Meet Ruth Smith | Designer and Artist

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

Hi Ruth, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
One of my all-time favorite quotes is from the great Alan Alda – “Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You cannot get there by bus, only by hard work, risking and by not quite knowing what you are doing. What you will discover will be wonderful: Yourself.” This was my senior yearbook quote. I haven’t thought about it in a long time but as I look back on my life since I graduated high school, it’s something I have definitely taken to heart in my adulthood. I am drawn to situations (both in work and my personal life) where I don’t know quite exactly what I am doing because it pushes me in new ways and something usually interesting or unexpected comes out of it. And the phrase “wilderness of your intuition” really speaks to my approach to a lot of my art, particularly my paintings.

What should our readers know about your business?
I run my own instructional design and learning development business, Rhombus Learning. I started my company 12 years ago on the belief that education is meant to build curiosity and empower everyone (not just those with easy access to it).

I work with instructors and subject matter experts who know the content. Then, I bring my creativity to the table to recommend different approaches, media, or technology to engage a diverse audience. Then, I develop the courses based on these recommendations. I was drawn to this field because it’s a mixture of visual design and pedagogy, and it feels like both an art and a science. The process is very structured and organized, but my creativity (in how I design and think about learning) can come through at any stage.

Getting to this point hasn’t been easy though. Starting a business in the education sector is filled with challenges— from intense competition to the constant evolution of standards and technology to regular budget freezes. There have been moments of self-doubt, especially in the early days, when I had young children and success seemed distant. However, I was driven by the belief that I could make a difference in how education (particularly online) is approached and experienced. I approach every project I work on with the same excitement and butterflies of the first course I worked on. I feel fortunate to get to work with and interact with so many interesting people and that I found a career path that fits me so well. One minute I might be working on a History of the Middle Ages course and the next minute a very technical Software Engineering course and I love that.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A whole week with my best friend?? Sign me up!!! Does this include a babysitter? Let’s see…my mind as it usually does goes first to food and art. Throughout the week we would definitely be hitting some of my favorite restaurants – Sassool for some causal Lebanese food, Lakewood Social for some killer sandwiches, Noodle Boulevard for the best ramen in the area, M Suchi for omakase, Mission Market for acai bowls, JD’s Tavern for beers and wings, The Provincial for burgers, Daniel’s for Italian, and Peddler’s for steaks and martinis.

For art, I would make sure it falls on a First Friday in Raleigh or a Second Saturday in Durham and we would explore all the galleries and museums we can take in before collapsing. Some of my favorites include Artspace, 311 Gallery, CAM Raleigh, Rebus Works, Durham Art Guild, Golden Belt, Peel Gallery, and of course the North Carolina Museum of Art.

We would also catch some shows at one of the great music venues in the area like the Ritz, Lincoln Theater, Motorco or Cat’s Cradle.

Other tentative plans for this fictional but also definitely-is-going-to-happen-now week are a tour of dive bars and exploring the many wonderful hikes and lakes we have in the area. Oh and maybe some thrifting, a rage room and bowling.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Wow, this is hard to narrow down.

It seems cliché but to start definitely my family..both immediate and extended. Growing up, my parents gave me and my siblings a lot of freedom to explore our creativity and pursue our individual interests which I am very thankful for. Both of them were creatives in different ways (my mom an artist and my dad a musician) so it was always a part of our vocabulary and a way of experiencing the world. The freedom to explore and figure ourselves out and not be who our parents pushed or wanted us to be was a gift.

I also come from a long line of educators – my dad just retired from being assistant principal at the school I went to growing up after 47 years, my granddad was a university professor and my grandmother was a playwright while homeschooling four boys at the same time – so yea I have had some pretty stellar role models in that area.

I would also like to give a shout out to the people that pushed me early on in my career and saw my potential. To my colleagues at NC State University – you still are the most unique and awesome group of individuals I have ever worked with. In four years, I learned so much from you. To one of my first bosses in the educational technology industry, Ilene. I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life when I started working for you 20 years ago but I think I never would have become an entrepreneur myself if I hadn’t had you as a role model. I learned from you a toughness and resilience that has been crucial in owning a business. You also showed me that you can balance running your own business and working hard while also having a family and making time for friends and colleagues.

Website: https://rhombuslearning.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woodhalfthought/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthcsmith/

Other: http://ruthcsmith.com/

Image Credits
@Ruth C. Smith