Meet Christina Johnson | Interior Design Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christina Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I think work/life balance can be a hard thing to gauge when you’re young, right out of school and trying to feel your way through a new profession. I remember the early days of staying at the office for 24+ hours straight, working on a deadline, eating dinners late at the office. In my first job out of school I gave up family birthdays, weekends, evenings at home, all for the sake of figuring out my place in the industry, and honestly I felt like it was expected of me to do that. But finding balance has become such a huge part of who I am as a designer, and as a person, that I got to the point in my career where continuing on like that wasn’t sustainable. Balance looks different to everyone, but for me, it consisted of being inspired by many things : family, hobbies, physical and mental health, friends, travel, and I wanted to make sure I had time for all of that. I don’t regret putting the hours in when I was younger and had less things demanding my time. I was able to fast track some of my certifications, learn so much about the industry, and get to a point where I was even remotely ready to help start a firm in my mid 20s, but I always felt like that 60-70 hour work week was temporary, or “as needed”. When we started Private Label, being able to be flexible in how we work and when we work was important and it has stayed a consistent of ours as a company. Being flexible brought on its own challenges of knowing when to step away, especially when we can – and do – work anywhere, but I’m a better advocate for myself and others now, making sure that those boundaries are in place and respected as much as possible. I think as a creative also, inspiration can come from anywhere, at anytime, and being stuck at a desk working on deadlines is sometimes a necessity, but a lot of times is the exact opposite of what we need to be able to charette new ideas. Some of the best designs I’ve come up with have been from seeing something while traveling, getting out to grab lunch at a new restaurant, going to a play or concert, or just being able to clear my head and get some fresh air.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Private Label is celebrating it’s 15th year this year, which is a very exciting accomplishment. Our core values are community, innovation and fiscal responsibility, and we don’t just say that, it’s truly who we are are as a company and as people. Our very first website that we put together all those years ago said “it’s about you.” It’s not about us, and we have always felt like that’s an unusual thing to say as an interior design firm. We don’t have a set style, or a specific agenda, our goal has always been to align ourselves with our client’s business plan and we measure our success with how well we are able to represent their needs and connect them with their targeted demographic. It’s even in our name and what a private label is. Our culture as a firm is really important to us, and that’s why community is our first core value. We care about the people that work with us, about our clients, and good design is a result of the connections that created it, not the other way around. It was not an easy road to get here, we started Private Label in the middle of a real estate recession and we’ve weathered many ups and downs since, but I think that started us with the right amount of caution and risk to make strategic decisions to always keep us moving forward. Anyone that works in a creative field that is affected by worldwide culture and economics will always have challenges to face, but we’ve aligned ourselves with a team we trust and built something we believe in so it takes a lot of the worry away knowing that. I know our clients feel that difference when they work with us, we’ve been told it many times. I’ve been in the industry for over 20 years now, and I’m the least experienced of our three executive level team members, so the knowledge is there, we’re good at what we do, but our egos don’t get in the way of making sure we, and those around us, are successful.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Gilbert and there are quite a few things to do in my little neighborhood. I would want to go to Postinos and Euro Cafe and probably the Farmer’s Market. We’d head further away and hit Crescent Ballroom or Last Exit, Rebel Lounge, or the Marquee, depending on who’s playing and where. I would definitely want to go to the Mission in Old Town because I love Mexican food and it’s the absolute best. If it’s basketball season, we would need to see the Sun’s play. We would get bread from Proof Bakery and tea from Cartel. We would do a history walk in downtown Phoenix that would take us to the Rosson House, The Hotel San Carlos, and finish with dinner at Hanny’s. And since we have a whole week, I would want to venture out of the city for at least part of our time and head north to the Verde Valley to see Jerome, Sedona, and Cottonwood and back to the valley through Prescott. If the weather is good, I would want to go for a hike at either Usery Mountain or Superstition, or both if we have time. That really only scratches the surface of all the great places we have in the valley but they’re some of my favorites.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would have to recognize my team at Private Label. Wendi, our principal, is not only my colleague but one of my good friends. We’ve been through a lot and have known each other for about 18 years. We’ve built something we’re super proud of but she’s also been a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on and a cheerleader at all the times I’ve needed those things. Wendi, Robbyn and all the members of our company are so vital to my day to day that I couldn’t do what I do without them.

Website: www.privatelabelintl.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pl_studiolive/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjohnson25/

Image Credits
Legacy Images www.saclegacyimages.com Aaron Locke Photography aaronlocke.com Kevin Brost Photography www.kevinbrost.com Daniel O’Connor Photography & Digital Media www.danieloconnorphoto.com NFC Photography www.nfc-photos.com