Learning a new skill takes patience. If you are like me and started down this surface pattern design path in your 50’s, the technological aspects of the craft can be intimidating. However, like most things, it’s less about the raw talent and more about the hard work you decide to put into it. Here are my top 3 recommendations for how to stay the course.

I’ve very passionate about the need for community and the power, support and encouragement that comes from community which is why I’ve included this as Tip #3 on my Top 5 Tips for Getting Started in Pattern Design.

Welcome back to this five-week series on Getting Started in Surface Pattern Design! Today we’re covering Tip #2: Creating Your First Repeating Pattern. Before we jump into a quick video tutorial that demonstrates the technical process, let’s zoom out and talk about the overall process and each of the stages involved. 

Hello everyone! I’m so excited to have you in my growing community of enthusiastic surface pattern designers. I don’t ever want to forget to thank you and tell you how grateful I am to have you in my community.

As we enter November, which is National Gratitude Month, who are you most grateful for? I’m truly blessed to have each of these individuals, groups or entities in my corner, supporting my journey as I continue to move forward towards my dreams. Here’s who I’m most grateful for.

Have you been on a photoshoot before? I’ve been on the periphery of some in the past when I worked in the corporate world. But I’ve only recently needed to schedule them for my own business. It’s an entirely different experience when your own products are the star of the show. What a treat!

Wow! Do you have a favorite, incredibly inspiring event that you MUST attend every year? I do and it’s The Hivery’s Annual Entrepreneur + Inspiration Lab in San Francisco.

Does this ever happen to you? You’ve been working on a project and all of a sudden your creativity dries up? Well, it happens to me sometimes and here are my top 3 secrets to bust through those dry spells. 

One of the things in life that brings me great joy is sharing my passion for pattern design and helping others learn, make progress and thrive in this exciting creative field. I’m excited to announce that I’m launching an online membership site to do just that at a whole new level. It’s called: The Pattern Design Club.

I’m very excited to announce my brand new Pattern Design Masterclass! I’ve been working on this material and the overall four-part system for some time. Now it’s ready for YOU.

I’m very excited to introduce Alicia Berberich, who is my guest blogger today!

When I recently asked you: What is the biggest challenge you face in your creative practice?, the answer I received the most was: “Time, the lack of time, I have no time!”

It will come as no surprise that I’m passionate about Pattern Design. But what is the ONE thing that energizes me the most about it?

Let me tell you a story.

You're interested in learning pattern design? Getting comfortable with Adobe Illustrator is going to be key. I was completely overwhelmed when I first opened Illustrator. I hadn’t learned a new application for years…

Do you sometimes get stuck in your creative practice? As an entrepreneur and pattern designer, I’m hard at work developing a series of pattern “collections” for my professional portfolio. And sometimes my creative ideas run dry!