Surface Pattern Design - Bonnie Christine 2022 Immersion Course
• 2023 - 5 years later
* last year, in 2021 :: free print download + what immersion meant to me, in a video interview - click here for more…
* a look back at 2020, around this time - click here for more…
* a look back to this time, in 2019
I could tell you all about the length of the course, about the 6 modules and everything they cover, about the bonus materials and guest industry experts.
However, you can read all about that, on the Immersion Course website.
Over the last couple of days I’ve been talking to artists interested in hearing more about the course and wanting to know if it’s worth pursuing or not.
I believe you landed on this page, for the same reason.
I’ll tell you about my experience with the course.
I took Bonnie Christine’s Immersion in 2018.
The Illustrator education and teachings are in depth and thorough. But there is one other monumental thing I walked away with from the Immersion Course: it helped me clarify my direction and purpose, as a working artist.
I questioned taking Bonnie Christine’s surface pattern design Immersion course. …Would it be worth it? Would it be relevant to me? Would I learn anything past what she teaches in her Skillshare classes?
I slept on it, I thought it through and signed up before closing time, with not a lot of time to spare.
I already had a business and was a working artist when I took Immersion. For several years before Immersion my income plateaued, with slight spikes and dips from one year to another. The year before immersion it was a downward year.
The year I took Immersion change things for me. It was the year I broke through the 100K mark (and it's been consistently growing since). The most significant part of the income is all from licensing, not other income streams.
…Some artists question the need to learn Illustrator.
There are many apps out there that one can use to create art, but knowing Illustrator (and Photoshop) will open opportunities and avenues for you that you could not access otherwise. Immersion teaches Illustrator from the ground up, from the perspective of a surface pattern designer. The Adobe suite is the standard in the industry, and many companies don't accept other types of files, to keep their workflow and printing/implementation process simple and predictable. It makes sense. As an in-house designer or creative director, you know you can open and make any kind of adjustments to a file, when you need to, without all the going back and forth.
If you think about it and want to break it down, 2k will cover the cost of the course and the whole Adobe Suite for 1 whole year. …Can you make 2k in the next 12 months to justify taking the course? Also remember, the information and education you glean from the course stays with you for the rest of your life.
I am a big believer that investing in yourself - and education- is the way to move forward and grow. You also need to make and have a plan. Even if you just move inches ahead every year, it's progress. Beginnings can take a while. Are you in a spot where you are ok with giving yourself the time to grow? I feel like creativity dies under stress. If you "have to" make the money back right away, chances are you will not. Because creativity (and finding your way) just doesn't flourish under pressure and stress.
Someone once said: "People buy your joy" I always think of that - and I've seen it with my work again and again. Anything that comes out from a place of peace, contentment, and joy creatively, does SO much better. Creative directors reach out and ask for that piece of work.
There is money to be made in the licensing industry. No question about it. You can put patterns on pretty much anything and everything. You’ll see patterns everywhere you go, around you - from the notebooks you buy, to house ware, to wall paper, to puzzles and garden products, to bedding, to wall art in Target, to paper towels, to greeting cards - and the list goes on and on.
Immersion will give you a bird’s eye view of the industry. Explore directions, make a plan, and stick to it. Always work with the big picture in mind.
Immersion did that for me. It brought the puzzle pieces together.
Growth happens over time.
Immersion is not a magic bullet. However, it teaches the tools you want and need, to carve your path. Onward and upward.
Hoping that sharing my thoughts helps you in the process of making a decision, that you are at peace and content with. Good luck in your journey!
Bonnie Christine's Surface Design Immersion enrollment is opened today.
Sign up through any of the links here, for an IMMERSION affiliate Bonus Experience ::
• The first 10 students who sign up get a ONE-on-ONE consultation (Ask Elena Anything) and an additional 10 spots to be drawn from all other students.
• Plus: one GROUP COACHING session for ALL affiliates
Enrollment closes on February 22, 2022 at 11:59pm EST
One of my very first patterns, and one of my current favorites, from the last couple of years.
Commit to do the work! It's a course that will move you forward, from wherever you are right now.
It does not leave you where you are at, or where it found you.
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Is becoming a surface pattern designer your goal, but the Surface Design Immersion course is just out of reach right now? Start taking Bonnie’s Skillshare classes today. Don’t wait on your dream!
...These classes are gold. Really. Like I said before, I started with Bonnie (and Elizabeth’s) classes on Skillshare. I’ll list them below.
• Intro to Surface Pattern Design: Learn Adobe Illustrator / with Bonnie Christine
• Surface Pattern Design 2.0: Design a Collection | Start a Career /with Bonnie Christine
• Introduction to Designing Repeat Patterns in Illustrator / with Elizabeth Olwen
• Pattern Design II: A Creative Look at a Full Pattern Collection / with Elizabeth Olwen
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I'm an affiliate for Bonnie Christine’s Surface Pattern Design Immersion Course, so I will earn a portion of every registration that results because of my testimonials and promotional efforts. I applied to be an affiliate because her classes had such a tremendously positive effect on my business and I absolutely value what I've learned. She is committed to excellence and empowering and changing lives through her teaching. I am one of those students with a changed life.