We were lucky to catch up with Erica Murphy recently and have shared our conversation below.
Erica, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome can cause many of us to be trapped by fear. I am not sure there is such a thing as overcoming Imposter syndrome because when you are a big dreamer, your goals and visions can be very daunting along the journey. When thinking about the level of success you aspire to, there is a possibility to have Imposter syndrome at every level of success. In my business journey, I have dealt with Imposter syndrome because in my college years, in an Architecture program, I was rejected. I carried that rejection with me for years, feeling inadequate. Fast forward to now, God had bigger and better plans for me. Now, I am taking meetings with Architects in collaboration with my own business, ELM Interiors. It can be intimidating sitting in those meetings, but I continually speak affirmations over myself and my business — I deserve this opportunity! With that being said, I believe God will open doors for you bigger than you can imagine, our job is to walk through it by faith! For anyone reading this, you can absolutely feel the fear, but do it anyway!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a certified Interior Decorator and Owner of Erica L. Murphy Interiors, LLC, specializing in Virtual Interior Design and Consulting Services. My company now offers In-home design services, including full-service interior decorating and room styling. When you hire me as your Interior Decorator, you’ll be working directly with me to create an atmosphere within your home that aligns with your personal style. My virtual services are great for those who need an Interior Decorator’s expertise. My E-design service is completely virtual by providing you with a full 2D visual design of your space, and shop links are provided where you can purchase the items from your E-design. I offer customized mood boards for the “do-it-yourselfer” who needs assistance with decor ideas. This service is to get you started on transforming your space with a visual mood board. You can visit my website, elm-interiors.com, to learn more about each service and book with me. My mission is to live out my gifts and purpose, in what I am called to do, through my business. My passion to help people and my passion for design are the reasons why I created Erica L. Murphy Interiors, LLC. I started with just an idea on how I can express my creativity and show my work; I started with creating digital design mockups such as 2D e-designs of a space, concepts, and mood boards and have expanded my business to offering full-service interior design decorating services for residential and commercial properties.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
As a business owner and creative, in a service based business, I like to make sure I am prepared as possible to have a seamless process for my clients. In order to do that, I had to make sure I learned the behind the scenes of how to run a business. Three qualities that are the most impactful for me are: Invest in yourself, Learn from the experienced, Study your craft. Those are three qualities, I believe, will always be ongoing throughout your journey. Invest in yourself by signing up for a conference in your industry, signing up for an online course (some of them are free). When I started planning to expand my business to in-home services, I had to make sure the foundation of my business was up to par for this next phase. Meaning, I had to do my research, find out what it takes to register a business, what affiliations should I join to expand my network. Those are things to invest in that will increase your knowledge and skill set. Secondly, learn from the experienced. The best decision I have made on this journey this far was to get a Mentor. My mentor has been such a blessing in my life by teaching me the ropes, providing resources and knowledge from her experience as an Interior Designer for over 10 years. It is important to get around those who are doing what you aspire to do, I believe that is the best way to learn. And the third quality is to study your craft. Whatever your skill set may be, invest in yourself to learn more about your craft. I decided to obtain a professional certification in my field as a certified Interior Decorator. It is my goal to continue studying my craft to help me level up. Fall in love with learning your craft on a different level. The overall message here is: Never stop investing in yourself, never stop learning from those more experienced, never stop studying your craft.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
I am not afraid to admit, I struggle with feeling overwhelmed, a lot! Especially when there’s so much on my plate and what seems like, not enough hours in a day. I had to learn that resting is part of the process. I had to learn it’s okay to pause when I need to. Resting can look like taking a walk, doing my favorite activity, or taking a nap! I find that when I start to feel overwhelmed, that is a sign I am either getting close to a burnout or I am overthinking everything. What has helped me, other than taking a break, is to prioritize the most important tasks. If they are all highly important, create a realistic list of tasks to accomplish for the day. For example, my to-do list may be 20 tasks, but how many am I going to complete in a day, realistically? Having 3-4 important tasks to complete has helped me feel less overwhelmed and more accomplished. But, it is important to remember to give myself grace if I haven’t accomplished everything, the key is progress, not perfection!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elm-interiors.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elminteriors_/
Image Credits
All photos by Terica B Photography | IG: @tericabphoto
