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Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Susan Castillo

Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Susan Castillo

by | Sep 1, 2025 | News & Announcements

Creative Brief Member Spotlight

We love spotlighting our Creative Brief Members!
Artist Spotlight – Susan R. Castillo.

Susan R. Castillo .

From crafting Barbie cars out of tissue boxes to designing patterns that dance across fabric and walls, Susan R Castillo has always followed her creative spark.

A graphic designer turned surface pattern artist, she transformed setback into opportunity, blending whimsy, resilience, and heart into every design—proving it’s never too late to reinvent yourself or chase the art that lights you up.

Why I love the Briefs…

What I love about the Portfolio Building Creative Briefs is how they nudge my creativity beyond its comfort zone.

My doodles often plant the seed for a pattern, but these briefs are like a spark—turning a simple idea into something more refined, more intentional. They help me stretch, explore, and bring my imagination to life in new ways.

Celebrating Progress…

Every Creative Brief feels like planting a seed. Each one nudges my creativity in new directions, helping me grow a portfolio that’s starting to bloom with potential.
No big wins to shout about (yet!), but I can feel something taking root—and I have a feeling it’s going to blossom beautifully.

My Tip Tips…

My top tip: treat each brief like a creative playground, not a test.

I give myself permission to explore without pressure—sometimes that means starting with a quick doodle or color palette to break the ice.

Also, setting mini deadlines helps me stay on track without feeling overwhelmed. Progress over perfection keeps the momentum (and joy!) going.

Want to see more of Susan's work?

Click Here

We love hearing from & spotlighting our Portfolio Building Creative Brief members!
If you are a member & would love to be featured submit below.

Submit Here 

Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Eliska Makovicka

Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Eliska Makovicka

by | Aug 11, 2025 | News & Announcements

Creative Brief Member Spotlight

We love spotlighting our Creative Brief Members!
Artist Spotlight – Eliska Makovicka.

Eliska Makovicka of
E.M. Studio L.A.

Eliska is the artist and the founder of E.M. Studio L.A.

E.M. are her initials and L.A. represents the city she is based at. You guessed it…Los Angeles.

She was born in the Czech Republic, lived in the U.K. and Spain before finding her home in Southern California.

Why I love the Briefs…

I love the Creative Briefs because they help me to stay consistent, and the prompts make the ideas flow.

This year, I am working on as many designs as possible so I can learn as much as possible. My end of the year goal is to have enough quality designs to select from to build a strong portfolio. 

My Biggest Win

I put my ‘Crafty Corner’ hero design on a hoodie that I wear a lot and people say how much they love it.
That’s a win for me! 🙂

My Tip Tips…

My top tip is this – 
“have fun and design what you would buy”.

Want to see more of Eliska's work?

Click Here

We love hearing from & spotlighting our Portfolio Building Creative Brief members!
If you are a member & would love to be featured submit below.

Submit Here 

Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Sharron Binns

Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Sharron Binns

by | Jan 13, 2025 | News & Announcements

Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Sharron Binns

Artist SpotlightSharon Binns

Sharron has recently launched herself as a surface pattern designer.

Based in the scenic Mackenzie Country in the middle of the South Island, New Zealand, Sharron has a limitless amount of design inspiration surrounding her.

Discovering surface pattern design later in life has opened up a whole new career for Sharron that has allowed her to completely reinvent herself and discover talents she knew deep down she had but never had the chance to use them.

If you would love to see more of Sharron’s designs click here

 

The creative briefs are a wonderful way to be accountable.

SPD starts out as a hobby for most people but with these briefs you feel like a real designer with a real brief from a real customer!

They are a tangible asset that not only builds your portfolio, but goes a long way to help you discover and fine tune your own style.

My Top Tip: 

My advice to anyone doing these briefs is finish one brief before going onto the next! It’s so easy to spend a month working on a brief and before you know it another is on your doorstep. It’s like having a monthly book subscription. It’s so exciting receiving the next book but before you know it you have half a dozen unread titles.

Creative Brief Member Wins

 

My Spoonflower shop has certainly been more active since starting the briefs and that has pushed me to get my brand new website up and running!

Well done Sharron!

We love hearing from our Portfolio Building Creative Design Brief members on how they love our Design Briefs & their hot tips for working with them! if you are a member & would love to be featured submit below.

Submit Here

If you are not a member yet & would love to learn more about our amazing design tool to help you build your portfolio like a pro then click the button below to learn more.

At Creative Studio Collective, we’re all about crafting fantastic design tools for Surface Pattern Designers, Textile Designers, Artists & creatives that support you on your creative journey, allowing you to focus on the enjoyable aspects while we handle all the strategic thinking and planning for you! 

