A time capsule from 2011 (the dream I didn’t know I was manifesting)
In November 2011, I answered a question that felt simple at the time:
What is your vocation?
Back then, I was content in my tech career, happily employed at Microsoft. I was newly married, with a full social calendar. I was not remotely thinking about interior design. It wasn’t a hobby. It wasn’t a passion project. It wasn’t even on the list.
And yet… I wrote this paragraph:
A house becomes a home with people, memories, stains and clutter. Your home forms the center of your life. It is the place where you eat, drink, sleep, clean, dance, love, fight and learn. I want to create spaces that inspires a child to learn something new. I want to design solutions that makes the life of a working mom a little less overwhelming. I want to add color, shapes, and dimensions to every day items so it becomes a conversation starter. I want to inspire families to take a leap of faith and work with me towards creating a space that lets them be themselves.
I read it now and think: How did I write that? Why does it sound like the blueprint of my life today?
Because in 2011, I had zero inclination that this would become my work. I wasn’t designing spaces, studying layouts, or dreaming about starting a studio. But my heart was already telling the truth.
The version of me who wrote that didn’t know what was coming.
That paragraph wasn’t a plan. It was more like a reflection, something I felt deeply without knowing why. And the strangest part? It was incredibly specific.
The idea of home being messy and meaningful. The idea of space shaping how we live. The desire to make life lighter for a working mom. The need for color, joy, function, personality. Fifteen years later, I’m living inside those words.
Because homes aren’t about furniture. They’re about people.
A home is where real life happens. It’s where kids learn and grow. Where families juggle routines. Where we try to stay on top of the clutter (and sometimes don’t). Where we come back to ourselves, again and again.
And I think that’s why those 2011 words hit me so hard now. They weren’t about design, they were about care.
Maybe we don’t “find” our vocation…maybe we grow into it.
Looking back, I don’t think I suddenly discovered interior design one day. I think I became the person who could do it…slowly, through life’s experiences, through seasons of life. Through finally learning what matters to me and what I want to create for others.
And somehow, in 2011, my younger self already knew the themes:
creating spaces that inspire
designing solutions that make life easier
adding color and dimension to the everyday
helping families feel at home in their own homes
That was the seed. It just needed time.
If you’re reading this and you feel behind… you’re not.
Sometimes the life you’re meant to live starts as a sentence you write without realizing it. Sometimes you’re not late, you’re just becoming. Fifteen years later, I’m building a career around a dream I didn’t even know I manifested. And I’m grateful for the journey and for the families who trust me with designing their home.
Maybe manifestation isn’t always vision boards and perfect clarity. Maybe sometimes it’s just truth, quietly written and patiently waiting to come home.