When I graduated from college with a teaching degree, I knew right then that I would not make a good teacher. I realized that it would be really hard for me to stick to all the rules and regulations, since I'm a free, creative spirit. That's when I had to make a decision, to either stick with a career that I knew would not satisfy me, or forget about the time and money that went for my education and find a new path.

Long story short, a year later I was hiring my first assistant, because my interior decorating business picked up to a point where I wasn't able to do everything and had to send people away with nothing. I found myself perfectly in this creative, a bit crazy world of paint colour wheels, fabric swatches, cabinet makers and flee market hunting for rare pieces. It was all a bliss except for one thing. I'm a very eco -conscious person, but I was wasting a lot of paper on my presentations to the clients.

Since I felt really bad about it, one day I went ahead and instead of drawing my designs on paper I decided I would do it on the computer. I figured I would just take my laptop with me to meetings and show my clients what my ideas were. Unfortunately I still had to bring paper to write down any comments, sketch out new ideas or write down additional information I would gather. It turned out that I wasn't really saving much paper, if at all, so I knew I had to find another solution.

That's when I discovered pen tablets. From the first moment I saw them, they seemed as if they were the exact thing I needed, and now, after using one for some time, I know for certain that it's the best investment in my career as an interior designer. I wanted to save paper, and I ended up with a tool that improved not only work quality for me, but also my professional image.

First off, I could draw my designs with a stylus, which resulted in real drawings and not computer generated graphics. I could still, however, use different graphic programs, so a combination of softer, hand drawn angles and for example computer generated textures resulted in some amazing designs. Thanks to combining human touch with digital images, the designs took less time to be created, so for the first time since starting the business I felt like I could take a week off and my assistant would manage easily with the clients.

Another very important benefit of using graphic tablets when designing for somebody is the ability to make quick changes. I take my tablet to meetings with clients and if they want to see how a given room would look with rearranged furniture, or maybe they want to try a different colour on the walls, it's a matter of seconds to show them different options without losing on quality. I can also put notes right on the drawings, for example write down an address for an antique store where they have a perfect vase, or the name of the fabric that I should avoid for the curtains.

I'm glad that I went with my instinct and didn't stick with teaching. Now our company hires four interior designers and we're branching our into landscape design. I say our, because my first assistant is now my partner. We're all working on graphic tablets, and when we hire our first landscape architect, that's what he or she will be working on too, because it's just the perfect equipment when you're a designer on the go.