and what I learned from it
2023 started off like it does for most creatives – making a list of things to accomplish and establishing a timeline of those events. Seems simple enough. However, as it frequently happens, we tend to underestimate how long it takes to complete activities. Sure, I can complete a collection in a month even though I technically don’t have even one collection yet. That was my thinking anyway. I wrote it down, so I had to make it happen.
I started out with an extensive checklist: read X number of books, create 30 motifs, create patterns, refresh my website, take photos, open more POD sites, and the list goes on and on. I was so overwhelmed and frustrated, I basically accomplished nothing. I tried to meet my own expectations for a couple of months and realized that something had to give. This is the point where it’s hard to create because of the weight of the overwhelm and stress pulls on your heart. And disappointment. Oh, yes, disappointment is the hardest to accept.
Didn’t I hear somewhere that art should be fun? Not only was I not making progress, I certainly wasn’t having fun. At some point in March, I made the decision to go all in on Spoonflower and let go of the other laundry list of ideas I had. I felt like I threw myself a lifeline. A literal lifeline. Since then I have entered 20 design challenges on Spoonflower. I also created a few designs of my own here and there and posted them for sale.
How do I feel about the challenges? I have mixed feelings, because it’s a competitive environment and it’s hard to rank high if you aren’t established on the site. Lately there have been some first time winners which is encouraging. However, the key takeaways for me from those challenges are priceless. My focus was on quantity, rather than quality. Looking back now, I see changes I would make to individual patterns as well as different approaches to others. More importantly, I would have a solid, intentional design process behind every design.
Exploring different styles and colors was fun. The weekly briefs gave me direction and helped me focus. There are still an infinite number of directions to take any design, but the briefs gave me a starting point. After a few entries, I started studying, really studying the top ranking entries. That seemed logical to me at the time; however, in hindsight, I was looking outside of myself too much. Even though I never copied another’s style, I can’t help but think that those beautiful designs unintentionally influenced me.
After a few months, it was easy to feel discouraged. It’s scary, vulnerable and exciting, all at the same time to post your work for sale, just to hear crickets. But I committed to myself that Spoonflower was going to be my path, and I was going to stick with it and not give up. In July, I had my first sale! I can’t explain the feeling of another person in the world buying my design and using it for something of their very own. It was the tiniest spark of encouragement at that time that I needed to keep going. So between my full time career and travel schedule, I kept creating every minute that I could squeeze in.
Fairly early in this process, I also realized that I had to build a solid digital workflow. It was taking way too long to create because I was struggling through the platforms, whether it was Procreate, Photoshop or Illustrator. I knew just enough to get by on each of them, but wasn’t proficient on any of them. So, that was my next step, I went all in on digital art. I put my watercolors away, I put all of my beautiful sketchbooks away, and most importantly, I protected my time. It was hard, but I had to eliminate all of the distractions. It was the best decision I could have made, other than going all in on one platform.
Today, I’m still very much a novice Surface Pattern Designer. But I am a surface pattern designer, and that was my goal. Now I’m more intentional about what I create, and if the challenge doesn’t speak to me, then I pass on participating. I have a list of expectations that every design has to meet to fit my vision and brand. I’m getting better at catching myself when I start to veer off course. My expectations for my art continue to grow and I will always follow the rainbow. It’s who I am. In 2024, I will continue to develop my designs, I will be even better on those digital platforms, and most importantly, I have picked up my watercolor brushes again. If I could give myself advice back in January 2023, I would tell myself to do exactly what I did. Go all in and focus on your vision. It’s slow, it’s quiet and it’s really, really hard. I guess I’m a dreamer, but I know there will be a rainbow, if I’m patient. It may not be what I want or expect, but there are always rainbows.
