THE BEST PART ABOUT BEING IN A TEAM

Before joining forces with my partner Korina in 2015, I had been working on my own since 2008. I knew the struggles of going through all of the ups and downs on my own, figuring out difficult concepts and layouts without having someone to bounce ideas off of. I felt the loneliness of working by myself with only my trades to count on as colleagues and the self-discipline needed to get to work without a team depending on me to show up and get the job done. All of these struggles solved themselves when we became a team of two and then a team of three when we hired Melinda. There was one advantage that I didn’t predict before Hibou Design & Co was formed. It was the creativity and growth that comes with having a team – and it’s the best part.

With the creation of our design firm, our capability of taking on so many projects per year allows us to experience a greater variety of obstacles, clients, and spaces. It allows for a rapid growth as designers since the projects that we each experience individually are shared amongst the group on a day-to-day. We learn from each other’s mistakes and from all of our obstacles.I also feel like it has given us the opportunity to become more creative. With over a hundred clients a year, we have to think outside the box when specifying product so that not all of our projects look the same. It pushes us to stay on top of the trends and what’s new and exciting within our industry. The creative energy is always flowing in our office, we’re constantly exchanging inspiration photos and products.

This topic came up because Korina and Melinda celebrate their birthdays only one week apart this month and it got me thinking about the team we’ve created over the last few years. I cannot be more grateful for the efforts and commitment these women have put into Hibou and the dynamic we have between the three of us. Happy Birthday, ladies!