I'm EXHAUSTED Reader!

This year I set a goal to get my art licensed. I'm building my portfolio, participating in challenges, and answering art calls. So I've been going to bed at 2am... all because of ONE art call.

It's brutal. Tennis elbow is totally a thing when you're drawing for hours.

This last art call was for a company that produces wallpaper. At first I thought the brief was perfect for me. It was about creating designs for boys and I created one around my boys years ago (more on that in a sec) that would be perfect.

But as I read the brief, I noticed that they were looking for classic looking designs, sort of a heritage type look that was timeless. That in itself wasn't the problem, the problem is that I had just had an inquiry in Spoonflower for this pattern.

It was a mom who wanted this design for her child's room. 👀 This was THE exact audience this company wants to reach. I couldn't get that out of my head. Then I read in the brief that they were accepting 2 collections from artists and now I felt I HAD to develop a whole collection around that pattern.

So why was I out of my comfort zone?

While I hand draw everything I make, this pattern was created in a more illustrative style. That's probably why this mother was attracted to it to begin with. It has a storybook feel to it and that's what I leaned into.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because stepping outside of my comfort zone paid off in the end (after all of those late nights).

This is the collection that came out of it:

It was actually fun to teleport myself to a time when my boys were little and things were much simpler. Not gonna lie, I did cry at one point because I vividly remember Jackie, my eldest, saying he was going to "break log jams" when he was going out on adventures in the wooded area of our backyard.
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I was not expecting this collection to come out of me and it was there, just waiting for me when I stepped out of my comfort zone and just followed a brief.

And like I said to Patrick, no matter what happens, the art is made and I'm already dreaming up ways to use it!

So aside from wanting to share this with you because I'm so pleased with the way it came out, I wanted to encourage you to step out of YOUR comfort zone. You really never know what's on the other side of making yourself a little uncomfortable and trying something new.

If my little experiment taught me anything, it's that sometimes you just need someone to point you in a direction and say go. That's what Creative Briefs does. I write each one based on real monthly research — trends, keywords, timing — and then I hand you the roadmap. No decision paralysis, no rabbit holes. Just a product to make, resources to help you make it, and the very real possibility that you'll surprise yourself. 💛

You never know what's waiting for you when you give yourself permission to try.

xx Design delightful products with the best tools & training for product creation. Learn more about the Creative Lab and Creative Briefs!

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ps. If you're curious about the other collection, let me know and I'll send you a link.