Apr 8, 2026
For a long time, I believed a career was meant to follow a straight line. Choose a path early, stay on it, and progress steadily forward. That idea is comforting. It is also rarely accurate.
When I recently spoke at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance about Designing Your Career, I shared a journey shaped less by certainty and more by curiosity, discipline, and a willingness to adapt. My path from professional musician to CEO and registered architect has been anything but linear, and that has been its greatest strength.
Design is often romanticized as a series of elegant decisions leading seamlessly to a polished final result. In reality, the design process is iterative and unpredictable. You test ideas, revise constantly, respond to constraints, and solve problems as they emerge.
Success rarely comes from talent alone. It comes from communication, resilience, flexibility, and persistence.
That description applies just as easily to careers.
When I look at the design process, I see my career reflected back at me. It is not a straight line. It is a series of turns, pauses, and recalibrations that eventually lead somewhere meaningful.
I grew up surrounded by design and business. My grandfather was one of the country’s first retail store planners. My parents met working at an architecture firm. Design was always part of the conversation.
And yet, I did not set out to become an architect. I became a musician.
I started on violin in school, switched to viola, and by my early teens committed fully to pursuing music professionally. I performed extensively, negotiated contracts for my string quartet, and learned early how to prepare rigorously and advocate for myself.
Music taught me discipline, focus, collaboration, and how to perform under pressure. I did not think of these as transferable skills at the time. I was simply learning to do the work well.
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While studying music at the University of Southern California, my career path felt clearly defined until an unexpected audition opportunity with the rock band The Rentals shifted everything. Touring introduced me to a different creative world, one that valued adaptability, experimentation, and connection with audiences.
It also revealed an important reality. Creative fulfillment does not always equal financial stability.
That realization led me to develop multiple income streams. Teaching became my foundation. It provided consistency and flexibility, allowing me to take artistic risks without putting my livelihood at stake. That stability completely changed my relationship with opportunity. Risk became intentional rather than desperate.
That lesson would stay with me far beyond music.
Another detour emerged almost accidentally when a backstage idea evolved into Baroque Bling, a nationally distributed product business. What began as a playful experiment turned into lessons in pricing, manufacturing, branding, and sales.
Building something from scratch was empowering. It showed me that creativity extends beyond performance and into systems, strategy, and business design.
I did not realize at the time how much this entrepreneurial experience was preparing me for leadership.
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By my early thirties, I was teaching, performing, touring, and running businesses seven days a week. I had maxed out my available time.
A conversation with my father opened the door to an entirely new path. He asked me to consider joining Chipman Design Architecture. My first reaction was disbelief. Music was not just my career. It was my identity.
But what became clear was that the skills I had developed were not discipline‑specific. Leadership, communication, problem solving, and relationship building transcend industries.
I made the leap.
The transition was challenging and humbling. I learned architecture, business operations, branding, and leadership simultaneously. Within a year, I was named CEO. Eventually, I committed to earning my Master of Architecture at Lawrence Technological University and completing licensure.
Returning to school while leading a firm demanded the same approach that music had taught me. Preparation, repetition, and trust in the process.
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Leadership clarified something I had never fully articulated. Music itself was never the end goal. Growing people and creating meaningful experiences was.
Today, music still plays a role in my life, but it no longer defines my income. It continues to influence how I listen, how I lead, and how I think strategically.
When I reflect on my career, I see it shaped not by one defining decision, but by many small, intentional choices. Staying curious. Not burning bridges. Continuing to learn. Building relationships. Supporting others. Knowing when it was time to evolve.
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Designing a career is not about choosing the right path once. It is about laying a strong foundation and being willing to adapt the structure over time.
A career is much like a building. You build on your values and work ethic. You reinforce what works. You renovate what no longer fits. Sometimes you add an entirely new wing.
The nonlinear moments are not failures. They are growth.
The skills you are developing right now, even the ones that seem unrelated, are preparing you for something larger than you can currently see.
That is how you design a career.
Lauren Chipman is the Chief Executive Officer of Chipman Design Architecture, where she provides creative leadership for one of the nation’s most established commercial architecture and design firms. A true multi‑disciplinary designer and former performing artist, Lauren brings an unconventional and forward‑thinking perspective to architecture, branding, and the built environment.
Before joining Chipman Design Architecture, Lauren built a successful career as a professional stringed instrumentalist, recording for television, film, and top Billboard artists. That background deeply informs her approach to design leadership today. Her ability to blend creativity with structure allows her to guide complex hospitality, retail, and restaurant projects with both vision and precision.
As a third‑generation leader of a family‑owned firm, Lauren is proud to carry on Chipman Design Architecture’s legacy while continuously pushing it forward. Under her leadership, the firm supports national and global brands including Chick‑fil‑A, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, Ulta Beauty, and Whole Foods Market. Lauren’s entrepreneurial mindset extends beyond traditional architectural practice, emphasizing innovation, adaptability, and long‑term relevance.
Lauren actively integrates emerging technology into the conceptual design process and champions the recruitment of multi‑hyphenate talent with diverse professional backgrounds. By leveraging her experience as an industry outsider, she fosters a culture that values curiosity, inclusivity, and cross‑disciplinary collaboration. The result is a design practice that is both deeply experienced and future‑focused.
