Well hello again! It’s great to see you this week because we are getting ready for my free mini-course, From Doodles to Dollars. What’s is all about, you ask?

This fun, super valuable (and free) mini-course starts on October 5. In the mini-course, you’ll discover the step by step process for turning a sketch or doodle into a repeating pattern using the magic of Adobe Illustrator. From there, the possibilities are endless.

I can’t believe it’s September 1st. But it is and that’s extremely exciting. Why, you ask? Because September is all about preparing for my free mini-course: From Doodles to Dollars. If you’ve always dreamed of putting your own designs on fabric, or designing your own wall paper, or creating beautiful stationary and wrapping paper, keep reading. You’re not going to want to miss this.

I thought I’d switch things up a bit this week and share three of my favorite books right now. Normally, in the summer, I indulge in page turners like the latest “alphabet” mystery by Sue Grafton. I like her heroine, Kinsey Milhone, who is a scrappy, hard-boiled, private detective.

This week, let’s dive into my favorite mindset hacks about surface design. What is surface design, you ask? A surface design is any artwork (pattern, illustration, hand lettering, spot graphics), made by someone like you, that is applied to a surface to enhance its beauty and functionality.

Welcome back to this mini-series, From Vision to Execution. We have arrived at Step 5: The Daily Execution. This brings the entire process full circle and connects the actions and activities you take every day with your vision. Are you ready to dive in? For this step in the process, I use Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus Planner because it’s beautifully organized and keeps everything I need in one place.

I’m very excited to see you back again for Step 4 in From Vision to Execution. This is probably my favorite step because it involves a year-at-a-glance wall calendar and a whole bunch of post-it notes. I love office supplies and in this part of the process, we get to use them in a fun and effective way.

Welcome back. In this week’s installment of the mini-series, From Vision to Execution, we’re diving into Step 3: Your Key Assumptions. This part of the process makes the goals you set in step 2 (The Parts & Pieces) come to life and become real. At this stage, we need to add assumptions around time - how long it will take to get things done - and resources - are additional resources needed.

Welcome to this week’s post in the mini-series: From Vision to Execution. I’m thrilled by the response that I’ve been getting on this topic. This 5-step process has worked wonders for me when I’m struggling to get things done. Today’s focus is on step two which is what I like to call the Parts & Pieces. Let’s jump in.

As a quick refresher, last week’s blog was about From Vision to Execution. I shared an overview of the 5 steps that I follow to turn my dreams into reality. This process enables me to translate my vision for the year into tangible pieces. And at the end of the process I have a year-at-a-glance wall calendar outlining a color-coded roadmap to follow to stay on track. This week, let’s dive into Step 1: The Vision Thing.

Welcome to this week’s blog. If you’re in my Pattern Design Academy program, you know that we are wrapping up this week. Wow. The 8 weeks went by really, really quickly. If you’re not in the program, let me explain that in this last week we dive even deeper into the Business of Surface Design. The theme is all about moving from vision to execution and I thought it would be valuable to talk more about this.

We are living in unprecedented times. Like 9/11 and the great recession of 2008, the period in which we are now living has never been experienced before. While periods of great upheaval can be very distressing, there is usually always good that comes through change, if you are willing to look for it.

We’re in week 6 of my 8-week signature program, The Pattern Design Academy. I offered a very special bonus just this once, to the Class of May 2020. It’s a 30 minute zoom call with me where we can talk about anything that’s important to you. Yesterday was Cindy Rae Fancher’s turn to zoom with me. I never know quite what to expect but it’s always interesting, joyful and an incredible opportunity for me to learn more about my students and their unique gifts. This session was a real treat.

I haven’t been this excited about a new online course in a while. With everything that’s happening in the world today, we’re surrounded by bad news and an uncertain future. However, in the creative space, there are bright lights and new success stories emerging if you look hard enough.

Stacie Bloomfield, of Gingiber, is one of these bright lights. And enrollment in Leverage Your Art is now OPEN!

We’re just beginning week 4 of my Pattern Design Academy program. This is when the rubber meets the road and some students start to think about giving up.

Here are the 3 most common reasons and how you can bust through them to keep moving forward. Now is not the time to give up!

I feel completely overwhelmed by the events of the past few weeks and trying to write this blog post about it makes me feel even more inadequate. I’m a white woman of privilege living in a nearly 100% white community and am embarrassed to admit that the issue of race has not been on my mind until now. However, remaining silent is not an option.

This week’s blog is about recognizing that no matter where you are on your creative learning journey, you are exactly where you need to be. Many of us fall into this trap of thinking we are “behind” when we start a new endeavor. Take my Pattern Design Academy program for example. It’s an 8-week program. We’re in week two right now. And some students are worried that they are already behind. Let’s talk about it.

I’m so thrilled right now to be immersed in my 8-week signature program, The Pattern Design Academy, with a new group of students. We’re in week one of the Class of May 2020 and it’s an exhilarating and exciting time for everyone.

Today’s blog post is about avoiding comparison and three tips I’d like to share with you that can help when you find yourself falling into the comparison trap.

Welcome to this week’s blog. I hope you are doing okay and that you are staying safe and healthy wherever you happen to be. We are living in strange times and although certain parts of the country are exploring “soft” re-openings, we are still #artistsinresidence – sheltering in place – here in California.