We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lisa Masteller. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lisa below.
Lisa , so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
A life of any size is multi-layered. Mine is no exception.
Being raised in Orange County, CA with 3 brothers at the time of my adoption, I would soon begin to see my differences as a shortcoming. And even amid a loving family in which I was celebrated, I developed a laundry list of “scars” as I grew:
Undiagnosed Dyslexia,
Weight Watchers at 8 yrs old,
Losing my father to a brain tumor
And even most recent, surviving breast cancer.
It would be accurately said, that I white knuckled” my way through a lot of life. But I hid it from the outside. I needed to be strong for others. And this would soon be discovered as something to reckoned with.
I had enough relationship to ‘Sorrow’ that I have gone through life “braving for impact”.
Though a mostly ‘full of wonder’ type of kid, I covered my insecurities with smiles,optimism and quiet tears. Somehow the recognition of being different was both my identity, good and bad.
So how can someone like me be a voice of resilience? Someone who can feel free to stand in her space without apologies?
To say I don’t struggle here and there would be a right out lie.
But what I can share is that I have come a long way in governing my heart and mindbefore things surface and actually find win moments daily.
I would say out the gate, I am a person full of wonder & vulnerability. And I give myself permission because I now understand that what seemed weak is now a source of strength.
Which isn’t the most popular thing to say, but in essence, keeps me level setting in connecting me to other human beings. This interaction has proven to be the glue in which real connection begins.
In addition, this life isn’t much about me, but the lens in which I get to live. Life, both hard and beautiful, is THE Gift.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I own and operate my design firm, SASS+CO. in Raleigh, NC. We specialize in boutique hospitality design.
You know the expression “Six degrees to Kevin Bacon”? Its almost hysterical and ironic the connection I have based on the life lived up to this point. And as a result, have cultivated a deep empathy and equaled imagination as the by-product in which I move and breathe.
What’s fascinating, as a musician turned designer, this has shaped me well to help navigate clients and leading their vision in the world of Hospitality Design.
From: Cafe, Multi-use, Set, hotel and F&B spaces, SASS + CO. is deeply passioned to infuse people’s unique stories into each space.
From coast to coast we have been given the reins to design for alot of wonderful entrepreneurs and business owners. The larger and out of the box they are, the more I lean in. It’s simply the lane I know, I now fit.
The best part is the relationship we develop within each project. To see others win within the spaces we design them is such a great pay off.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The top 3 qualities that I have found are:
Curiosity. Look at things longer and ask questions.
Resilience. Yes, its a challenge, prove your bigger than the problem.
Vulnerability. Emotional intelligence helps steer the magic of inputting details with consideration.
These play into my creativity as a designer keeping the mentality of invention at the helm of what I do and bring.
Grit and grace are what makes you “ get the towel back out of the trash can” and try it one more time.
Though even know as an adult, it became evident early on that dyslexia had played a bigger role in how I moved in the world.
Not wrong, just different. So I made “work arounds”.
The “one more time” method was ingrained in me at an early age. My father, being an engineer for the space shuttle system, fed a curiosity and somehow embraced the world with a certain studious glow.
However, looking back I would say shame and insecurity greeted me every morning and early to bed at night.
But even in all that turmoil, I had a trust deep trust in God. I trusted enough that perhaps I was wrong about my worth. Maybe what He said about me was in direct opposition of how I felt about me. Either when alone or in a room full of strangers, my value was always in question.
Now that I have grown up, I believe my constant relationship to failures and vulnerabilities actually became the Teacher. The thing that I empathized in others insecurities was a driving force to work on mine. And help grow from it and instead of around it.
In the end, I believe a story is as good as the lesson it offers.
I would encourage that YOU are the ONLY you in this world. Period. One life, one shot.
You are fashioned in such a way inside and out. You matter. Your suffering matters just as much as your brilliance.
To ask for help, along the way is imperative to how we dare live, but IF and WHEN you lean into a “trusted someone” it can easily become the muscle that builds you.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
Receiving help without it “hurting” me. Really being okay with my strengths AND weakness. Since we all have them, it’s good to be surrounded with like minded people who care and connect to growth. Also the ability to keep dreaming. I carry such vision and have seen it come into a design fully activated. That is my commodity. It is emotional and intellectual property that helps other clients, become identified in their space.
In fact, speaking of identity, one development that took place last year, was being found by my birth family.
To be found out of nowhere, and meeting my siblings, cousins and mother for the first time on the island of Maui, was the pivot in which I can now “park my car”.
Even though the circumstances and backstory were pretty heavy, there is a settled piece in me that no longer gravitates to my deep insecurities and fears that I always have held.
I have put most of those down. I am stronger in ways I never dreamt. Yet I am still a Pilgrim in progress.
My passion is to show up different as a designer and woman led company. Truly just want to be a human who cares how she shows up. In this industry especially, there has got to be more than the Hollywood pursuit. And even though I want to be among the best, there is the human connection in and out of our daily lives that make each day a memory more than an event.
I have finally grown and am walking and waking up to the Lisa who gently points to a love greater than her opponent.
I can now say without wincing, I am good at what I do. I give value in places that need it.
And I am open to improvement without shame. I also know that someone somewhere is watching and I want to be in the room with others that live life well.
Growth isn’t all painful. It can be a celebration
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sassafrasstudios.net
- Instagram: sassafras_studios_
- Linkedin: Lisa Masteller
Image Credits
Customer Fabrication : Unrefined Designs Flooring : Corner Flooring Group Renders by : SASS+CO. – Kurt Masteller Photos : Tawny Elise Photo – www.tawnyelisephoto.com IG: tawnyelisephoto All Designs by SASS+CO.
