Immersion: deep mental involvement.

I’m an inspired learner. After my college degree, I continued to take classes. Newsletters. PageMaker. Business to business communication. Watercolor. Natural childbirth (yes, I did it once). Knitting (made many things). Tree planting. Creating an environment for Monarch butterflies. How to Make Kombucha (made my own for years). Using Essential Oils. Creating Essential Oil blends. Create a Succulent Garden (still struggling). Google algorithms (yes, I’m accredited). SEMrush SEO. (yes, accredited). I’ve always been an achievement junkie.

Since 2021, my classes have focused on art and the business of art. I’ve always been in marketing of some sort, but as the saying goes, “the cobbler’s son never has shoes.” Or, my take on it, “the artist / graphic designer / illustrator doesn’t have a stable customer stream anymore.” So, off I go to learn how to #sharemywork #doitfortheprocess #leaveragemyart. Throw some #madeurban and #hubspot marketing classes and add #immersion into illustrator and repeat patterns.

I can honestly say that all of my workshop, class, and course teachers have been exceptional, professional, and generous in teaching and sharing knowledge. It’s given me opportunities to try new things, step out of my comfortable introverted life. Like friends some of these educational opportunities have been for a reason (I wanted to birth my first child naturally) or a season (PageMaker doesn’t exist anymore … I think.)

Nowadays, most classes are online and give participants a chance to join peer groups or continue in a large group. Making Art Work offered #thecollective; while, Stacie Bloomfield offered #creativepowerhousesociety and Bonnie Christine had #flourish. I had taken courses from each of these amazing, gifted women. I can’t say enough good things about these women, their support teams, their classes, their extensive and valuable information, their teaching styles … they want you to succeed!

I joined @EmilyJeffords #makingartwork course in 2021. It galvanized me to create a website (again) and put myself out there. Caught up in the moment and wanting to be a paid working artist again, I joined her annual #thecollective. Sadly, the timing was off for me for many reasons. I paid for the year, but didn’t utilize it at all. Really, I rushed my process. And, I wasn’t fully ready yet – have the pieces in place. However, her courses made me realize I wanted to be an illustrator, not a fine artist. And, I can honestly say if you want to be a fine artist who sells art or jewelry. Look her up now!

Next, I joined @staciebloomfield Leverage Your Art and quickly realized that though I had plenty of art – I need a body of illustrative work. I stopped after lesson 2, because again I wasn’t ready. Knowing I wanted to be an illustrator and having a strong body of work are two different things. I realized I needed to create that body of work. So, off to working on illustrations I go. However, using three different software platforms to create digital art was time consuming and deflating. And, I wasn’t getting the style I wanted to illustrate. I learned two things were missing – adobe illustrator and repeat patterns.

Emily and Stacie had @bonniechristine as a guest speaker (cross promotion at work). I subscribed to her emails and joined her Immersion class when it opened. Bonnie made Illustrator easy. I had watched videos and tutorials before, but I still couldn’t do things on my own. Bonnie was a godsend.

During Immersion, I participated in Stacie’s 5 Day Holiday Challenge. Then, the magic happened. Everything clicked. I created 10 illustrations with repeat patterns for winter holidays/Christmas. Illustration ideas were coming so fast I had to grab my notebook. Still, I need focus and to hone my style.

I had purchased a two-year portfolio of 100 illustrations on #directorofillustration (link in bio below). I had 25 uploaded, but wanted more. And, now I have the knowledge and the tools.