ARE YOU WHERE you’ve always wanted to be?
It took me a long time to realise that design wasn’t just a hobby in the background of my previous technology-based career. However, once I recognised my true passion was incorporating professional design in both corporate and residential spaces, then I’d finally arrived at where I wanted to be.
What is your biggest professional challenge?
Making our local and regional market realise that home-grown design is a necessity for success and not an optional add-on; that people buy with their eyes first and that design should be respected as a viable career path and revenue earner.
What is your biggest life challenge?
Being daring enough to dream big and brave enough to follow my dreams.
When you look to the future, what do you see?
Driftwood Dreams Designs with a website-based ecommerce presence where its Caribbean-inspired home decor product lines can be sold and exported worldwide.
What is your favourite pastime?
I’m a seriously avid boot camp enthusiast and I’ve just started swimming classes. I also love to run, have competed in a few 10K runs and would like to extend my running distances.
What is your favourite meal?
Braised lamb or pork with sautéed or steamed vegetables and (if I’m being naughty . . . ) followed by crème brûlée or cheesecake for dessert.
On Saturday nights, where are you likely to be?
After working the entire day creating new decor lines or producing existing product lines, I’m either researching new design elements or just reading voraciously!
What upsets you the most?
When our business and/or political leaders incessantly talk about how important entrepreneurship is to our economy but on closer inspection next to nothing is really being done to truly encourage and support entrepreneurs of ALL ages; and not just the ones 35 years old or younger. Older, more experienced people who can also become our entrepreneurs of tomorrow are being laid off every day. Enough talk! What we need now is viable action!
What is your guiding philosophy?
In all endeavours, be true to yourself . . . you’ll end up in a much more satisfying place.
If you had the chance to manage Barbados for a day, what would you do?
Get each prominent leader to exchange their day with a Barbadian who has been seriously challenged physically, financially, mentally or spiritually by the state of our economy today. Later that day, I’d have a televised town hall meeting with all parties and the press to discuss how our leaders’ policies and rules have helped or hindered our citizens. Immediately followed by an on-air draft of a signed charter that highlights what really needs to be done to heal our nation along with deadlines for measurable deliverables that will set us on a clearer path to success for all.
