Congratulations, Debby McLaughlin!
Debby McLaughlin, a cherished member of my surface design community, recently achieved a significant milestone in her artistic journey. She signed her first licensing contract! In a joyful celebration inside my membership program, Anne’s Atelier yesterday, she shared insights into her creative process, and the most important steps she took to achieve this exciting milestone.
Background:
Hailing from the north of the Houston area, Debby's journey back into the world of art and design may resonate with you. I know it did for me. Debby was always creative as a child but at some point in school was told that she wasn’t talented enough to pursue a creative path. She should stick with “crafty things”.
As a result, she pursued a career in finance and technology and left her creative pursuits behind. Thankfully, in her mid-50’s, she found herself drawn back to her passion for art. She began taking art classes, joined her local art league and found her way to my Doodles Coaching Week program. BTW - I’m running Doodles again starting on March 11. Grab your spot HERE.
Creativity and Learning:
Debby’s exploration of surface pattern design started with my Doodles Coaching Week. She then enrolled in my signature program, The Pattern Design Academy and is now a member of my creative membership, Anne’s Atelier.
Throughout her learning journey, Debby honed her skills and became very disciplined in entering the Spoonflower design challenges. These provided valuable practice working to a design brief and getting out of her natural comfort zone - designing on topics or in colors she wasn’t naturally drawn to.
The Path to Licensing:
Becoming a licensed designer takes time, perseverance, and discipline. Debby diligently grew her portfolio and added designs on a private area on her website. She also regularly reached out to companies to see if she could submit designs for consideration. She used great investigative skills to discover licensing companies by exploring other artists portfolios and posts on social media. She keeps track of who she’s reached out to and the status of each conversation on spreadsheets. And most importantly, she has a very positive mindset around how a current “no” might turn into a “yes” in the future.
The Textile District:
As serendipity would have it, The Textile District reached out to her instead of it being the other way around. They licensed her to create a new collection for Fall. The collection is called Morgana and features eight unique designs in three colorways each. You can see the collection HERE as well as the “official” bio that Debby provided about herself and her creative business which is called Cat Spring Art. Click HERE to explore Debby’s beautiful designs on her website: https://catspringart.com/
Marketing:
As with most things, getting licensed is just the beginning. Debby continues to market this new collection with mockups and social media posts. She’s graciously agreed to join me LIVE this Wednesday, February 28 at noon PST for my weekly Wednesday broadcast about art, creativity and surface design. Mark your calendar and please join us to learn more about Debby’s journey to becoming a licensed fabric designer. We’ll be live on my Facebook business page and on my YouTube channel.
I hope this story inspires you to continue to pursue your creative dreams. Anything is possible with the right level of dedication, passion and perseverance. Congratulations, Debby!
If you’d like to see your designs on fabric or paper products like wrapping paper, learn how by joining my Doodles Coaching Week HERE. It starts on March 11. See you there!
xo,
Anne
And Remember…
It’s Never Too Late to Create
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MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation living in, and traveling to, beautiful environments in the United States and abroad.
