T
his is not a smiling photo and not joking matter. My message is simple: life is short!
Yes, it’s a big, bad scary world out there but your success is all in your mind. You have the ability to rise above any challenge, so long as you slow down, breathe and think your way out of it. If you have a passion for something, don’t sell yourself or others short by quitting now.
The world at large might be struggling, but I firmly believe that this world can progress by strengthening the skills and character of each person, one at a time. Perhaps that sounds ambitious, but it’s rather simple. This is a great time to educate yourself or see what you’re made of. We’re all being tested. And we are all given just a few dozen years to get it right.
In this issue, we have some common sense advice for managing your time and, if you’re a leader of a design firm, your people. As this is our annual people issue, we remember that it really is people that matter. No one is in this alone, right?
For the fourth year, we have selected the Boutique 18—a group of standout designers who will continue to push hospitality forward.
We received more than 100 submissions this year. While that made our choices particularly difficult, we found the nominations to be encouraging. Never have we read nominations that came so deeply from the heart. Perhaps this trying economic time is doing some good after all.
It is easy to forget that there are so many talented people in this country. But in getting to know this year’s 18, I am proud to say that there is talent out there in places you may have never heard of, and new voices who are strong and sincere. Their rise gives me confidence in the future of design. It will be a joy to watch them take flight.
Onward and upward,
Rebecca
In this photo: Rebecca Goldberg, editor-in-chief; Michael Schneider, publisher. Photo by Kent Miller, Kent Miller Studios at the Smyth Hotel, NYC. Makeup by Kelly Hushin.