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\",\"settings\":{\"styles\":{\"text\":\"center\",\"align\":\"flex-start\",\"justify\":\"center\",\"position\":\"3/7/5/11\",\"m-element-margin\":\"0 0 24px 0\"}}},\"siPc60FwdHO\":{\"type\":\"GridForm\",\"formId\":\"subscribeForm\",\"settings\":{\"theme\":\"light\",\"schema\":[{\"id\":\"q7lwFdDXA0\",\"svg\":\"mail\",\"tag\":\"input\",\"name\":\"email\",\"type\":\"GridInput\",\"inputLabel\":\"\",\"validation\":[[\"required\"],[\"email\"]],\"placeholder\":\"Your email address\",\"validation-messages\":{\"email\":\"Please enter a valid email address\",\"required\":\"This field is required\"}}],\"styles\":{\"text\":\"left\",\"align\":\"space-between\",\"justify\":\"center\",\"position\":\"5/7/8/11\",\"formSpacing\":\"22px 10px\"},\"successMessage\":\"Thank you! \"},\"innerBackground\":{\"color\":\"var(--colors-light)\",\"image\":\"\",\"current\":\"\"},\"submitButtonData\":{\"type\":\"GridButton\",\"content\":\"SUBMIT\",\"settings\":{\"type\":\"primary\",\"styles\":{\"align\":\"center\",\"position\":\"8/8/9/10\"},\"isFormButton\":true}}},\"CLTrVWq7n-section-title\":{\"type\":\"GridTextBox\",\"content\":\"This is a list of teachers, designers, illustrators and creatives who make me dizzy with excitement, and the top thing/things I like about their work, which have in turn inspired my own. I found exercises like this help to keep me focused, and inform me of what direction to take. Ultimately, becoming aware of what peaks my interest or catches my eye or makes my heart sing helps me to hone in on my own wants. Here is the list of people I am super grateful for since 2020-early 2021. Also included are what I like to call magic moments with some of them. I like to believe that these are moments when the universe is telling me I am on the right track.
Andy J. Pizza - Andy hosts my favourite podcast, which has given me creative fuel many times. He has raised the value of art in my own mind. Every time I listen to him it makes me appreciate what I do more and more and makes me think about things in ways I may not have before. Magic moment: When Andy replied to my comment to his post on Instagram. I really appreciated the time he took for that.
Bonnie Christine - “Do one thing everyday”. This has almost become a mantra for me, as I find myself repeating it during the day. It is the antidote to overwhelm and the elixir that makes me believe that success is possible. I am a part of her Flourish Tribe, through which I have met my peer group - another list of artists I hold dear. Bonnie’s roadmap gives me an idea of what to expect on this journey.
Elizabeth Olwen - Signature style. I’m not the first person to want to follow in her footsteps and certainly won’t be the last. I have followed her classes and love the clean, neat and tidy look and feel of her brand.
Gia Graham - I love Gia’s work and the fact she’s a mama too. Hers was the first class I have taken in hand lettering, and I often look to her for inspiration. Magic moment: When Gia chose to feature my pattern on Instagram for one of her monthly #paletteplay installments. Woopwoop!
Mable Tan - Mable is a girl after my own heart. She’s originally from Malaysia, we’re the same age and we both love to geek out about surface pattern design. Not only are her designs to drool for, she generously shares her learning journey with her tribe and we all learn in the process. She’s my go-to for building community, being driven by purpose and of course, art licensing.
Maja Faber - Simplicity and workflow. In one of her Skillshare videos, which are very comprehensive, easy to follow and helpful, Maja gets candid about how she acknowledged to herself that her signature style was simple. That made me feel that it is perfectly okay for me to have a simple style too, giving me permission to just be myself. Magic moment - when she hosted a giveaway and I won a 1-year premium Skillshare membership, which I have got tremendous value from.
