25% Meadow, 75% Traffic & Burnt Toast

The more I observe and experience the more I realize that the majority of work isn't what they taught you in school. Not only does this apply to interior design, but every where. In elementary school, high school, and college we're told by teachers and parents to chase our dreams....dream big....land the dream job! What they didn't tell us is that even if you land the dream job, you'll only be experiencing the dream about 75% of the time. They didn't tell my Dad in the Kineseology department that along with getting all the glory for coaching a winning team to the State championship....he'd also be doing laundry 3 times a week, sweeping the gym floor 6 days a week, running the sounds system, being hospitality for the referees, running a concession stand, and repairing the shoot-a-way. The road to glory isn't glamorous. My interior design classes have yet to talk about invoicing, inspections, correct email etiquette, or rules of the construction site. We talk about concept and the psychology of design about 75% of the time in class....I've talked about it in the "real world" about 5% of the time. Today I went to visit a friend who just had a baby in the maternity ward. While waiting for her I was observing the nurses running around like mad-men, cleaning rooms and filing. I started thinking...I bet when they were in school they thought they'd just get to take care of people and take care of babies- I bet they didn't imagine 75% of their time would be spent mopping the floor because a guest of one of the patients spilled a Coke or alphabetizing medical records. My former boss Jeff Miller once gave me the advice that when I go back to school "make everything a meadow". After interning with them for a summer, he was worried that they had hardened me to the real world and that all my projects would become ultra practical. For my year left in college I will try my best to make everything the coolest meadow possible. Even though the real world is really 25% meadow, and 75% construction, traffic, dental cleanings, calling customer service, and burnt toast.