Design and Shine
57 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 months ago - ★★★★★ - 18 ratingsDesign and Shine will bring you conversations about the creative design process, being a successful creative entrepreneur, stepping into the mindset of a successful designer and all things pattern design.
Hosted by Rachelle Holowko who is a surface pattern designer, artist, educator and leader of a beautiful global community of designers and creatives.
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Episodes
End of The Year Reflections
December 25, 2023 21:00 - 14 minutes - 21.8 MBAs 2023 comes to a close, I reflect back on the huge changes that I made in my business this year in this final podcast episode before I take an extended summer break at the beach with my family and new puppy. I share my process of looking back to assess my goals, how I question my progress, and why I believe it's so important to take time to do this reflection work when you run a creative business. A few questions that I ask myself that may be as important to you as they are to me are: ...
Surviving To Thriving As An Independent Creative
December 12, 2023 03:25 - 10 minutes - 17 MBWhen I left full-time employment as a surface pattern designer, I could not understand why I found it so incredibly difficult to design with the same confidence and ease as I did for my clients... Despite years of design experience and confidence working to a design brief, when I decided to work for myself I immediately fell into a ''surviving creative'' mentality, and everything began to feel so. much. harder! It took a massive shift in how I thought about myself and my ability to des...
How Your Hidden Limiting Beliefs May Be Sabotaging Your Creative Success
November 28, 2023 04:18 - 11 minutes - 17.4 MBRecently, my family and I invited a new member into the family - a PUPPY!!! His name is Juno. And while it's been a LOT of fun these last few weeks getting to know him, it hasn't been as much fun training him not to wee in the house! 😅 But it has been interesting to watch him learn. It's made me reflect on how - with anything new we learn - our brains need to be 'trained' just like my Juno's. I know mine did when I first started my creative business years ago... I had ...
How Nurturing Self-Compassion Inspires Creativity
November 14, 2023 01:00 - 10 minutes - 16 MBWhile our creativity is a beautiful expression of our own personal unique gifts and ideas, it can also carry with it a lot of things that can end up hindering our progress... Things like criticism, self-doubt, and perfectionism. So in this week's Design & Shine podcast episode, I explore why it's important to cultivate and nurture self-compassion. I share my thoughts on: What having self-compassion as a creative means Why it can help us progress in our creative practice How not ...
Staying Persistent Despite Failure And Rejection
October 30, 2023 21:00 - 11 minutes - 17.5 MBIf you love what you're creating but you're facing a lot of failures, rejections, resistance, and you're hearing ''no thank-you'' so often, you may start to wonder how you're going to keep going... How are you going to stay persistent if you're constantly facing obstacles? This is what I want to explore with you in this episode: The power of staying persistent and how you can learn some practical strategies that will help you keep at it! I'll share tips on: How to maintain a positiv...
How Gratitude Can Help You Thrive As A Creative
October 16, 2023 22:00 - 9 minutes - 9 MBI believe many creatives underestimate how helpful gratitude can be toward helping them reach success... It's a simple mindset shift that can make a BIG difference - if you know how to use it in how you approach your creative work. I share several ways you can start practicing gratitude in your creative business in this week's Design & Shine podcast episode, including: How to use gratitude to increase your daily inspiration, creative ideas, and new possibilities Ways that gratitude ca...
The 3 Different Learning Styles
September 19, 2023 05:50 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBAre you a Visual, Auditory, or Kinesthetic learner? Not sure what those are? Listen to this episode of The Design & Shine podcast to find out! I dive into what these 3 different learning styles mean and share how to tell which one you may be. Knowing which one is your predominant learning style may help you get better outcomes with your creative work, including how you absorb, process, and understand what you are learning. You'll finally understand why some people can't read maps...
How Understanding Your Subconscious Mind Can Help You Become a Successful Creative
September 19, 2023 05:13 - 10 minutes - 9.93 MBI used to struggle to show up online in the way that I knew I needed to for my business... I consciously knew I needed to create videos, take selfies, and be visible to my audience... But subconsciously, the idea of showing up online made me feel vulnerable, exposed, and unsafe. And I wasn't even aware that this was the case until I started to address the hidden subconscious beliefs that were holding me back! So in this episode of Design & Shine podcast, I share how powerful it c...
