school year, the Jewish holidays, the change in weather (I’m not a summer person!), or personal milestones, October consistently brings introspection, gratitude, and manifestation.
I am now three years into running my own business and I have so much to be grateful for.
Most recently, I relaunched my website after an eight-month collaboration with the fantastic web development team at Glory & Brand. They did a terrific job, and the project allowed me to experience a long-term design process from the client’s perspective. This gave me invaluable insight into my own processes and how I can make my clients’ journeys even more spectacular.
To complement the new website, my wonderful photographer Kelsey Ann Rose, shot 2 new projects (Geometric Gem & Urban Jungle), not to mention the greatest challenge of her career, my new headshots. Anyone who knows me knows that I am “spaces, not faces”, so being in front of a camera for an entire afternoon was no small challenge for either of us. Unsurprisingly, the standout image from the whole shoot was of our VP of Puplick Relations, none other than Her Royal Highness Princess Buttercup.
Over the course of the spring and summer we installed FOUR projects, which was even more stressful than it sounds. There were at least a hundred lessons learned from each project, but one of the biggest was definitely to stagger the schedule! Also, none of them would have been possible without our exceptional client concierge and design assistant Olivia. Olivia joined the studio last fall, and our new procurement manager Amanda joined us this summer. I finally feel like I have assembled my dream team and there’s nothing we can’t accomplish.
Seven months ago (where does the time go???), right before those four installations, I moved to a larger apartment in my building. This was something I started contemplating and manifesting last fall, and I genuinely could not be happier. I am writing this from my actual office, as opposed to a corner of the living room, which has an insane amount of book and sample storage, not to mention a wild wallpaper zoom background. There’s space for client presentations (tested and verified!), Olivia has her own workstation, and Buttercup has so many rug options. I also have so much more wall space, and you know what that means – more art! I confess to going on a bit of a spree this summer and at present have gifted (see what I did there?) myself 4 new pieces, including a Rick Midler collage and a Patty Carroll photograph, both of whom I have admired and whose work I’ve coveted for years.
I also had a grand Parisian adventure in January, traveling internationally for the first time in ages, not to mention discovering some incredible artisans not yet available in the US (although Art et Floritude is opening their first US showroom in Soho later this year – I’m so excited!), and I got to meet up in Paris with one of my closest friends from the New York Junior League, which I joined last year. The League has quickly become such an important part of my life, filled with service, friendship, and camaraderie. I even sat on my first design panel at the League’s first ever House Parties event this past weekend!
Of course this past year hasn’t been all sunshine and roses. The world often feels like it gets unnecessarily and cruelly worse every day. My ongoing medical issues persist, each day is a delicate management balancing act. The lessons learned in business are often bruising and costly. However, especially in this time of reflection, I try to find the lessons in the challenges. Dysfunctional political systems? Election day is around the corner and I can donate to organizations serving and standing up for people, like the NYJL, Abortion Care Network, and ACLU. Chronic conditions flaring up? I can learn to give myself a little grace and deepen my capacity for compassion for others. Expensive business mistake? Put it in a checklist to never make it (or its variations) again.
It’s so difficult with the constant stream of news and information, but if you aren’t already, I encourage you to take a little time to reflect on your own journey this past year. You might surprise yourself with just how far you’ve come.
As for what I am manifesting…well, that you’re going to have to wait and see, but I promise I have some exciting new tricks up my sleeves and I can’t wait to share them with you!
Till next time…
Madelaine