While Michel Smith Boyd exudes confidence onscreen, it's not so much an innate trait as one that he's developed over time. In an interview with The Art Institutes, Boyd explained that what now appears to be a natural confidence took time to build. "I wasn't this confident at all when I first graduated," he admitted. 

While Boyd's confidence has certainly grown, so too have the sources from which he draws inspiration. As he told the Atlanta Tribune, he constantly gleans ideas from not just the work of other interior designers, but also artists in a wide range of mediums, with the ultimate goal of making a statement through design. "Filmmakers, photographers, and musicians all have their own unique way of communicating their point of view to their audiences," he explained. "So if you don't get it, I didn't do my job."

Of course, Boyd's biggest source of inspiration is his clients, so he spends a significant amount of time with them in order to gain an understanding of their own individual styles. The way he sees it, his job isn't changing the space to reflect his tastes, but embracing and enhancing the design elements that are already there. "I love the idea of getting to know a person while walking through their house," Boyd told Ebony. "How they designed it, what they used, the color schemes, the finishes, the materials — it's a narrative."