What To Do If You Worry Your Creative Work Isn't Unique Enough
September 05, 2023 22:00 - 12 minutes - 11.5 MBDo you worry that your creative work is just not all that unique? And do you worry that it'll never stand out and allow you to have the thriving creative career that you dream about?😣 It's a challenging belief, but what I've noticed lately is that it's the most common limiting belief among creative entrepreneurs. So in this episode of the Design & Shine Podcast, I share some strategies you can use that may help you SHIFT this belief. Get my FREE quiz to help you identify your #1 li...
The Importance of Embracing Imperfection
August 22, 2023 22:00 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MBAre you putting a lot of pressure on yourself to make things PERFECT? Many creatives I know get stuck on trying to make even the smallest design details perfect. It slows down their progress as a creative designer and as a business owner. So in this Design & Shine podcast episode, I share a few tips on how to overcome perfectionism including: Launching a new website Making mistakes and flaws in the creative process Overcoming fear of judgment Taking faster and more frequent ac...
How to Overcome Procrastination
August 07, 2023 22:00 - 10 minutes - 9.25 MBIn this episode, we unravel what procrastination really is, revealing its surprising connection to fear. I'll explain how procrastination might be rooted in your apprehensions about failure, judgment, or even success. I share practical strategies to conquer procrastination: break tasks into bite-sized chunks to tackle overwhelm and embrace imperfection as a stepping stone to growth. And I'll explain why my mantra, "Done is better than perfect," can help you challenge the pursuit of ...
Compassion and Resilience
July 24, 2023 19:54 - 12 minutes - 11.3 MBIf you'd like to unlock your true creative potential and build a thriving creative business, you may be surprised to learn just how important it is to develop compassion and resilience. As creatives, we're often quite sensitive people, so expressing ourselves through our art can be quite a vulnerable thing to do when we begin to put ourselves out into the world with our creative businesses. So in this episode of The Design & Shine podcast, I cover the importance of self-compassion and r...
Why It's Not Enough To Just Know Your Limiting Beliefs
July 10, 2023 22:00 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBIf you want true and lasting change in your life, it's not enough just to know what your limiting beliefs are... You also need to how to change them so that you make the changes in your life that you want to see! So in this episode of The Design & Shine Podcast, I share: What limiting beliefs are and how they hold us back, influence us, and shape our realities Where limiting beliefs reside in our minds and why you may not even know you have them One crazy thing about limiting belief...
How To Get Into Creative Flow When You're Feeling Uninspired
June 26, 2023 18:14 - 9 minutes - 14.8 MBRecently a student of mine came to me and said she was feeling uninspired and having a hard time knowing how to get started designing. It wasn't that she didn't want to do the work, but that when she sat down to do it, nothing would come from it. I've felt this way many times myself, and if you're a creative artist of any kind, you've probably felt uninspired from time to time as well. So in this episode of The Design & Shine podcast, I share my best tips on how to get inspired to get ...
The Amazing Advantages of Being In a Creative Flow State
June 12, 2023 22:00 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBImagine if you could STOP overthinking your creative design work... No more being critical of your work... No more stopping and starting over... Just intuitive creativity that makes time feel like it has stopped and your artistic output flow... Sounds good, right? This is what's known as a creative flow state, and in creative work like surface pattern design, getting into it comes with some amazing advantages for your design work and business. So in this episode, I focus on what ...
Life-Changing Beliefs Successful Designers Have - And How To Learn Them!
May 29, 2023 22:00 - 12 minutes - 11.7 MBThere's a specific difference in thinking between surface pattern designers who get stuck and those who thrive... One way of thinking will keep you playing small, while the other will help you to grow as an artist, elevate your design process, and earn more from your business in the long term. Find out what that difference is in this episode of the Design & Shine podcast and learn how you can start to shift your thinking to help you begin to thrive as a surface pattern designer. And i...
