Below is an excerpt from the full interview:
Q: You used the term ‘interior intellect.’ Can you expand on that?

A: There is an intellect  outside of our core – it is the collective consciousness that we have learned through our families, schools and society. This ‘exterior’ intellect is based on a set of values that are learned over the course of our childhood, and may or may not be true to who we are as individuals. The ‘interior intellect’ is everything that comes from inside us. It is the place inside us where most creatives derive their voice. It has the power to exceed our exterior intellects' restrictions and fuel passion. The exterior and interior intellects guide us to make decisions every day. It is interior intellect that guides me to make unique aesthetic decisions in the design process.

Transcript of YouTube excerpt:
“What we sell…what we sell is creativity, and that is where the gray area starts to happen. How can we deny [it] – we are all in business. Every designer wants to make money – to make money means that you get to propagate your idealism, your ideology, and you get to move forward. The fact is that it comes from pure creativity. You cannot design something unless it’s coming deep from within your unconscious, and deep within your intuition. Deep within your emotional context…your interior intellect…”

Danielé Perna Designs: www.danielepernadesigns.com