Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Whiteside.
Erica, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started out on my own design venture back in 2016. I was working at a large commercial architectural firm and wanted to get back to my roots of hands-on design and focus on a quality of craftsmanship. I mainly work with residential interior design clients but I also style weddings on the side. I am keeping the wedding scene to a minimum, with the hopes of expanding into corporate event planning. I have an eye for detail and tend to become a little obsessive over a design at times. I will find myself lost in the world of CAD and Photoshop for hours on end, creating my own worlds, balancing the act of staying focused on the clients aesthetic and needs! I tend to listen to podcasts while working, I have an obsession with History and have found myself really enjoying all the unsolved murder mystery stories that have been trending! When I’m not working away on my Mac, I am running around the South Shore, hunting down vintage and antique treasures. I’m so lucky to be able to work with such wonderful clients, they trust me and always let me sell them on balancing out the modern design with a splash of eclectic flair! I get to travel a decent amount and these are the moments I love to share on my Instagram. I have found the social media app to be an amazing way to self-market and to connect with other creatives in the Boston Area. It’s a wonderful time to be a designer and I love what I do!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The path I have taken is anything but cookie cutter! I have worked in small and large settings. I started creating Anthropologie displays back in college, then moved to NYC after graduation, here I worked on very high-end homes in and around Manhattan. This brought me to a wonderful landscape design company in Brooklyn. I worked with an amazing team and had a wonderful mentor for over a year. This experience expanded my knowledge of the design software, like SketchUp and PhotoShop, to an extreme! I also got to work with power tools and was hands-on with the construction of wood fabrication. This wasn’t an easy go. Being a female and working with men carpenters was a real challenge. This one time, I had to manage a team of metal workers, they completely botched an installation and I had to tell this group of rough and tumble men, that they did it wrong. I was so lucky to have such an amazing boss. He encouraged me to stay strong and that I must build a thick skin to be a female in this industry! I really appreciated his encouraging guidance and reflect on how lucky I was to have him as a boss. But here I am, back doing interior design and balancing my time with creating content for Instagram. Being creative can lead you to many places, so many opportunities I have had, not most designers get to have. With this, I encourage the younger designers to take risks and step out of the norm! Who knows where it may take you!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Little Whiteside – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I work for myself, first and foremost. Occasionally, I will freelance and pick up a gig for a local design or architectural firm. But I have been building up a clientele in the area for the past year, I’ve worked really hard to get here. I specialize in space planning, I love seeing an old home, well lived in that needs a facelift for a modern family. This is when I thrive. I’m currently working on a second home for a client on their Vermont estate. They have a small greek revival one-story cottage. We are expanding the square footage without going up, preserving the rooflines and the original architectural integrity. I have a real soft spot for historical homes, I always try my best to encourage the client to keep the homes original identity. Today, you see so many bad renovations that are clumsy and thoughtless. I was fortunate to take a couple courses at the BAC last summer in architectural preservation. We spent 2 weeks in the Hudson Valley region, studying Gilded Age mansions. I really appreciate the craftsmanship of that era and look at it for inspiration for my designs.
There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
Fining a good mentor who has the same career focus as you is a difficult task. I would first advice you to befriend a professor if you are still in school! After that, your best bet is to find one at your next job. When interviewing for a position, remember, you are also interviewing them. I use to arrive at my interviews with a few key questions and I always wanted to know who I would be working with directly and what type of creative environment it was. Collaboration is such a big part of the design, so finding the people you jive with is key! As for networking, engage with people on all levels. From social media to local events. I have met some amazing creatives through Instagram. A few that live in my area, we found each other though hashtags and geotags! We set up a coffee date and have been Insta-friends ever since! I also have a know amazingly talented bloggers from afar, one I got to meet down in North Carolina last year on a trip! So my advice, respond to your post’s comments, send some friendly messages to people who you admire and join a community with a focus on something you are passionate about!
Pricing:
- Instagram, rates starting at $125 per/post
- Auto-Cad and SketchUp, rates starting at $35 per/hour
- High-quality 3D Renderings, rates starting at $45 per/hour
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.ericawhiteside.com/
- Email: hello@ericawhiteside.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/little_whiteside/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Erica-Whiteside-Interiors-Lifestyle-1576432262453749/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/erica_whiteside/
Image Credit:
Whiteside Creative
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