How I Overcame Interior Design Imposter Syndrome

Spoak's mission is to make design easy and enjoyable for everyone — empowering the DIY and modern designer with tools to take their interior design passion to the next level... even without a formal degree. So it's no surprise that when I discovered Spoak, I felt my dreams had been answered. Let me rewind.

The words "formal degree" have kept me up at night more than I'd like to admit. Mainly because just a few years ago, I found myself questioning what I wanted to do with my life after getting a formal degree in something I wanted to branch away from. I landed roles at different publishing, media, and tech companies, but I knew there had to be something else. I was searching for something that genuinely made me happier and more fulfilled. Getting closer to that feeling would involve working in interior design. And that's when the design journey, or career pivot, began.

I've always loved aesthetics (surprise, I'm a Libra!) and grew up reading all the design magazines. As a kid, I rearranged the furniture in my room more times than I could count, and I would always beg my mom to take me to the store with her anytime we needed something new for our house. As I got older, my friends and family members would constantly call and text me for advice on their design dilemmas. I even started picking up some paid jobs after a few friends insisted that I needed to start charging for my work. But if I'm being honest, I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. (Hello, imposter syndrome!) The concept of pivoting into interior design was scary, mainly because I didn't have the "credentials" to back me up. I kept reminding myself of all my favorite self-taught interior designers I watched on TV: Leanne Ford, Athena Calderone, Bobby Berk... I could do this! The reality was that I was starting to become overwhelmed, frustrated, and maybe even a little helpless. That's when I found Spoak.

An online interior design platform for design enthusiasts and professionals offering design tools, business and design courses taught by industry-leading pros, a job fair, and a tight-knit community to support you along the way? Sign me up! Spoak's design tools have allowed me to practice the technical side of creating mockups while empowering me to follow my passion daily. Now, I work for Spoak full-time as the Community and Content Director and can share my design experience, tips, and mentorship with other aspiring designers.

While becoming an interior designer without a formal degree is possible, it still requires hard work. I hope these tips give you the confidence to put in the work and follow your passion.

1. Build your brand

Branding is everything. It's how you can portray yourself as a designer and introduce yourself to the world. Don't skimp when it comes to branding.

Social media is a great place to start. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on your POV on social media), I've always been obsessed with Instagram and genuinely enjoy sharing my life online. I like to think of my account as my curated diary and visual representation of who I am. Photos of my day-to-day adventures, hand-painted murals, nicely designed spaces I love—all of these things flood my Instagram feed and my saved folder.

Building a portfolio or creating a website showcasing your work is an essential part of branding (don't forget business cards!). As a Spoak member, you can set up your designer profile — including your design portfolio and a shoppable storefront with design services — with just a few clicks. Your portfolio includes your photo and bio and showcases your recent designs on the platform.

If you don't have real work to include yet in your portfolio, start by creating mood boards and mockups to show off your design skills. If you aren't sure where to start with building a portfolio, these tips might be helpful for you.

2. Hone your design software skills

One of the biggest barriers to entry into the interior design industry has been access to design software. Most interior design software (like Photoshop or AutoCAD) can be difficult and time-consuming to learn and comes with a big price tag. That's why Spoak was created in the first place — to break down this barrier and make interior design tools easy, intuitive, and affordable.

Spoak allows you to build mockups through existing room templates or create your own from scratch to make something entirely custom for your project. You can also quickly import products from the web into your project, remove backgrounds in just one click (seriously), skew those images to scale appropriately, and create a cohesive mockup to bring your design to life.

Nothing is more frustrating than having a design idea in your head and not being able to show what you envision because of a lack of technical skills or access to design tools. I struggled with this constantly. Remember that practice makes perfect, and the best way to learn is by doing.

3. Get your projects organized

Organization is critical for any design project (and any designer out there knows the struggle to stay organized!).

There are a myriad of things to keep track of when it comes to designing personally or professionally — product and furniture selections, paint color choices, budgets, timelines, the list goes on. When designing for yourself, you might be able to get away with organized chaos (I'm looking at you, 30 open tabs), but this system (or lack thereof) won't cut it when designing professionally for clients.

Thankfully, with Spoak, you can keep all your design details in one place. Our Project Editor organizes inspirational photos, shoppable product lists, color palettes, floor plans, a budget tracker, and renderings into beautifully organized lists by project, room, or client. Plus, you can share Spoak projects directly in a presentation view with your clients, where they can comment and leave feedback.

I love this tool because it takes a lot of the organizational burden off of me as a designer and eliminates the need to make a separate presentation for my design projects.

4. Learn the interior design lingo

If you're thinking about pivoting careers into something more creative like design, you've probably already found yourself debating whether or not you should go back to school to study it formally. I'm not here to make that decision for you because everyone's situation is different — but I knew I needed to explore alternative options.

One of the many Spoak perks is the opportunity to further your education online with BeSpoak School, a curriculum of design and business courses (and exercises) created by pros to help you sharpen your knowledge in the space. The classes are fun and digestible, which I love! And you can take them at your own pace. Topics range from spatial planning, color theory (think how to use a color wheel effectively), to how to price yourself and grow your brand.

5. Find a mentor to guide you

Mentorship is such an essential piece of the puzzle in any creative career path. Meeting a real-world mentor in the industry can be difficult unless you know an interior designer personally. The good news is that your mentor doesn't need to be a designer to help you with career advice. My mentor, for example, is someone I met through my first marketing job in New York City. When I was first getting started, I relied on them for personal advice, salary negotiations, and navigating tricky work situations.

Look at your existing network and see if there's someone you admire who would be willing to take the time to help you grow. Think about the areas you want to develop most in — business, branding, work-life balance, etc — and seek out a mentor (or mentors) who can help you in these areas.

6. Build community and friendship with other designers

I saved the best for last: find your people and hold on to them! There's nothing more special than having a group of friends cheer you on in your creative journey. A design support system is crucial.

At first, I struggled to find a sense of belonging in the design industry. There was an element of gatekeeping that I couldn't seem to push through until I found the community at Spoak — and for that, I'm forever grateful. Spoak members get access to a private Slack group, where you can chat with members in real time, get design advice, and generally spend your day laughing at the fun banter there. We also host community meetups and workshops, so you can meet virtually or in person. I've met countless incredible people through the Spoak member community who have become good friends. To put it in perspective: You know that feeling when you meet someone really cool who you know you want to be best friends with, but you don't want to come off too strong while you're just getting to know them? That's how I feel every time I meet a new Spoak member.

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^{Photo Credit: (Left) The Wander Shop; A design project by Daniela Araya}