Anh Lin: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy
Declutter Mindfully: A clutter-free environment promotes mental clarity and reduces stress. I always try to incorporate plenty of storage options into my room designs so that everything has a ‘home.’ When we declutter our physical space, we create room for inspiration to flow.
As part of our series on the “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Anh Lin.
Anh Lin is a dynamic interior stylist celebrated for her captivating designs and thought-provoking writing, including The Abundant Life Devotional Journal. In 2014, Anh’s passion for storytelling and empathy for others inspired her to start the popular faith and lifestyle blog Girl and The Word. Since launching the blog, Ahn has continued to expand her influence through YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and her successful online shop, The Hooga Shop. She lives in a renovated 1940s fixer-upper with her husband and adorable corgi, Ollie. Her upcoming book, Forever Home: Moving Beyond Brokenness to Build a Strong and Beautiful Life, set to be released in September 2023, reflects her personal journey and provides insightful guidance for creating a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
It all began when I graduated from UC Berkeley and moved back into my mother’s house. I majored in English and intended to become either a teacher or a Copywriter, but my life at home became so chaotic that I decided to transform my space into a more healing environment. This new hobby of interior design gave me a profound sense of purpose. I moved out on my own and began transforming each apartment that I lived in, and eventually quit my day job as a Copywriter to pursue full-time self-employment. I eventually felt a calling to share the sweetness of God with others through my work. This led me to create peaceful, trauma-informed devotional videos on YouTube and share therapeutic DIYs on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. These platforms became my canvas to convey my message of healing and transformation.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?
The wildest story happened a little over a year ago. I had just submitted my book proposal to a top publisher when my friend approached me that following Sunday after church and relayed something peculiar. She said, “Anh, I was washing my dishes this morning when I thought of you. I envisioned you in a flowy, white dress running through a field like a small child. I feel like God is going to give you a book, and this picture will be on it.” I immediately teared up and showed her my book proposal cover, which had the exact image of her vision: me in a flowy, white dress running through a field like a small child. But that wasn’t the wildest part. After I showed my friend my book proposal and we cried together out of disbelief, she said, “Anh, this book is definitely a gift from the Lord, but what I sensed was a different kind of book. I sensed a picture book, filled with images of your home and your creativity.” I thought that was so cool and just received her word. Mind you, I’m not usually one to believe in prophetic visions and things, but this gal was anointed. She also had the gall to say that she ‘knows’ that the Lord will allow me to steward a Netflix show one day! I said, “Netflix, specifically? Not like Hulu or Amazon Prime or something else?” She laughed and said, “Yes! Netflix specifically.” Anyway, two weeks later, I received a two-book offer from the proposal that I sent. One book would be Forever Home, my trade book about how to move forward from trauma (which is available now). The second was to be a coffee table book, filled with pictures of my home. Mind you, I had never pitched for that second book. This remains one of the greatest mysteries I’ve ever experienced.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
This lesson was both funny and painful. During my first attempt at peeling off peel-and-stick wallpaper from my rental, I didn’t realize how damaging it would be for the paint underneath. Long story short, my “renter-friendly wallpaper hack” left me with a $1,600 invoice for paint damage throughout the apartment. Lesson learned, big time!
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
My most exciting project right now is a charity-driven makeover series that I’m offering to my audience, called Redeeming Home. My husband, our Bible study group and I get to makeover the rooms of those who are most deserving. Our first clients were a family of nurses who ran into some major life complications (a work injury, a late-stage miscarriage, and other life circumstances) that rendered them quite discouraged. My team and I showed up at their door and gave their family a bedroom makeover that brought tears to their eyes. It wasn’t the products or the aesthetics that brightened their day, but the love that my team had brought into their household. We made sure to pray for everyone, got coffee for the family members, and worked diligently for hours. They saw our love and effort, and it made all the difference. I truly believe that the Lord has blessed that household and is in pursuit of their hearts. I’m currently designing our next client’s bedroom, as well as my biggest project to date: making over my entire church building with my team of volunteers. God’s house should be the ultimate Redeeming Home, wouldn’t you say?
