With the Woman Wednesday series, CatMax Photography introduces you to exceptional female entrepreneurs who have gone through the CatMax Personal Branding Experience. Today, I invite you to meet Leah Meyer Perez of Leah May Interior Design.
Leah Meyer Perez loved interior design before she even knew what it was and considered a career in architecture. Thanks to some misguided advice from an art teacher, she ended up exploring the world of interior design instead and hasn’t looked back.
Leah Meyer Perez of Leah May Interior Design
Photo Credit: CatMax Photography
Her Standout Style
Since graduating with an associate’s degree in interior design in 2008 and launching Leah May Interior Design a few years later after some persuasion from her husband, the Ohio transplant has participated in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Designer Showhouse and been named one of the Atlanta Faces of Design by Modern Luxury Interiors Atlanta.
Her approach to residential interiors includes using soft neutrals, layers of texture, and personal pieces from clients to design spaces that are pretty and practical. Leah is also a fan of incorporating salvaged antique items in unexpected ways. She affectionately calls her aesthetic “an eclectic mixture of organic European and French Provincial styles with a slight touch of industrial.”
Designing a Dream Career
Among the many facets of her work Leah says she enjoys, the ability to be creative and watch her visions come to fruition are some of her favorites. She adds that those are followed closely by knowing that the spaces she creates improve her clients’ quality of life.
When she reflects on the journey that led her to where she is today, Leah acknowledges that being a creative entrepreneur can be far from easy. Yet, she continues to cherish the freedom it gives her and the opportunity to forge her future. She tells those looking to pursue (or are already on) a similar path to “find a good support system.” Saying, “Make friends with others in your field who have their own business too. You need each other; to learn from, to grow with, to vent. I wouldn't be where I am without my tribe of amazing, powerful entrepreneur women (and my husband) who have my back.”
Getting Outside Her Comfort Zone
One way Leah recently sought to grow her business was to do her first-ever brand photo shoot to enhance her marketing. Though the experience was new to her, she is thankful she took the plunge and trusted CatMax Photography. “It’s money well spent. … Cat made it so easy. She thinks outside the box and makes great suggestions for getting unique, fun shots. I felt relaxed and well taken care of,” Leah says.
Photo Credit: CatMax Photography
Some of her most-loved photos from her Personal Branding Experience are the images of her branded mugs and the floral shots that were captured, which Leah plans to use as watermarks and backgrounds for cards and Instagram posts.
Aside from the outstanding pictures and direction, Leah says she also appreciated the detailed guidance provided in advance to help her prepare for the photo shoot. “If you are going to do it, do the prep work,” she says to anyone considering a Personal Branding Experience. “It will make the shoot so much easier, and you'll have more images and better branding material to show for it too.”
As someone who has seen numerous times what pushing past your comfort zone can lead to, especially when you partner with the right people, Leah encourages others to do the same—whether it’s starting a business or simply stepping in front of the camera for the first time.
You can learn more about Leah’s Personal Branding Experience by watching a recap of our Instagram LIVE Q&A. Click here to view it and be sure to follow CatMax Photography on Instagram at @catmaxphoto and Leah at @leahmayinteriordesign.