How to Charge What Your Worth as a Surface Pattern Designer
May 16, 2023 22:00 - 11 minutes - 19 MBIf you struggle with pricing your surface pattern design work you are not alone! It can be one of the hardest things to do when you are just getting started as a surface pattern designer, which is why pricing is one of the most common topics my students ask me about. So in this episode of The Design & Shine Podcast, I give you some guidelines for how to price your work based on my personal experience including how to price: Design work Artwork Digital products Custom design work ...
Is The Surface Pattern Design Market Oversaturated?
May 01, 2023 22:00 - 12 minutes - 20.6 MBAre you worried that the surface pattern design market may be too oversaturated? This is a common concern that many of my surface pattern design students have, so I've shared my thoughts about it on this episode of The Design & Shine Podcast. I cover: How not to be taken advantage of in a crowded market Ensuring your work will stand out in an authentic way Having the right business mindset to build a successful surface pattern design business And the one personal quality that dist...
Creating a Surface Pattern Design Business With Your Own Rules
April 17, 2023 22:00 - 12 minutes - 20.1 MBNo matter what kind of creative business owner you are, whether you are a surface pattern design business owner or not, you're often told there are certain ways you need to do things... And though you want to be successful and this external advice can be quite convincing - it's not always the right thing for YOU to do. This is what happened to me with my surface pattern design business last year... So in this episode of The Design & Shine podcast, I wanted to share my story with you an...
Social Media Captions For Pattern Designers
August 02, 2022 20:00 - 26 minutes - 29.1 MBIn this episode of the Design and Shine podcast, I welcome back Christine Rice, who is a social media manager for online businesses and she also runs a fantastic small Facebook group called marketing for creative and unconventional women. Christine and I talk all about a hot topic that I know a lot of surface pattern designers have trouble with and that is writing captions for your social media posts. We cover: branding and why it's much more than just the fonts and colours you use ho...
The importance of an email list for surface pattern designers
July 19, 2022 20:00 - 8 minutes - 14.1 MBIn this episode of Design and Shine, we are going to be talking about something that is important to think about doing as you’re growing your surface pattern design business and that is creating an email list. Learn what one is, why you need one and whether it’s something you should consider creating.
Questions to ask yourself if your pattern designs aren't selling
July 05, 2022 20:00 - 9 minutes - 14.2 MBOn this episode of the Design and Shine podcast, we are going to be talking about some things to think about if you are not selling your designs. So if you’ve been working hard, you’ve been creating lots of designs and then you hear crickets then I want to give you a few things for you to ask yourself and consider.
How to use Instagram for surface pattern designers
June 21, 2022 20:00 - 18 minutes - 16.5 MBIn this episode of the Design and Shine podcast, I talk to Christine Rice, who is a social media manager for online businesses and she also runs a fantastic small Facebook group called marketing for creative and unconventional women. Christine and I talk all about Instagram for surface pattern designers and dive into: how to grow your audience how to get more engagement best ways to use Instagram to promote your designs and your pattern design business tips for creating video content...
Creating work life balance for surface pattern designers
June 07, 2022 20:00 - 8 minutes - 13.2 MBIn this episode of Design and Shine, we are going to talk about something a little different and that is trying to create work-life balance. Something I get asked a lot is how I manage to juggle work with family life and everything else in between so I'm going to give you a few tips that help me stay balanced and on track.
Setting Goals for Surface Pattern Designers
May 24, 2022 20:00 - 11 minutes - 18.3 MBIn this episode of Design and Shine, we talk about setting goals because it’s a really great way of keeping you on track and moving forwards so you achieve the results you want. We'll look at setting goals in 2 major areas so you can take the right steps towards your success.
Working as a surface pattern designer
May 10, 2022 19:00 - 27 minutes - 27.6 MBIn this episode of the Design and Shine podcast, I talk to Australian textile designer and Illustrator Brook Gossen. And she creates really beautiful and colourful artwork and has a really fun and gorgeous brand. Brook didn't start her career as an artist but after working in a different area and having her family she felt was missing and that something was a creative outlet. She won a course where she learnt about colour and started her creative journey. It wasn't until she participated...
Developing your critical design eye
April 26, 2022 19:00 - 9 minutes - 14.2 MBIf you want to be a successful designer then one of the most important skills you need to develop is your critical design eye. In this podcast episode, we talk about your critical design eye, why it's so important and some tips for developing yours.
