I've never really been an artist.
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| My VERY first sketches! Check out these BEAUTIES! 😂 |
I'm creative, sure. But art—drawing?
Not really my thing. I tried drawing at a young age and was… mediocre. I could usually recreate something I saw on paper with pencil. Painting wasn’t my thing either. I realized as an adult that I had an aversion to wet and cold fingers, and for some reason, that had been my early experience with paint. You know how as a kid you end up finger-painting even though you have a brush? Yeah, that.
I played with pastel chalks and graphite too—all the typical art stuff you experiment with as a kid—but nothing ever stuck.
Once I was introduced to sewing, it was an immediate relationship. Warm, soft fabrics, and the pleasant hum of the machine—I loved it. So, I had no more interest in “art.”
As a quilter, I had to shop for fabric, and that meant looking at the prints and picking ones I liked enough to use in a quilt. After years of doing this, I found myself getting bored of it all and wanting more excitement.
How did those prints get made, anyway?
Is that something I could do? Maybe.
But what about the art behind the designs?
Could I do THAT?!
I got curious.
Then surface pattern design found me—and so far, I haven’t looked back. (Thank you, Bonnie Christine!)
Surface pattern design is creating seamless repeating patterns that cover surfaces such as walls, notebook covers, gift wrap, and fabric. I found myself suddenly immersed in an online community of (mostly) artists. I was seeing all the skills I didn’t have. I tried not to pay too much attention to it all—keep my head down and do what I wanted to do: draw flowers.
I also learned about “The Gap” by Ira Glass—how we can see a design of a pattern in our mind, yet when we try to actually create it, it falls short of what we envisioned. That resonated with me deeply, because that was most certainly the case for me.
I still haven’t quite figured out a method to overcome this. It should come in time, though.
I also learned about the vastness of the art world out there. It’s quite impressive! Carved blocks stamped into patterns. Paper collages scanned and turned into patterns! Photographs traced and stylized to create unique designs. Anything and everything is possible.
Seeing such creativity really inspired me to keep going on this journey. Surely, with that many options, I’m bound to be successful at something, right?
In the one year since immersing myself into pattern play, I’ve managed to create three small groups of related work (called collections). I’ve had some of them digitally printed on fabric and am making quilts out of them to sell!
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| My first quilt I designed the fabric for! (You can still buy the fabric here!) |
Several people have actually bought digital art prints (and quite a few templates) from me online!!
I have a business name, logo, email newsletter (here), and an online presence (here). Wow!
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| My logo for my business! |
I’m truly amazed by all of this and excited to see where the next year takes me.
Up next, I want to finish some art classes I’ve paused and turn some existing drawings into more fabric patterns. I also want to design products to sell at a local craft fair—so we’ll see how that goes!
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| My first sketches with mixed media. |
I’m going to stay optimistic and keep plugging away at it for now.
And lastly:
How long does it take to become an artist?
Asking for… me!
-Sara
💛
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The journey is just beginning - see it here - I'm excited to keep creating and sharing with you!
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