Defining Design

In episode 15 I talk to Sam Krabill who is a Mechanical Engineer for Prater Engineering. She walks us through how a mechanical engineer may walk through a project and the things she notices or responds too about the design and things she does to keep the people in the building comfortable. We joke that it does feel like the hidden design of a building, something that no one really sees or notices but affects us greatly! But as designers she too fell in love in Mechanical Engineering the same way architects that I have spoken too love their career, its all about putting together a puzzle, that is the building.

In episode 14 I talk to fellow Architect Mike Zumpano. Mike takes us through how he started his path to architecture from the early influence of his dad, but took it and made it his own. Architecture for Mike encompasses so much potential to learn new things with each project. He talks about Architecture as an avenue to not only be curious but to find ways to pair your interests and hobbies outside of the day to day and bring it to your career. A great example of this is when he was able to bring in his love for drones and drone photography and merge this technology into to a beneficial part of his job. Listen as he describes all the ins and outs of architecture that continuously evolve but never stop being exciting.

For Episode 13 we talk to Teresa Gellenbeck, owner of Teresa Charleen Photography who specializes in taking senior photos. We step behind the lens and learn what it is like to capture the moment for people while being their authentic selves within her style of the "golden hour" photos. Teresa talks about her early love for entrepreneurship, starting a lemonade stands, organizing a babysitters club, and then going to The Ohio State University for Business and Marketing. Her entrepreneurial spirit paired with finding her love for capturing candid moments with her family stirred her passion to start a photography business. If that doesn't sound time consuming enough, she is also a marketing teacher by day! Teresa is an example of a self-taught, creative business owner who continues to learn, and finds that the beauty of photography is really the beauty of the people she captures.

Ben Haslow, Associate Principal at Lupton Rausch Architects, joins me for Episode 12. His journey starts with learning very technical skills which brought him into the world of design thinking Architecture was his end goal. Something you will learn about Ben is that while in the pursuit of his degree and eventually career he did not enjoy what he thought he would about architecture or interior design. He found a passion for the human experience of a space, teaching, learning new softwares, and diving into details of a project, all while building his career. A career can look very different than you think and Ben's story shows that if you are unsure of the path you chose, you don't have to make big changes to re-claim your passion for it.

In Episode 11 we take a peek into the world of interior design, meets furniture design, meets healthcare solutions. Kathy Pottschmidt takes us through her journey from being interested in interior design through a friend's sister to gaining experience in the healthcare furniture sales. Her work process, especially for healthcare solutions, has always involved asking a lot of questions. She talks about the empathy designers need, the value of being trained by healthcare workers to know how they care for their patients the best, and using furniture to solve inherent problems in a complex space.

Episode 10 is a different kind of episode, instead of my regular interviews this is the first Topic Breakout! I have a special guest, my husband Jacob to talk about what it is like to live with a designer. He has been surrounded by design his whole life, thanks to his dad being an architect and being there with me through my entire education and beginning of my career. We talk about all of that and what his perspective has been looking in from the outside.

Jamie Goth sits down with me for Episode 9 and walks me through her story of art, painting, and finding a love for watercolor creations. She recently decided to share her paintings and started a business, specializing in hand-painted watercolor paper goods, called Porch Swing Paper Studio. Surprisingly, this is her "second" job, in fact she is an attorney by trade. In her off time though you will find her testing watercolors, designing greeting cards, customizing pieces for family, and finding inspiration throughout life. She talks about having a foundation of art but when life and work stress increased watercolor became an outlet again. Her family pushed her to keep going, all while being her biggest cheerleaders, proving that creating, even as a hobby, is always a possibility.

Episode 8 I bring back another fellow Architect to the podcast. Luke Kamp is a Ball State Alumni along with Reed Thompson (Episode 5) and myself, as well as a Registered Architect. Luke recently transitioned to a project management role where he wears many hats, including one of entrepreneurship. We talk about what interested him in Architecture and his roots growing up near Chicago, and how in his first job at an architecture firm fell in love with educational projects i.e. schools, auditoriums, stadiums. His new-found interest is one that is all about the business of Architecture or Design and what is takes to build one. 

Allyson Fronk creator and owner of The Pemberley Creative joins me for Episode 7. As a born creator, Allyson was around creative processes including a printing business of a former swim coach. But even though she enjoyed the art, she pursued a higher education degree in Mechanical Engineering. In school and in her early years of her career she loved projects that were about people and making things with the human needs in mind. Her step into entrepreneurship wasn't easy but her decision to create her own calligraphy business sparked her beginnings in highly customized, handwritten, wedding decor. Allyson brings process driven artistry to a wide range of products; a process with the help of an engineer's eye to provide the best products for her clients.

I talk to Litany Zenz, a Construction Project Manager at Turner Construction, and listen to her journey of finding the career that fit her best. Her initial thought was to go to school to be an architect, but after a real life experience of what that looked like, decided to shift gears and focus on construction management. Her love for people and always adapting to the project, the team, and the lessons learned aligned with what she was passionate about. Working as the design team's field expert requires that she interact with every person that it takes to make a project successful.