The Interior Design Academy gave me the opportunity to explore an interest I had held since I was a teenager. Thanks to the nature of the course work, I completed it in my spare time at a pace that suited me around my full-time job.
The tutorials were beautifully presented, digital documents I greatly anticipated receiving every fortnight as I expectantly awaited the feedback on my previous assignment. The range of topics covered throughout the course gave me scope to experience the broad opportunities interior design presents and narrow my focus to those aspects that genuinely interest me– such as styling a home for sale, in greater detail than some of the other areas that were currently beyond the direction I am hoping to move toward. I found that the content extended my ideas on interior design and helped me develop a mental framework that was more holistic.
Through the assessment tasks and activities, I developed new drawing and design skills, enhancing the skills I had already acquired in my life’s journey. I found the assignments enjoyable, skill-building and achievable – even though some of them pushed me beyond my comfort zone. The examples of prior students’ work were very helpful in guiding my assignments, and it was beneficial to see that there were alternative ways of achieving similar results. This allowed me to present work that played to my strengths. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to tap into my creative side and positively distract myself throughout the year.
Although the world might have stopped during 2020, my course ran uninterrupted throughout – the team at The Interior Design Academy did not skip a beat in supporting my educational experience. I completed the entire course in about six months, which allowed me the flexibility and option to diversify my study budget and time to undertake another course with the Academy’s sister institution, the Australian College of Professional Styling, which has further supported my new projects.
I am now using my skills and knowledge to run a styling blog on my website, Life-Styled - Tasmania. In the future, I hope to develop my skills in interior design, both indoors and out, as I prepare for new directions in my life. I have gained a great deal of confidence and love that I can help and inform people with the authority of the qualification I earned as an interior designer. I would certainly recommend the Interior Design Academy to anyone who would like to upskill for personal or professional reasons.