Learn More Here

Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Jeanette Parks

Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Jeanette Parks

by | Dec 9, 2024 | News & Announcements

Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Jeanette Parks

Artist SpotlightJeanette Parks

Jeanette is a Swedish-American lifelong artist and designer who loves making bold and eclectic designs ranging from painterly florals to retro and nostalgic icons.

If you would love to see more of Jeanette’s designs click here

 

I love the concept of creating a mini collection.

Each Monthly Creative Brief has an on trend theme and colour palette which provides me with a clear focus each month.

My Top Tip: 

Tackling a “hero” pattern first is sort of my modus operandi. I read through the brief and think about what sort of main theme jumps out at me. After I make 1 or 2 hero prints, I spin off coordinates and blenders from that starting point

Creative Brief Member Wins

 

Several of my Creative Brief designs have started getting sales trickling in, and I’m gearing up to submit my mini collections and portfolio to more companies.

Well done Jeanette!

We love hearing from our Portfolio Building Creative Design Brief members on how they love our Design Briefs & their hot tips for working with them! if you are a member & would love to be featured submit below.

Submit Here

If you are not a member yet & would love to learn more about our amazing design tool to help you build your portfolio like a pro then click the button below to learn more.

At Creative Studio Collective, we’re all about crafting fantastic design tools for Surface Pattern Designers, Textile Designers, Artists & creatives that support you on your creative journey, allowing you to focus on the enjoyable aspects while we handle all the strategic thinking and planning for you! 

Learn More Here

Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Mirjam Nelemans

Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Mirjam Nelemans

by | Oct 14, 2024 | News & Announcements

Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Mirjam Nelemans

Artist SpotlightMirjam Nelemans

As a passionate surface pattern designer, Mirjam from Lamira Art & Design, craft refined patterns that add a touch of elegance and happiness to the world.

Drawing inspiration from the beauty of nature and diverse cultures, Lamira’s Designes are blending timeless and contemporary elements.

If you would love to see more of Mirjam’s designs click here 

The monthly Creative Briefs are a delightful source of inspiration for me, injecting fresh creativity into my designs.

They have a magical way of pulling me out of my comforting zone, encouraging me to explore new avenues and embrace exiting challenges.

My Top Tip for how to make the most out of the Monthly Creative Briefs is:
Approach each theme with an open mind and let the journey of exploration enhance your skills and broaden your artistic horizons.

We love hearing from our Portfolio Building Creative Design Brief members on how they love our Design Briefs & their hot tips for working with them! if you are a member & would love to be featured submit below.

Submit Here

If you are not a member yet & would love to learn more about our amazing design tool to help you build your portfolio like a pro then click the button below to learn more.

At Creative Studio Collective, we’re all about crafting fantastic design tools for Surface Pattern Designers, Textile Designers, Artists & creatives that support you on your creative journey, allowing you to focus on the enjoyable aspects while we handle all the strategic thinking and planning for you! 

Learn More About Our Creative Briefs Here

Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Frances Poff

Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Frances Poff

by | Sep 9, 2024 | News & Announcements

Creative Brief Member Spotlight – Frances Poff

Artist SpotlightFrances Poff

Frances Poff is a Surface Pattern Designer based in Wellington, New Zealand.

Her style is simple and colourful, with the occasional dabble in vectorised watercolor just to keep things interesting!

Frances loves designing large scale for wallpaper and bedlinen, with a nod to the mid century modern era. Her designs are currently available in her Spoonflower and Redbubble shops.

If you would love to see more of Frances’s designs click here 

My favourite thing about the Monthly Creative Briefs is that Ryann and Fleur have done all the hard work for you: the research, trend spotting, colour stories, keywords plus a dedicated Pinterest board for each monthly brief.

All I have to do it create the art!

My Top Tip for how to make the most out of the Monthly Creative Briefs is:
As well as saving the monthly digital Design Brief files, I make sure to print them out and leave them in plain view on my coffee table, ready for whenever I have a free moment. That way I can dive right into brainstorming and creating the art.

We love hearing from our Portfolio Building Creative Design Brief members on how they love our Design Briefs & their hot tips for working with them! if you are a member & would love to be featured submit below.

Submit Here

If you are not a member yet & would love to learn more about our amazing design tool to help you build your portfolio like a pro then click the button below to learn more.

At Creative Studio Collective, we’re all about crafting fantastic design tools for Surface Pattern Designers, Textile Designers, Artists & creatives that support you on your creative journey, allowing you to focus on the enjoyable aspects while we handle all the strategic thinking and planning for you! 

Learn More About Our Creative Briefs Here