Q&A with Vicky Johnson, CEO of Staccato

What gave you the idea for your business and how did it start?

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

What are your keys to making yourself productive?

​Cutting out the noise. “Noise” can be literal or figurative for me but getting down to the core of what I need to accomplish. I’m a big list maker and love the feel of crossing an item off of a list.​

Tell us one long-term goal in your career.​

To develop and design a ​​concept space within a design​ house with pieces from my own line of home decor items and wall coverings. 

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned through the course of your career?

I have learned ​It’s OK to be unapologetic​ ​about your needs. ​There are rules and trends all around us that can dictate or persuade us to do things in a certain manner and for many of us, it just doesn’t feel right. If you need to write it down or draw it out or complete the last steps first then so be it. Once you can master it in your mind, the end product is going to me so much more amazing that following someone else’s formula for merely “getting it done”

What advice would you give to others aspiring to succeed in your field?

​If you are going to be a creative, be a creative. Allow yourself to understand the cues that allow your creativity to flow. THEN you will better understand that your job is not to define someone else’s style, nor to lord your style onto them; but to assist them in unearthing what they see in their mind’s eye for their space. ​

What are your favorite things to do outside of work?

​Travel hands down. I get antsy when I am not able to travel. I have to see, feel and taste things and places. It calms me down while at the same time generating new inspiration.

Name a few influential books you’ve read and/or websites you keep up with that you’d recommend to readers.

​Soar – T.D. jakes
Unthink: Rediscover Your Creative Genius​ ​- Eric Wahl
Anothergirlatplay.com​