Meet Bill Frey | Artistic Lighting Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bill Frey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bill, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Work-life balance is one of the hardest parts of being an entrepreneur. There is a constant struggle between how to focus your time and trying to be truly present in your life. For many years this issue plagued my self-happiness. During this period I did not let myself step away. I was in the mindset that if I didn’t do it, the task did not get done. If I was not at work, I was reading business books or working on forecasts, or even worse I would be thinking about my business rather the being present in my surroundings and with my family. Over time you realize what is important. The answer is both work and life and equally important. If you are not truly happy with your life you will always be chasing something in business you can’t achieve. If you are not happy in your business it carries over into your life and can drag you down. Having a good work-life balance comes with work, time, persistence, and consciousness of your surroundings.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Most people take lighting for granted or just believe more is better. However, the ability to edit is a wonderful tool. What sets me apart from other designers is the ability to connect with the client and not provide cookie-cutter lighting. This is done by highlighting natural features and allowing the beauty of the project to be enhanced with lighting and not have the lighting take over. Getting to this point was no easy task and took many years and a few breaks to achieve. The first thing you have to do is believe in yourself. If you do not believe in yourself how can you have others believing in you and what you can produce? Many times, my lighting is an interpretation of what the client is looking for. They provide me with the emotion they are trying to bring about and I work within those perimeters to create something beautiful and memorable.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When I have company there are a few things I make sure to do. First and foremost is go see Atlanta United and spend the better part of the afternoon tailgating. There are some other spots that you want to ensure you see. Going to Little Five points never disappoints and since you are in that area, I make sure we grab a burger at The Vortex. At least once we will go play disc golf at one of the many courses around town. We will also make sure to stop by one (if not more) of the local craft beer breweries.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to take a minute to thank my village. It is a common saying that “it takes a village” to do certain things and building and running a business exemplifies that saying. Although being an entrepreneur makes you feel alone a lot however that is the furthest thing from the truth. All of those out there that support you in your day to day are the reason you get up and get moving every morning. Without their encouragement support and sometimes kick in the pants, it would be easy to just quit when things got tough. This is a thank you to all of those who have had a kind thing to say to lift their spirits. There have been many who have helped me out of a mental jam or a process issue but those who support me day in and day out are the ones I want to say thank you to – My family. Sometimes the smile on their faces is rewarding enough.

Website: www.illuminating-design.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/illuminating_design/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-frey-14a3757a/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IlluminatingDesign
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp1DdVb0_ju0wDb-D3kIf6w