Women's History Month Profile: Kangsim Lee & Ashley Liu

In this Women's History Month post, we sat down with two of our designers in New York. Kangsim has over fifteen years of design experience, both domestically and abroad, and began her career at Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. in Seoul, Korea. From there, she moved to New York to pursue her Master's in Interior Design at Pratt Institute. Ashley joined Rottet Studio in 2013 after earning her Master's in Interior Design at New York School of Interior Design (NYSID). She also earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Taiwan prior to moving to New York in 2010. She brings to each project a deep understanding of design development and research with a focus in urban and environmental planning.Tell me about your path to a career in design and architecture.Kangsim: Originally, I wanted to go to school for dentistry. But then, I discovered a dormant talent for space design, so I decided to give it a try - and that led me here!Ashley: I studied Urban Planning in Taiwan for both my Bachelor's and Master's degrees. I love how great urban planning/design brings cities totally different and new lives, but I've always been interested in architecture and interior design, as well. One day, I picked up a copy of Tadao Ando's portfolio in the school library and saw the "Church on the Water" in winter view. The beauty of how he incorporated the architectural structure into the landscape was too stunning and gave me goosebumps. From that day on, I decided to study architecture/interior design because I think it is a wonderful thing to bring more joy and beauty to people's lives.What is your favorite part of your job?Kangsim: As much as I enjoy collaborating and interacting with the team and clients, my favorite part is drafting and sketching.How do you feel your experience working in a creative field might have been different if you were in a more corporate industry?Ashley: I always knew that working in a more corporate industry wasn't my thing, so instead of pursuing urban planning, I came to New York to work as a designer. I meet fun, creative souls and learn something interesting everyday in the design industry. Working in a creative field makes me feel young and cool and alive, and it actually gives me more room to play with my ideas and discover what I can do.What advice would you give to young women who are just beginning their careers?Ashley: Open your eyes and train your ears every single minute. Don't be afraid to take on challenges. Try as much as you can, and you will grow much faster than you expected.Kangsim: Make sure you find balance in your career and your personal life; don't lose sight of one over the other.As designers of the workplace, what can we do to foster productivity and creativity while addressing issues of work/life balance?Kangsim: To have work/ life balance, a lot of things should be considered in creating a work environment that promotes efficiency. One example is to have flexible workplaces, which respond to both the needs of the individual and the team.How has your transition from school to full-time employment been? If Rottet Studio is your first full-time employer, what are some unexpected challenges and rewards that you’ve experienced in your first job?Ashley: School doesn't teach you everything, so I was kind of scared the first time I had a meeting with all of the consultants (HVAC, MEP, structure, etc). Everyone talked very fast during the meeting and used a lot of terms that I wasn't familiar with. Because English is not my native language, the most unexpected challenge for me was just trying to understand what everyone was talking about! Now I'm used to it and actually enjoy meeting and learning from the same consultants who used to scare me.