How to make a living as a surface pattern designer

We’re back with another amazing artist feature! I love featuring other talented creatives on my blog so that you can see how other artists are making a living, either as a surface pattern designer, or similar, and what can be possible for you as well.

Today we are meeting Cristina of Elan Creative Co. Cristina is a web designer and illustrator based in Timisoara, Romania.

Her design company provides tutorials and design resources for bloggers and creative entrepreneurs who also want to learn to create patterns digitally and sell their work.

You’ll also find that she has a fabulous YouTube channel with tons of bite sized surface pattern design tutorials that you should go check out after reading her interview below.

So without further ado, here’s Cristina:

What’s your artistic background? When did you first know you wanted to start sharing your designs and teaching your process online?

I always loved to draw, but I have a more technical background. I started freelancing as a web designer and developer ten years ago because I wanted to grow my portfolio. I also started learning digital illustration around that time because of the niche I was in.

There weren’t that many free resources at that time and many of them were outdated, so I decided to start a blog where I could document what I learned. I wasn’t really thinking about teaching back then, but my tutorials were very successful so I decided to focus more on that.

YouTube seemed like a natural progression as video started to become more popular. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting my tutorials to be so popular, but I’m glad that happened because I realized that I loved teaching almost as much as I love creating patterns.  

  
What inspires your surface pattern designs? How would you describe your design style?

My style is somewhere between graphic and hand-drawn. I always thought of my designs as whimsical because I love colorful and playful illustrations. 

I take inspiration from almost anything around me, especially nature and architecture. I love to travel and to take long trips in nature and I always take pictures of everything that I like. 

What is your creative process like when you start out on a new project or get an idea?

My process is often very chaotic. I’ve been trying to be more organized, but my best work usually comes when I don’t have an exact plan. 

I start by sketching, either with ink pens or directly on my iPad, and then I move my designs to Illustrator. I live to vectorize them and then color and arrange them until I have a design that I like. 

I often go back after a few days or even weeks and I move things around or use a different color palette. Sometimes I even use the elements to create new patterns. 

How do you find balance with your passion as your business?

This is something I’m still learning. I’m a bit of a workaholic and it’s hard for me to take a break and enjoy. I’m often in business mode and that led to a burnout a couple of years ago. 

I was forced to take a break and now I’m focusing more on my passion than on the business side of things. I still have days when I’m in full business mode, but most of the time I try to be easier on myself and to have fun. It feels wonderful to earn a living from your passion and I know not many people are lucky enough to do this. 

Do you dabble in any other forms of art in your free time?

I love photography. I always loved it. It’s very useful to me as a designer because I can look back at pictures when I’m feeling uninspired and they really help get me out of a creative block. 

Recently, I’ve been learning how to use watercolors. It’s not something I want to use for my patterns, at least not yet, I just find it’s a great way to relieve stress so I often paint when I have a bit of free time. 

You have a pretty successful YouTube channel sharing your design tutorials. Any advice for someone wanting to get started in that direction?

Just begin! That was the hardest part for me. Things will fall into place if you love what you are doing. It’s easy to get scared because you have to learn how to record and edit your videos, and then you have to promote them, but you will learn all of that along the way.

The most important thing is to start posting and to try to have a fixed schedule. This way your audience will get to know you and will look forward to your videos. 

In general, what have you found to be the most difficult thing about creating and selling your work as an artist?

That’s a good question! Marketing has always been a struggle for me. I love to create, but I hate to sell my work. Some things came easier, like starting a blog or a YouTube channel, but promoting my work on social media has always been hard for me. I realized lately that it’s easier to just focus on the things I like instead of trying every social media app out there.

Do you have any new ideas or projects coming up that you’re excited about?

There’s always something in the works! I’ve been focusing on building my portfolio and on designing a few new collections that I’m not ready to share with the world just yet.

Another important part of my business is teaching and there are a few new tutorials for YouTube and Skillshare that I’m working on.

What’s your best piece of advice for someone who wants to start teaching their process or selling their art online?

Like I said before, it’s important to start and it’s important to do something you love. If you are a creator, you shouldn’t get into teaching just because everyone else does. I think it’s important to listen to your inner voice and do the things you love.

Once you start working, it will be easier to develop your style and grow your audience. You don’t have to build an audience before you build your website, or know your style before you start your first design. 

And always keep creating and learning new things!

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Thanks Cristina for chatting with us and sharing some valuable tips on how to make a living as a surface pattern designer! You can find more about Cristina and her work here.