Social Media Strategies
April 12, 2022 19:00 - 20 minutes - 22 MBIn this episode of the Design and Shine podcast, I talk to Christine Rice, who is a social media manager for online businesses and she also runs a fantastic small Facebook group called marketing for creative and unconventional women. Christine and I dive into: what a funnel is and how it relates to social media for surface pattern designers a four-step funnel strategy using your funnel to sell your products and designs time-saving tips for posting beautiful images on Instagram rec...
Investing in your surface pattern design business
March 29, 2022 20:00 - 11 minutes - 17.7 MBIn this podcast episode, I talk about investing in your surface pattern design business. I know it can be challenging for some people so we talk about why it's important, when you should invest and why should invest.
Creating Pattern Designs with Purpose
March 15, 2022 19:00 - 31 minutes - 34.2 MBIn this episode of the Design and Shine podcast, I’m going to be talking to textile designer and creative director Penny Gale who is the founder of Fabriculture, a new, contemporary design brand with the purpose of helping young people learn about our most endangered native species. This is such an exciting brand and I absolutely love that Penny is creating designs with the purpose of educating as well as being gorgeous. Click here if you would like to see Penny's gorgeous products and h...
Marketing Strategies for Surface Artists
March 01, 2022 19:00 - 56 minutes - 59.4 MBIn this podcast episode, I have the pleasure of speaking to Nerida Hansen about marketing strategies for surface artists. Nerida Hansen is the founder and creative director of Nerida Hansen Fabrics. Through her business, she supports and collaborates with independent artists and illustrators and she’s just launched a brand new app PatternField App which connects surface artists and designers with art buyers from all around the world. Which is super exciting. In this episode we talk all a...
Simplifying Marketing For Pattern Designers
February 15, 2022 19:00 - 13 minutes - 21.2 MBDo you feel overhelmed by marketing? In this episode of the Design and Shine Podcast, I talk about simplifying marketing for pattern designers. If you're starting out it can be hard hearing about all of the things that you should be doing and feeling like you need to be doing all of those things and then feeling super overwhelmed which usually results in not doing anything. So what are the really important things that you need to start with? What are the nice to have? What can you add to?
Create Your Daily Art Practice
February 01, 2022 19:00 - 9 minutes - 18.5 MBIf you are wanting to start achieving your pattern design goals then it's really important to set some habits in place and start creating your daily art practice. If you want to be a successful designer and you want to be able to sell your work then set up a daily practice is a foundational step as it's going to help you grow, nurture and develop your skills. In this podcast episode we dive into some tips for creating your daily practice.
Finding your unique art style
September 14, 2021 21:00 - 34 minutes - 85.2 MB VideoIn this episode of Design and Shine, I talk to artist and surface pattern designer Lauren Lesley about finding your unique art style. We cover when you do and don't need to worry about when developing your own style, the mindset battles that are commonly faced and how to stay consistent. Lauren also shares her tips on sending your portfolio to clients to get work. You can sign up to Lauren's free mini course 'Art Style Secrets' here And find out more about her on her website here
My favourite pattern design tools
August 31, 2021 21:00 - 10 minutes - 21.6 MBIn this episode, I share some of my favourite tech tools that I use regularly within my surface pattern design business. You can download my Pattern Design Secrets eBook here
Are these fears or negative beliefs stopping you from being successful?
August 24, 2021 21:00 - 11 minutes - 17 MBIf you want to be a successful designer then you need to start stepping up and doing the actions that a successful designer would do, starting with your thoughts and beliefs. In this episode, we are going to talk about how your negative self-talk is stopping you from being successful and how you can reframe your thoughts so you can reach your full potential. You can download my Pattern Design Secrets eBook here
Fitting in time for designing
August 10, 2021 21:00 - 13 minutes - 20.9 MBIf you are wanting to create a successful design business you need to allocate time to business tasks but what happens when those business tasks take over and you no longer feel you have time for the design tasks? In this episode, I talk about how to fit in time for both business and design tasks. You can download my Pattern Design Secrets eBook here
Getting started in surface pattern design with Sheree Coleman
August 03, 2021 21:00 - 40 minutes - 96.3 MB VideoIn this podcast episode, I talk to surface pattern designer and illustrator Sheree Coleman. She shares with us how she is transitioning away from full-time work to building her brand Whimsy Kaleidoscope. We discuss how she got started, what led her to surface pattern design, how she gets clients and tips she has for other aspiring designers. Sheree has put in the hard work and it's now paying off, so you won't want to miss this conversation. You can find out more about Sheree here: ...
