Last weekend I had the pleasure of sitting with designer and author Orlando Soria in his sunny West Hollywood kitchen. We talked about his childhood growing up in a national park (!) and his path to interior design, as well as the ways in which we all struggle with imposter syndrome and trying to work […]

Last weekend I had the pleasure of sitting with designer and author Orlando Soria in his sunny West Hollywood kitchen. We talked about his childhood growing up in a national park (!) and his path to interior design, as well as the ways in which we all struggle with imposter syndrome and trying to work for more civility on the internet.
I so appreciate Orlando’s presence in the creative community. His honesty, transparency and sense of humor online (and in print) are so refreshing and the conversation we had about the way people in design try to balance their diverse interests was so needed. He said something that really stayed with me: “I have beliefs about certain things and there are things happening right now where I think people need to be aware that they’re heard, understood and supported. So I will speak up when I can. It bothers me when people tell you to shut up and nod. It’s upsetting to see because these are all intelligent, educated people who have full lives and full voices. It can be annoying to be expected to sort of just fit into one little tiny [box].”
All of us in the creative community have complex lives, identities an...