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I’m such a sucker for snappy quotes, so it’s hard for me to just pick one. However, the verse that I always go back to is 1 Peter 5:10: “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” This was the verse that I was given by a gifted pastor when I was going through one of the toughest seasons of my life. Sure enough, after I had suffered a little while, God indeed restored, supported, and strengthened me. He has now established my footing on a firm foundation.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of multiple key figures in my life, but a particular person who I will never forget is my previous Creative Director at my copywriting job. He was only 28 or 29 when he hired me, but he already had the makings of a wonderful leader. During this time, I had just found my “shalom” (my peace) after moving out of my mother’s house, leaving a hurtful church, and moving forward from a long-term serious relationship. I was in a very vulnerable spot and needed someone to believe in me. My Creative Director wasn’t even Christian, but he treated me in such a way that empowered me to have more confidence in myself and what I had to offer. He gave me pep talks after meetings, challenged me to have more ownership of my role, and just treated me with respect and dignity during a time when not many others did. Without really intending to, he helped me to trust in people again and know what it’s like to self-validate. Thank you, Armen!’
Thank you for that. Here is the main question of our discussion. What are your “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1 . Declutter Mindfully: A clutter-free environment promotes mental clarity and reduces stress. I always try to incorporate plenty of storage options into my room designs so that everything has a ‘home.’ When we declutter our physical space, we create room for inspiration to flow.
2 . Personalize Your Space: Adding personal touches like photos, artworks, or meaningful décor items creates a sense of connection and comfort. In Forever Home, I give examples of how I personalize my space with memory boxes. In these decorative boxes throughout my house, I save sentimental photos, pressed flowers, and other memorabilia of happy moments throughout my life. Surrounding yourself with reminders of happy moments can keep you motivated to move forward, one day at a time.
3 . Embrace Natural Elements: Incorporate natural elements like plants, wood, or stones into your décor. These elements bring a touch of nature indoors, fostering a calming and rejuvenating atmosphere. In Forever Home, I show images of my ‘Place of Joy,’ which is a houseplant wall that helps me feel more regulated. It allows me to take care of beautiful things for the sheer joy of it.
4 . Play with Lighting: Thoughtful lighting can transform the ambiance of a room. I always follow the rule of having 3 different light sources in every room: a table lamp, floor lamp or shelf lamp, and some form of ceiling lighting. These three points of lighting can create depth and warmth in a room, allowing you to wind down at the end of a long day. You can also experiment with natural light for areas where you want to feel energized and productive.
5 . Create Functional Zones: You can define different zones for work, relaxation, and socializing. This intentional design will allow you to utilize your space more effectively and create a home that truly serves you.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I’ve always wanted to start a movement to help rehabilitate the homeless and prevent it at the grassroots level. Some people don’t see the value in helping the homeless because of two main reasons: they either view them as worthless to society or they view the systemic problems as insurmountable. However, I genuinely believe that both views are false. First, our worth is not in our productivity because we have inherent worth as human beings who are made in the image of God. Second, we have solved far more intricate problems as a society, such as creating a vaccine in under a year for a virus that killed 7 million people worldwide. If we truly saw homelessness as an issue then we would be able to collectively solve it together. The problem is that people don’t yet care enough to pour the resources into solving this ongoing issue. I want to create a movement that causes people to act at the most grassroots level.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them :-)
I would love to have a private lunch with Ted Sarandos, the mastermind behind the expansion of Netflix. He and his wife, Nicole Avant, seem like wonderful, brilliant people. I would love to hear Sarandos’ thoughts on where he wants to take Netflix and brainstorm ways in which this highly influential streaming platform can spearhead a movement that can, once again, change the world.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Anh’s Websites:
https://www.girlandtheword.com/
Anh’s Social Media Links:
https://www.instagram.com/girlandtheword/
https://www.youtube.com/girlandtheword
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational!