Tips for creating your pattern design portfolio
July 27, 2021 21:00 - 9 minutes - 9.14 MBIf you are starting to get your surface pattern design portfolio ready to send to clients and you're not sure what to or what not to include then this podcast episode is for you. I'll be talking through some tips that you may want to consider when preparing your portfolio.
The importance of branding in your design business
July 20, 2021 21:00 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBIt's really important if you want to step up and stand out as a designer that you consider branding within your business. Branding includes the assets you use e.g. fonts, colours and logos etc. but it goes far beyond that. Branding also includes your unique voice and the way you show up in your business. In this podcast episode, we talk about the importance of branding within your design business and some tips for what you should and shouldn't do when it comes to branding.
The importance of allocating time for business tasks in your surface pattern design business
July 13, 2021 21:00 - 11 minutes - 11.4 MBIf you are a surface pattern designer who is wanting to get to the next level and move away from being a hobbyist to a successful designer who is selling their designs consistently with a regular income then you need to allocate time for business tasks. In this podcast episode, we talk about the importance of treating your design business as a business and I also share a few tips to help make that process easier.
Licensing, freelancing and running a design practice
July 06, 2021 21:00 - 31 minutes - 31.9 MBIn this podcast episode, I interview Elizabeth Silver. Elizabeth Silver is a surface pattern designer who has been working in industry both in full-time roles as well as in her studio practice where she freelances and licenses her work. We talk all about licensing, freelancing and running a design practice and Elizabeth gives us her tips for aspiring designers who are wanting to get work selling their designs. You can find out more about Elizabeth here Click here to find out more ab...
Where should I create my website?
June 29, 2021 20:30 - 8 minutes - 11.2 MBAre you ready to start promoting your portfolio but are not sure which website platform would suit you best? In this episode, we talk about a few different options and the pros and cons of each.
Are you making these common pattern design mistakes?
June 22, 2021 20:30 - 7 minutes - 16 MBIf you've created a pattern design and can see that it's not quite working but are not sure why then you may be making one of these mistakes. In this episode, I share 5 of the biggest mistakes I see when people are creating their pattern designs.
Is a design agent right for you?
June 15, 2021 20:30 - 7 minutes - 16.3 MBIf you're a surface pattern designer you may be thinking about getting an agent to represent you. In this episode, we talk about the pros and cons of having an agent.
Selling your designs
June 08, 2021 20:30 - 7 minutes - 13.1 MBThere are lots of different options for you to sell your surface pattern designs. In this episode, I give you an overview of some of the popular ways that you can start selling your designs including licensing, freelancing and passive income streams.
Getting into the mindset of a successful designer
June 01, 2021 20:30 - 10 minutes - 16.8 MBYou may be creating the most beautiful, successful designs in your own unique style but that doesn't mean you will successfully sell your designs. In this episode, we look at mindset and identity and why it's so important in you becoming an accomplished designer.
Creating pattern design collections
May 25, 2021 20:30 - 7 minutes - 16.5 MBPart of your role as a surface pattern designer is creating pattern design collections. In this episode we look at what a collection is and some tips to get you started creating one.
Tips for creating successful colour palettes
May 18, 2021 20:30 - 7 minutes - 15.6 MBColour is such an important element within a design and can often be the reason a design is successful or not. People are often drawn to a design because of its use of colour so it's important as a surface pattern designer that you develop your colour skills. In this episode, we look at some tips for you to consider for the next time you are creating a colour palette
Why design development is important for your pattern designs
May 11, 2021 21:00 - 7 minutes - 15.1 MBA really important step in the design process is the design development phase. This is the phase where you're going to explore and develop lots of different potential ideas that you can use within your pattern designs. In this episode, I give you some tips and talk about why it's so important.