Meet the Artists: Olivia Colden, Gia Graham, Ben Goetting, Jenell Gilyard, Shakeeta Draper, Christine Amelie, Lilian Barker, Beshka Kuerser

Behind every design on Spoonflower is an independent artist from around the world.

It’s no secret that Spoonflower is the world’s largest marketplace of indie pattern designs (over 1 million designs and growing!), but did you know that you can print any design on our 20+ fabrics, 3 wallpaper offerings and on a growing collection of unique made-for-you home decor that you can’t find anywhere else? And, you can feel good knowing your purchase supports independent artists from around the world! Read below to get to know eight Spoonflower designers in this month’s edition of our Artist Spotlight series.

Meet the Featured Artists

List three fun facts about yourself:
I named my studio Hey Bee after my cat. When I was younger, I wanted to be a wildlife photographer. I used to play guitar, didgeridoo and the accordion in a small world music band.

What does your creative process look like?
I always begin by gathering references and sketching by hand, trying to capture the mood I am looking for. If I can, I will draw from a real-life object or pick some flowers I am interested in or even buy different vintage trinkets and bring them home to reference.

Then I pick a colour palette and block in the colours digitally after importing the scanned sketches into Procreate.

After completing the illustrations I import the assets into Adobe® Illustrator® or Photoshop® and arrange the design into a repeating pattern.

What is your dream project?
I will always and forever want to do a Google doodle.

What have you learned that has positively impacted your career? 
You should never hide the work you’ve done or be afraid to put yourself out there because you don’t think you are ‘ready’. Show the world what you are doing and participate in sharing content with your community as much as possible. 

List three fun facts about yourself:
I’m a morning person who doesn’t like to wake up early. Despite ten years of ballet classes during childhood, I can be quite clumsy at times. Mangoes are my absolute favorite fruit!

What does your creative process look like?
I always start with a rough sketch which I refine in pencil before adding color and finalizing. When I say pencil, I mean a digital pencil. I create my patterns from start to finish on the iPad, using the Procreate® app.

What is your dream project?
I would love to design fabric for a clothing collection one day!

What have you learned that has positively impacted your career? 
Amazing new opportunities come when I step way out of my comfort zone.

List three fun facts about yourself:
I was an art director for a record label for 10 years, all my skills are self-taught and I love dachshunds.

What does your creative process look like?
I just like to work on whatever I find interesting to me at the moment. I prefer working with my hands more than computers.

What is your dream project?
Opening another retail store.

What have you learned that has positively impacted your career? 
Never work in exchange for “exposure”.

Check out Ben’s Instagram page to see his handmade chain stitch patches!

List three fun facts about yourself:
I understand the world and speak in metaphors, I love really terrible horror movies—I’m talking Lavalantula ????, and I’m an author.

What does your creative process look like?
Because I seek inspiration everywhere, Pinterest is my go-to tool to go from Baroque art to Lil’ Kim without having to look too hard! There’s so much inspiration in The Culture! Everything I do is fueled by being black, so the inspiration feels connected and authentic. Once I find inspiration, I visualize every application I can think of—how it moves, what it looks like, smells like, feels like—all the things. The ones that feel best to me, I pour myself into.

What is your dream project?
Working with Rihanna for any of her lines.

What have you learned that has positively impacted your career? 
Nobody is you. Nobody has your experience, your voice, your lens of the world, and if you lean into that without reservation, anything you do, anything you put out is going to hit different.

List three fun facts about yourself:
My zodiac sign is Scorpio. I absolutely love to dive deep into the minds of others and what inspires them most. I cannot get enough of sweet and salty food combinations.

What does your creative process look like?
It almost always begins with meditation. I ask myself, “How am I feeling today?“. I focus on those feelings, draw them out and from there, the creativity flows unrestricted and naturally.

What is your dream project?
I have always wanted to create wearable artwork. I want my designs to inspire others to tap more into the spiritual side of themselves and when they wear my designs, I want my artwork to mean something personal to them, to remind them that we are all connected.

What have you learned that has positively impacted your career? 
I have learned to allow others to see past my outer shell, to be more transparent and not to shy away from my true feelings. This has not only impacted my career in ways I could have never imagined, but it has been an example for others around me to tap into their own creativeness.

List three fun facts about yourself:
My greatest inspiration comes from my favorite songwriters. If I could pick one superpower, it would be time travel. Other than drawing, I’m the happiest walking in nature.

What does your creative process look like?
I start out by forming the concept and composition in a semi-meditative state. I only start drawing once the final design has formed clearly inside my head. If the design has to be very cohesive (e.g. a layout, not just individual icons), then I draw what I call a ‘serious sketch’ (vs. doodles) on paper with most things in place the way they’ll end up in the final design. I then use different techniques: live-tracing pen drawings, a tablet, individual textures as well as digital brushes in Adobe Illustrator and Affinity programs.

What is your dream project?
A collaboration with LeSportsac, the company that started my love for surface design.

What have you learned that has positively impacted your career? 
Trying my hand at various projects and new programs has helped me develop new approaches and techniques.

List three fun facts about yourself:
I recently took up roller skating—so far I haven’t broken anything! I have enough art and craft supplies in my house to open up a small shop. I also have a skincare business, Fairfield Gardens, that makes all-natural lip balms.

What does your creative process look like?
First of all, I gather very broad ideas around whichever theme I’m designing for; I tend to use Pinterest for that. Next, I’ll narrow down to fit the aesthetic that I’m going for and create a colour palette. Then I generally gather elements that fit my idea and play around until the pattern or design emerges. Sometimes it’s a very natural process and other times it’s excruciating! I’m still learning so there’s definitely room for improvement.

What is your dream project?
I would love to do some costume designing or to work with a costume designer.

What have you learned that has positively impacted your career? 
To lean into my interests. I was fighting against designing on a regular basis and let alone even considering this as a career because I already had my lip balm business that I was very invested in. Consequently, I ended up doing a poor job at both. But when I gave myself the time and permission to explore both avenues, I became a lot happier and felt more balanced. Now I’m able to choose how I spend my time and be OK with it.

List three fun facts about yourself:
My mom got my name out of a magazine—I do hope we have been pronouncing it correctly all these years! I make sound effects for things when I am talking. Taco Bell was my first job (thank you, Sandra, from P.E. class) and I still like to eat there.

What does your creative process look like?
Doodle. Research. Sketch. Formation. Color. Tweak. Tweak. Done.

What is your dream project?
Gucci. It’s a wild dream but if I’m gonna dream, it’s Gucci. I would love to collaborate with them and see something of mine on anything of theirs—the insole of a shoe, the cuff of a shirt—whatever, I’ll take it.

What have you learned that has positively impacted your career? 
That you can define what success is for yourself. You don’t have to follow a predetermined path or the same path others have taken. When I first started out it seemed like there was this path I was supposed to follow if I wanted to be successful and I started on that path. I quickly realized that this wasn’t going to work for me and I decided I would forge a path on my own terms even if it meant going at a much slower pace to achieve what I wanted. So yes, my path has been slow but I am so happy right where I am at.

Have a design business you want to take to the next level? From the benefits of participating in the Weekly Design Challenges to photography and social media tips, don’t miss our Spoonflower Seller Handbook series made for artists like you.