We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sabrina MacLean a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sabrina, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?
Self care is very important to me. Every morning I go for long walks with my dog and go to the gym to weight train. Exercise has been my booster to start my day with lots of energy and with a positive mind set.
Walks on the beach on the weekends first thing in the morning is my grounding session for the week. I do this mostly on Sunday morning. It’s the conclusion of the week where I get to plan the week ahead and meditate on what had happened the week before.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a second generation Interior Designer that was raised in the world of furniture, retail and design. My mother, Carola Hinojosa, started her company over 40 years ago in La Paz, Bolivia and when she moved to the US in 1999 she opened her own studio two years later. Since I was a little girl I was always fond of art and design since at an early age I found myself going to my mothers studio and to her furniture factory. All of my time throughout high school I dedicated to learning more about the back end of the business and growing my knowledge in the competitive design world. She was always my inspiration from day one and my greatest mentor throughout my life. 15 years ago, I joined Hinojosa Studio and year by year I started feeling more responsibility inside of the business. However, in 2019, my mother retired and now I am in charge of the studio. Now, she finds herself living in Cape Town, Africa in which we are still working together developing furniture and product design. It has been an amazing journey along her side, yet still, it is a big responsibility to maintain a well developed business but also so rewarding. On top of that, I am extremely grateful for having an amazing team working with me. After many years of learning, I am proud to say that we have collaborations with different vendors and we are focusing on continuing to do so.
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?
My three skills would be my ability to Multi tasking, my knowledge in psychology, and my organization skills. Being in the field of design, you are in charge of a lot of people. Being able to multi- task is key. There are a lot of people and problems that have to be handled on a day-to-day basis.
With my knowledge in Psychology, especially in residential design, there is much personal interaction with clients. To fully understand a client and be able to easily communicate is a necessity. Since when you are designing their home, a lot of emotions are encountered, being resilient can be very helpful.
Since I am in charge of a successful business, organization helps keep my responsibilities a priority.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I feel overwhelmed, I find it helpful to mediate. Meditating helps me keep a clear and peaceful mind in order to make the right decision. After a long day of chaos and busyness, mediating is my number one tool that I use to not let all of that chaos get to me. Also, every morning I love to start my day taking a walk outside near by home. Walking on green grass and looking at the blue sky, causes my day to feel more peaceful which gives me a good attitude for the rest of the day.
Contact Info:
- Website: hinostudio.com
- Instagram: hinostudio
