Introducing our newest series, Brief Interviews with Assiduous Mules. See how we approach the design process, spend time outside work, and self-diagnose ailments via the terrors of Google.

What did you study in school? How did that lead to or influence you in your current role?

I studied music (cellist here!), so like many other attendees of university, my major had nothing to do with my current job. Plus, I didn’t actually finish. But I am glad I went—you know, something something growing up, expanding horizons, rites of passage, expensive text books, etc.

Playing cello doesn’t have much to do with working at a small design firm outright, but the discipline translates. Classical music is all about deep emotional expression within incredibly technical restraints. It’s about consistency and making your craft look effortless and natural, even though it’s really freakin’ hard. It’s about working in exact sync with a group of others who all rely on each other to succeed. (I could go on but I don’t want to start comparing my bosses to [in]famous musicians. Hi, bosses!)

You studied music. What’s the most glorious sound in existence?

Oh god. I probably have an entire blog post’s worth of “most glorious sounds of all time”.

The first that comes to mind—are you ready for this?—is the sound of an entire symphony playing romantic-era music that depicts a sea or river. Sounds oddly specific, doesn’t it? Refer to The Moldau (Smetana) or Scheherezade (Rimsky-Korsakov) to see what I mean. The rhythms are slow and forceful, big and grand. They wash over you in the most glorious way. It’s like a hug for your ears.

What was your first job in the industry?

I was a Mac Specialist/Mac Genius at an Apple Store. From there, I climbed my way up to Apple corporate and segued into the world of indie companies. And here I am at Mule!

When you investigate a new client lead, what are some red flags to beware?

The way a client treats you during the business development process is indicative of how they’ll treat you during the project. If they have poor communication and unrealistic expectations (with a hefty dose of stubbornness), these will likely carry over and stay with you as long as you choose to work with them. These aren’t necessarily deal breakers, but it’s good to be aware of these things when entering a business relationship.

What’s one question you wish clients would always ask?

In general, I wish clients would always ask questions. Any questions! Questions are good! It keeps everyone from worry, assumptions, and misunderstandings.

What would be your dream client project?

The ones I’m in contact with right now, of course. Smile. Wink.

What blogs or sites do you visit daily?

Twitter, Tumblr, nerd blogs, food blogs, clothes blogs. And Favstar, secretly.

You mentioned that you’re a bit of a hypochondriac. As a child, what was your greatest medical fear?

I wasn’t really a hypochondriac as a child. I was totally fine! My greatest medical fear was biting into a chocolate chip cookie only to find out that it actually contained raisins. Gross.

But then the internet came along. Have you ever felt a little sick and Googled your symptoms? Your cold symptoms start to look a lot like lupus. You become short of breath (a common symptom of lupus). Lupus explains why you bruise easily, and come to think of it, your joints do hurt a little. You’re kept awake at night because the lupus is going to eat you, and you can’t afford to sleep away the little bit of life you have. And now you have insomnia…which turns out to be another symptom of lupus.

Congrats! You’ve been commissioned to design a themed bar. What’s the theme?

Wait, really? I have been waiting all my life to answer this question.

The theme bar will be called Harriet’s and will be designed to look like a grandmother’s living room:

Pastel furniture covered in vinyl, months of saved crossword puzzles and word jumbles, doilies, knickknacks, dust, pictures of grandchildren, potpourri, wooden magazine racks with old issues of Reader’s Digest and TV Guide, Kleenex cozies, clocks that don’t work anymore, guilt masked in hugs and perfume, Chinese checkers, bibles, tapes with randomly recorded episodes of Murder, She Wrote, sweatshirts with kittens and butterflies, needlepoint throw pillows, pill organizers.

There’s a community knitting basket. Fresh cookies are served on the hour, every hour. Go to the kitchen and order a nightcap, you’ll get whatever Harriet makes you. Her specialties are sidecars, milk punch, and white wine.

So that’s Harriet’s.

Tweet | Written by Tina Lee on March 24, 2011 |