Big Birthday, Big Step

Where it started…

Here we go.

My life is about to get interesting. At least for me, it is. This image above was my first attempt at a repeating pattern. I struggled to understand what I was doing and you can see on the left side that it’s not quite right. But that’s not good enough.

Last year around this time, I took part in a week-long free course learning how to make patterns in Adobe Illustrator. A program my hubs works with A LOT. It was frustrating and confusing. I wanted so badly to enroll in the full course of learning surface pattern design, but I couldn’t see how I could make it work.

The course was expensive. My stress level was high. And my understanding of the material (lack of understanding, actually) was beyond maddening.

Now it’s a year later.

I’m turning 50 next month. That’s the year you really treat yourself to a big gift, right?

Over the past 12 months I have been putting in the time to get a better handle on this design program. I’m using an outdated version of the software, which makes it harder, but I pushed through the agony of confusion. As you can see I have actually learned! I have MADE several patterns. I am beyond proud of the work I’ve managed to do.

But it’s not enough. Now I am IN LOVE with the idea of getting this work to be my job…career…life. I would be unable to express feelings if I could get one of my designs on a card in Trader Joe’s. How could I possibly put into words the feelings I’d get seeing one of my patterns on, say, a pillow in Pottery Barn!?

I pulled the trigger.

I put that faith in myself that I can do this. The investment in my future has been made and I am so excited. You see people following their dreams every day. Why sit back and be a spectator to that sport? What makes it okay for those people to invest in themselves, but not for me? It is in our heads sometimes that we’re too late, too old, too poor, too [whatever] to do what ‘they’ do.

But not any more.

It’s time, folks. If you want to watch how this whole thing unfolds, then here we go. For the next 8 weeks I will be IMMERSING myself in surface pattern design with Bonnie Christine and here Immersion Program.