Lacey M. Johnson, RID

Lacey M. Johnson, RID: And remember that it, it really takes an 18-month cycle to start really feeling the benefits of your hard work.

What does being an Influential Woman mean to you?

Lacey M. Johnson, RID: Hi. My name is Lacey Johnson. I'm owner and founder of LM Creative Studio. My firm specializes in commercial interior design. I'm a registered interior designer, meaning that I can stamp and seal my own drawings alongside many professionals who create services such as, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, architectural, and structural engineering. I also create experiential, environmental experiences. So I'm an artist and I create dimensional art. Mostly, I'm focused on corporate art. So think using a logo in a creative way, to really create an experience, when you enter the space. I've found with static logos and signage, as an employee, entering a space and seeing a logo, if I'm having a bad day can be a bad experience. So not only is art important for clients or your guests, it's important for your staff to feel welcomed and included. So, think logo, but embellished with meaningful textual environments. So, in my business model, I started recently, within a year, created my own business, out of, a sort of family tragedy that required me to resign from my position and sort of bet on myself. And it turned out to be something pretty amazing. I feel like throughout my career, I've had mentors who have tried to encourage me, but I never felt really encouraged to go out and do my own thing. Now, whether people were trying to do that or not, it never hit. It never landed. So, Being an influential woman for me means helping, Gen X, Gen Alpha, even millennials that are younger than me, realize that they can bet on themselves. And, primarily this is influential women. So, of course, I want to encourage young women to, go for that promotion, ask for the money, ask for a position that is fulfilling and challenging because that is how we grow. But of course, there's young men in our field who need that same guidance. So I've always been sort of a nurturer to building up the next generation of designers and professionals. I have never felt a competitive nature towards those above me or, direct reports underneath me because if we work together, we can all create something beautiful. And I'm very honored to be able to create beautiful environments in the United States. So, another aspect of being an influential woman is encouraging those that might be older than me to, go ahead and take that leap and start your company and believe in yourself and also know that whether you've realized it or not, throughout your life, you've had supporters. They're there, they're there to help you emotionally and sometimes financially, your spouse, significant other, parents, if that's the route you have to go. There are grants, business loans, small business resources. I'm finding more and more of those micro grants. Such things like that. And, it's a lot to navigate. It's a lot of forms and research that goes along with business ownership that doesn't really appeal to me, but it's something I have to do now. So this is my new challenge. So if I can give you anything to take away from today is, if I can do it, you can do it. Other people do it all the time. They get their LLC. They, start small, go big, and remember that it, it really takes an 18-month cycle to start really feeling the benefits of your hard work. So if you get started in 6 months in, a year in, It's not where you thought it would be. It's not likely it ever would have been. Just be patient, trust the process, and also trust yourself and take care of yourself. Drink lots of water, stay active. Unplug. That's one thing I have a hard time doing is unplugging from my work, especially because there's a technical side of what I do, which is interior design, and the creative side of what I do, which is, art. So I hope you've enjoyed my little talk and you've learned something.

What's one piece of advice you would give to younger women chasing their dreams?

Lacey M. Johnson, RID: Is just because you can, or somebody told you you should, doesn't mean you should do it. You really need to trust your gut. Anytime that something, a door closed or something sort of tragic happened in my life, it was because I didn't trust my gut. It didn't feel right. And then I took the leap of faith, took that job, even though it wasn't quite feeling right, and it turns out it wasn't. So please trust yourself. Talk to people that you trust. And if it starts to feel ooky, just move on and know another door will open for you.