We recently had the chance to connect with Eric Dillman and have shared our conversation below.
Eric, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I think I’m finally letting myself step out of the box I’ve kept my brand in. I’ve always loved country music since I was a kid, but I never let myself bring that into my social media because I’m not a singer or a musician. I’m just a guy who’s obsessed with the genre. I listen to every new release that drops on Fridays, I’ve always reviewed them for myself, but I never shared any of it publicly.
For a long time I thought I had to start a whole new account just to talk about country music, but this summer it kind of hit me that I am the brand. Not “Eric Dillman Designs.” Yeah, my handle still has “designs” in it because people know it, but the brand itself has shifted for a while now. My page hasn’t been strictly design content in a long time, and even my podcast hasn’t been design-focused for years. I’ve naturally branched out.
So now I’m leaning into more of what I actually love and not obsessing over analytics or what I’m “supposed” to post. I feel like I’ve already proven myself in that world, I’ve built a community I genuinely enjoy, and now I just want to show more of who I really am. That’s why I’ve been posting country music stuff twice a week for the past couple of months. And honestly, it’s wild, those posts get the most engagement, especially from people who don’t even follow me. I get messages all the time from people wanting to share their thoughts on whatever I posted, and I love that. I love starting conversations from something I made.
Now that I’m not scared to put that side of me out there, it feels a lot more natural. It’s fun. And it feels like the most “me” my brand has ever been.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Eric Dillman. I have a bachelor’s in interior design, and for a long time I thought that was going to be my whole life. I’ve worked pretty much every corner of the design world, kitchen and bath, retail design, residential design, you name it.
I actually started my podcast by accident back in 2019. It didn’t even start as a podcast, and I wasn’t in it at first. I was working a retail design job that didn’t really line up with what I wanted my brand to be, so I asked different pros in the industry to send me short clips about things like ROI projects or tips for different parts of the home. It was basically filler content so I could stay connected to the design space online.
In 2020 I realized I needed to put my face and voice on it, so it became an IGTV show for a couple years. Then in 2022 it officially turned into the podcast people know now. I put out an episode every week, interviewing anyone with a story worth telling. From authors, NFL players, Netflix stars, designers, entrepreneurs, literally anyone. We walk through the blueprint of their career from the beginning, and it’s become this great mix of networking, learning, and honestly making real friendships.
I also run a side podcast called Off Topic where I just talk about whatever I want, usually country music because that’s my thing.
I’ve been a digital creator from the start. I love the marketing side of social media and how it can grow a brand or a business, but I pretty much hate everything else about social media. So I try to be someone who brings a little honesty and light to it, and hopefully helps people feel a little less lost in the process.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Honestly, it might sound a little promotional, but creating my podcast is the thing that really changed how I see the world. It forced me to put myself out there and actually listen to people from completely different backgrounds and viewpoints from all over the world. The whole point of my show is to learn about someone’s life before the success, how they grew up, what they went through, what shaped them, and hearing all those stories gave me a totally different level of empathy.
When you’re a kid, your world is pretty small. You only really know the people from your town, your school, your sports teams. Everyone’s life looks kind of the same on the surface, even if the details are different. It’s not until you start meeting people from other places like college, moving, or in my case interviewing people from all over, that you realize how differently people see the world.
Podcasting has made me look at everything with a wider lens. Hearing how people survived tough situations, how they were raised, how they think… it shifts your own perspective. It makes you question things you used to believe and understand things you never would’ve even thought about. I think getting out of your bubble and hearing real stories from real people is one of the most powerful things anyone can do. And through a unfiltered, unpolished, unscripted lens.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I’d tell him to keep dreaming big. You’re doing great. Keep being you, even when it feels weird or different, because it’s going to pay off.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
I could go a few different directions with this because I’ve been in a couple industries, but I’ll stick with interior design. I think the biggest lie we tell ourselves is that everything has to be perfect to build a brand, the photos, the videos, the tone, the way you present yourself. It’s always pushed to be super polished and “studio ready,” even if that’s not who you are at all.
What’s funny is our industry is one of the most personal industries out there. It’s relationship driven. It’s trust driven. And when you try to brand yourself like you’re some giant global corporation instead of an actual human being, you lose that. You end up filtering yourself into something that attracts the wrong clients and doesn’t even feel good to you as a designer.
I think a lot of designers get so stressed about looking perfect online that they forget why they got into design in the first place. There’s finally a shift happening where people want to see the person, not the polished version of the business. And honestly, when you show who you actually are, the brand naturally falls into place.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say I was the person who pushed them to actually put themselves out there. I love seeing people win. I love helping someone take that next step, whether it’s landing a new job, figuring out what kind of content they should post, or just giving them the confidence to show up for their business. For whatever reason, I’ve always been able to see the bigger picture in people, the potential they don’t always see in themselves.
A lot of people just need reassurance. They need someone in their corner. And I hope people feel like I was that for them. If someone comes to me needing help, I’m there. No hesitation. Because I know exactly how hard it is to start something new. It’s scary, it’s humbling, it’s uncomfortable, and it feels like everyone is watching. Whether it’s a new business, a new direction, or posting something different on social media, that first step is always the hardest.
And honestly, it still scares me too. But every big thing I’ve done in my life only happened because I started. Even when it didn’t make sense, even when I wasn’t ready. So I hope the story people tell about me is that I was the guy cheering them on while they chased the thing they were meant to do, the person who believed in their dream until they learned to believe in it themselves.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pro-series-with-eric-dillman/id1602623222
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericdillmandesigns/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/eric-dillman-designs/
- Twitter: https://x.com/EricDillmanDzn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EricDillmanDesigns/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ericdillmandesigns
