I’m here to tell you that you can do anything.
I had a dream to start my own architecture firm, and in 2020, I became the proud owner of a small but mighty business—Studio PLEARN. Check us out!
It is a JOY grown out of a great but worthy risk.
We love our maneki-neko (“lucky cat”) figurines
A LEGACY OF PLEARN เพลิน (‘JOY’)
My life is temporary. But my values are not. So how do want to be remembered? I want to leave behind a legacy of เพลิน and flavor it with my roots.
เพลิน in Thai means Joyful.
Joy does not depend on happiness. Although used interchangeably, they are not truly synonymous. Happiness reacts. Joy is a choice. The definition of joy doesn’t mention happiness at all.
PLEARN (เพลิน) is defined this way: full of joy, as a person or one's heart; glad; delighted; showing or expressing joy as actions.
I aspire to cause delight in the hearts of our employees, colleagues, and clients through joyful architectural design. Yes, roadblocks may alter the plans, process, or schedule of a project; running a business is in itself an occupational hazard; and interpersonal conflict comes with the territory of relationships. No one would expect happiness to define these challenges.
I aspire to cause delight in the hearts of our employees, colleagues, and clients. Yes, roadblocks may alter the plans, process, or schedule of a project; running a business is in itself an occupational hazard; and interpersonal conflict comes with the territory of relationships. No one would expect happiness to define these challenges.
My team expresses joy with through our architecture. PLEARN, once explained, puts people at ease and allows me to share how my team can practice the challenging profession of architecture joyfully with them. It clicks with people.
THE RESILIENCE OF PLEARN เพลิน (‘JOY’)
PLEARN (joy) has helped us to persevere through challenges and celebrate the smallest of victories. It allows us to grow and charge forward in our vision to create enriched environments that enhance communities and people through equitable design.
Renovating current facilities in the Civic, Education, and Healthcare spaces addresses the current economic reality: less large buildings are being built. This project scale means that the client cost is equitable for more communities. These industries impact a greater number of people than is often realized.
While we prefer small projects, our professional experience is primarily with larger buildings so we can bring that level of experience to all types and scale of projects. This means our firm can scale up more easily than a big firm can scale down. As an adaptable Historically Underutilized Business (HUB), we provide equitable opportunities for designers from minority ethnicities, and increased minority representation on larger project teams.
WHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT PLEARN เพลิน (‘JOY’)
As a small business owner I’ve gained so much from learning as I go. For anyone taking a risk, I offer these few nuggets of wisdom:
Be yourself. As a female Asian American, I get to help pave the way for other young entrepreneurs, especially female/minority business owners. Contrary to misconceptions of Asian Americans as the silent minority, I proudly embrace my directness, confidence, and quirkiness.
I’m charting my own course and accepting that I will learn from my mistakes. With my limited bandwidth as a mother, I’m working smarter, not harder, like choosing 1-on-1 meetings over larger BD events.
Trust your people. The gift of trust shows my team I support them beyond their industry expertise. They are free and encouraged to pour into their families, tackle academic goals, prioritize volunteering, work on a contract basis if need be, and set flexible hours when the 9-to-5 doesn’t fit their lifestyle. Because I trust them, they are more dependable and joyful teammates. It also adds opportunities to give back to our community.
As a volunteer, Albert Condarco, our Senior Architect, shares his personal time as an architect mentor through UTSA’s Kids Initiating Design Solutions (KIDS) Elementary Architecture program. KIDS is an architecture-based program offered to 3rd and 5th grade students where participants learn art and design concepts by way of exploring the built world.
Students from local schools participate in hands-on learning through UTSA’s KIDS program.
Take risks. Don’t be afraid to take chances. Don’t be afraid to take on opportunities that might scare you. I’ve heard it say that there’s no such thing as overcoming your fears…You face your fears and go through them, and do that again and again. Make it your life’s practice.
Commit to resilience. Taking risks is not for the faint of heart. Be ready for failure. Be ready for disappointment. If you’re not failing, you’re not reaching far enough. And when you do get the wins, celebrate those big time!
Ask and learn. Ask the “dumb” questions (there are no dumb questions). Surround yourself with wise people whom you trust. Be a listener and learner. Be a sponge. Receive wisdom and pull from it what works for you. I am a part of the City of San Antonio's Mentor Protégé Program with Pfluger Architects. which is a great way for a small start-up to grow into a strong business. I’ve learned so much from my colleague, Joshua Newton and the leadership group at Pfluger Architects, and have appreciated the guidance and counsel to help set the foundation for our success at Studio Plearn.
Have you ever had a dream that… you could do anything?
Dreaming and risking is a practice in humility and resiliency. Reaching your goals is more like a marathon than a sprint. There will be many emotions that accompany you on whatever journey you’re on.
But เพลิน… it transcends circumstances if you commit to it.
Written by Michelle Stedman, Founder and Principle of Studio Plearn