Oksancia - Innovation. It was the moment I found her videos on Youtube that I got to know that surface pattern design was even a thing… and in that same moment I knew it’s what I wanted to do. I went on to take her course and learnt that before the Pattern Tool even existed, Oksana developed her own pattern making templates and systems on Adobe Illustrator. I admire her for her innovation and doing things her way.
Stacie Bloomfield - Stacie is the newest addition to my list and I would love to connect with her one day. She has a true entrepreneurial streak and tremendous success with her art. I foresee having a lot more to learn from her once I’ve picked my jaw off the floor. I look to her as inspiration for what’s possible with surface design art.
This is a growing list. I am so thrilled to discover the online art community and become a part of it. Much love to these generous artists who are so willing to share and to lift us all up.
I just had a call with Mable Tan. It really was such a coincidence that I received her mailing list email that she was offering 15 minute calls just as I was writing her an email myself. I signed up right away and took the very first slot which gave me hardly any time to prep, but I was armed with questions and eager to take advantage of any moment I had help with the kids.
The intention of the call was to get some clarity about the Immersion course by Bonnie Christine and whether it would be the right fit for me, but as we had a little more time, I ended up taking away more; a push to dream bigger and a deeper insight into what Mable is about.
We have minor tech trouble but I’m soon on the screen and immediately wish I had brushed my hair. But Mable is gracious and forgiving. She immediately comes across as approachable yet professional, as we have seen her on her live calls. We touched base on common friends and hailing from Malaysia.
I ask her my first question about being a surface pattern designer based in Malaysia. Can it work? “Will I have enough opportunities to make a career of it?” I ask.
“I really want you to think outside the box”, Mable suggests. She goes on to drive home the point not to limit myself to Malaysia. Although she is in Australia, she has had licensing deals abroad like in America, UK and Denmark. I feel encouraged and more assured that working internationally from home is possible in this business.
While inspiring, Mable did not just paint a rosy picture for me about the realities of being a surface pattern designer. It takes hard work, and pitch after pitch, after pitch... after pitch... to find the right fit and make it work. “It’s like dating. You need to find the right partners.” she says jovially, while putting due weight on her point.
We talk about the Immersion course and how in depth it is. “But it is not a guarantee for success”, she warns. “It gives you the tools, and your success depends on what you do with it.” I am sure we would all agree that even if the information were gold, one should not expect results if one does nothing with it. I ask her about getting portfolio reviews instead. She doesn't jump at the idea. Portfolios are not a one-off thing, she explains. It requires frequent updating. I gather that her process includes determining when her portfolio is ready herself instead of having someone else tell her when it is good. Instead, she recommends to keep pitching and looking for the right fit.
I tell her that I have been making patterns but not sharing my work. My last social media post is a couple of months old (I don't share my personal life on my personal accounts either). We talk about allowing progression, not perfection, to be seen on Instagram and other social media. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, I have made many mistakes in my live calls and blog”. “No,” I say, “I have not noticed”. She laughs, “We are our own worst critic”. But I do recall wanting to look back into early posts of people I follow and learn from - photos that aren't quite as glamorous, videos that are a little more awkward, work that isn't quite as refined... and true enough it does inspire me to be happy with where I am and to keep going.
We find out that we are the same age.
“What keeps you going... How are you able to go from being an introvert to holding live calls, over and over again?”
The question prompts her to think deeper.
She comes back with an unexpected answer. She is angry. She is angry about women, especially Asian women, not valuing their work, taking too little in exchange for it, and thinking that they cannot make money with art because of what they have been told all their life. Her conviction to change that wherever she can is evident in her passion. Although she's a natural role model for me, her intentionality about advocating for women, particularly from Southeast Asia, to value their art, think outside the box and reach their goals, was not what I saw coming. What's left to say? I'm in.
Mable Tan, surface pattern designer, community leader, trailblazer, thanks for paving the way!
Visit Mable's website. Follow her on Instagram @mabletan.
*As I did not record the call, quotes above have been paraphrased from memory.
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Day 4:
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