Every once in a while an artist needs to immerse themselves in a completely new experience to return new and refreshed. Inspiration comes from architecture, new cities, museums and right under your fingertips. The point is creativity needs to be fed. We’re serving up blogs, books, podcasts, and events for the wallcovering installer to immerse themselves within for inspired wallcovering installation projects all year.
Blogs
Blogs may get a bad rap with their clickable headlines and catchy themes, but the truth is they can be quick articles of information around your niche topic that instill a new idea or recent advancement in your industry. For that reason, we advise any professional in their field to sign up for a few blogs that will alert the reader of the latest trends, tips, and thoughts in and around their expertise. We’ve chosen these to get you started:
Wallscape Inc. Blog
We like Wallscape Inc.’s blog for an example of a larger organization of wallcovering professionals’ method of informing their customers. Maybe you’re a sole operator looking to attract new business to your website with a blog. This one is nicely done that illustrates how they address their customers’ frequently asked questions.
Tektura Blog
Tektura shares articles around print inspiration, seasonal trends, and interesting wall textures and design jobs. We love their spotlight on design trends and how they show them incorporated into projects.
WIA Blog
Chances are you’re already here because you want to hear about what’s going on in the wallcovering installation world. We tend to share ways to boost your business, industry trends, and member spotlights of some of our favorite wallcovering installers.
Podcasts
The best part about podcasts is they can be played in the background while you work, before you go to bed, and during your commute. Fair warning though; they are addicting. We’ve found a couple in and around wallcovering and design and also recommend you fold these into your daily regimen.
Paint and Paper Podcast
The podcast by David Cook of D’Franco Finishes only launched earlier this year. We’re excited for the topics he’ll be covering as he goes into more depth with his guests on wallpapering. He’s only started on his podcast, but his blog has covered interesting topics around furniture wallpapering, digital mural walls, accent walls, and more.
Design Matters
Debbie Millman is a gifted designer, speaker, and writer. For the creative, this podcast is a must. Millman hosts creative leaders who shed light on their craft and lifestyle. Since the launch of Design Matters 13 years ago, it has been downloaded over five-million times per year. Millman also holds the title President Emeritus of AIGA and is one of five women to hold the position in the organization’s 100-year history.
Books
A search for books on wallcovering and wallpaper serves up a smattering of books. Some from the early 2000s as well as several from the 1980s - which is to say the choices are limited. It can leave the apprentice-level and guru-level wallcovering installer hungry for more. That’s why we like the book reviews Kathy Leland offers on her website.
Kathy Leland’s Wallpaper Book Reviews
Get a first look inside the design and wallpapering book before you purchase with kathy Leland’s book reviews. Leland brings years of interior design experience to the work she does either online in her fan-based podcasts for HGTV hits like Fixer Upper, and also her weekly video blogs (vlogs) on the latest wallcovering and design books. These are short 5-7 minute videos; just enough to inform you whether to drop that book into your shopping cart.
Events
It’s important to get out and mingle with fellow wallcovering installers. That’s why we’re highlighting the two major events in the field below.
2018 Unconventional Wallcovering Convention
Head to sunny Denver, Colorado September 13-15 for the Wallcovering Installers Association big annual event this fall. They are doing things a little differently this year by organizing the event into two tracks: apprentice level as well as guru level. There are opportunities to take a deeper look into wallpaper manufacturing, gaining greater perspective from designers, and also opportunities for hands-on experience. Beyond
Wallcovering Association Annual Meeting
Breakaway to Key Largo, Florida for the Wallcovering Association annual event January 2019. The event is carefully curated and orchestrated to optimize networking among wallcovering distributors and suppliers and also offers noteworthy guest speakers around business, trends, and interior design.
Immersing yourself into your craft can mean a consistent stream of inspiration as well as ideas. Learning your way around some of the top players, suppliers, distributors, interior designers, and other wallcovering installers will create a wealth of new ideas to pull from in your own work. By curating your own life around design blogs and podcasts, or annual events, you are better positioned to operate as the expert in your field with your clientele.