We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Eddie Mickenberg. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Eddie below.
Eddie, thank you so much for making time for us today. We’re excited to discuss a handful of topics with you, but perhaps the most important one is around decision making. The ability to make decisions is a key requirement for anyone who wants to make a difference and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your decision-making skills.
Over time, I see how valuable time is and where I am putting my attention towards. There are times you will need to make snapped decisions and quality decisions. Both need to be made at one point or another. Snapped decisions would be based on trusting my gut on what I believe is the right thing to do on the spot, which doesn’t mean to only consider the little pieces to the puzzle, but more importantly the entire board. If I know I need time I will also communicate that. More than likely people respect that and it shows the level of quality my decision is that I want to bring to the table. Asking the right questions to whomever or even myself is also important. The difference is there is an intention and consideration behind what will help me make a quality decision that in retrospect will either save me time or I will lose time. As small as a 1hr consultation or as large as putting together a detailed in length proposal for a 5,000 sq ft home design. I want to always bring the best value for my clients and myself. The decision you make now may not affect you right away, but it will certainly affect what happens in the future.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am the owner of an interior and exterior design company in Los Angeles, that focuses on designing residential projects from the ground up, remodels, turnkey, and furnishing services. Your home is the most important environment that can influence your mood, habits, and life. My intention with interior design for my clients is to understand their lifestyle. Implementing their needs/wants and present solutions for around their budget, time, style, and functional everyday needs. For my designs it is important for me to create a mood, story, and feeling to my designs. That element is what makes any design special and custom for each client. There is nothing more special than the way my clients feel when I finish the design of their home, which is the safest place they have. Being a part of that is what makes all of the hard work worth it.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One of the first things that come to mind that was and still is most impactful is the willingness to learn. There is nothing worse than being the know-it-all even at your best. Taking advice when needed, really listening to feedback, knowing your weaknesses and working on them is a muscle that really makes the large machine push further and further everyday.
Another impactful quality is to be okay with rejection and failure. Everyone that is great has and still deals with it. Learning how to bounce back is important. To be very honest, the best way to know if you truly are passionate about something is when you give up during difficult times because I can guarantee you, those days will come. My mission is to inspire people with my work. So for me, that’s one thing that keeps me motivated because there will always be a demand for people who want better for themselves, and I’m here to help you get there by making your home special!
Lastly and consistently, always checking in with yourself. This means understanding yourself and deciding on what makes sense for you. Just because you are really good at something doesn’t actually mean you love it. Really loving your work is the biggest motivation you can have. Everyone grows as a person every year and what you enjoy sometimes changes. What I enjoy the most about my field is always being able to create . Without the element of creativity, I am not serving a purpose. So I do check in with myself regularly to make sure my needs are aligned with my path. When they aren’t aligned that’s when it’s back to the drawing board and altering what needs to be done to get me back to my happy place.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
In the past 12 months, the biggest area of growth for me has been refinement. I am always trying to strategically navigate multiple projects at the same time and within each project countless demands need attention. This is where I build structure for not just my clients, but myself, so I can manage all of the moving parts and make quality decisions that help me become more refined. This is where the focus is important on the entire board as well as the small pieces. I like that part because being challenged to take on large responsibilities feels, at times, impossible. But, somehow I always figure it out. Refinement to me is knowing what needs my attention and time the most. This also sometimes requires me to say no to things and make adjustments that allow me to put the focus on what is needed at the time. I believe that this part of my growth is helping me understand what matters as well as what doesn’t. This would be considered watering your plant and watching it grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.eddiemickenberg.com
- Instagram: emickenberg
Image Credits
Photographer: Andrew Bui
