200: The Role of Surveys: Shaping Our Business Strategies
Release Date: 05/15/2025
212: From Beginner to Pro: The Roadmap No One Talks About
The Professional Creative
When Bonnie Christine first dreamed of seeing her artwork on fabric, she was met with a tidal wave of overwhelm. She had no roadmap, no clear next steps—just a big dream and a million scattered tutorials. That confusion cost her 18 months of slow, uncertain progress. In this episode, Bonnie shares the tool she wishes she had from day one: The Pattern Path, a six-stage roadmap that guides aspiring surface pattern designers from curious beginners to industry icons. Whether you're just starting out or feeling stuck in the “daily scramble,” Bonnie helps you pinpoint exactly where you are and...
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211: The Career You’ve Been Dreaming Of (Yes, It’s Real)
The Professional Creative
Once you start seeing it, you can’t unsee it: our world is covered in patterns. From the notebook on your desk to the wallpaper in your favorite café, someone, somewhere, designed each of those. And in this episode, I want to open your eyes to the possibility that someone could be you. I share the very moment I discovered surface pattern design, while walking through my mom’s fabric store, and how it sparked a career that allows me to work from anywhere, set my own schedule, and do creative work that lights me up. If you’ve ever dreamed of designing fabric, wallpaper, stationery, or...
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210. From Vision to Print: The Birth of Pattern Magazine
The Professional Creative
We made a bet on beauty, permanence, and the tactile magic of print in a fast-paced, digital-first world, and that bet became Pattern Magazine, a 120-page quarterly print publication designed to inspire, inform, and live on your studio table for years to come. In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of exactly how we brought it to life, from the first spark of an idea to holding the finished magazine in our hands. I share the research that convinced us print is thriving, including how tactile experiences build trust, create emotional connection, and stand the test of time, and why now...
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209: Why We Created Alumni-Only Perks Inside Pattern+
The Professional Creative
From the very beginning of Surface Design Immersion, I've been deeply connected to the students who join us, especially our alumni. Over the years, I’ve watched them transform from curious beginners to confident artists, entrepreneurs, product developers, and educators. Their journey is a source of endless inspiration, and staying in relationship with them has shaped how I serve our community today. In this episode, I walk you through why we built alumni-only features inside Pattern+, our membership program. These additions aren’t meant to exclude. They’re designed to serve more...
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208: The Blueprint Behind Pattern+: What's Actually Inside
The Professional Creative
Pattern Plus was born from a deep desire to create something both simple and profoundly strategic for surface pattern designers. In this episode, I walk you through exactly what’s inside the membership and how it’s helping over 4,000 members gain clarity, save time, and make consistent progress in their businesses, without the overwhelm. I share the core problems we’re solving: the stuck-ness that comes from not knowing what to prioritize, the overwhelm of too many scattered resources, and the time loss creatives often face just trying to figure out what to do next. Here’s a breakdown...
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207: Flourish to Pattern+: What I Learned by Listening
The Professional Creative
Something wasn’t quite right, but it wasn’t obvious. A few familiar names stopped showing up. The community felt quieter. Emails trickled in with kind words and lingering overwhelm. Rather than dismissing the shift or powering through, I chose to pause and truly listen. In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of how that pause sparked one of the biggest transformations we’ve ever made: the shift from Flourish to Pattern+. I walk you through the exact steps we took to uncover what our members truly needed and how we redesigned our entire membership from the ground up as a result. We...
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206: The Power of a Press Kit
The Professional Creative
A small, thoughtful press kit turned out to be one of the most impactful tools we brought to our latest licensing trade show. In this episode, I’m sharing how this tiny detail—something we nearly overlooked—sparked major conversations, opened unexpected doors, and ultimately stole the show. We were deep in the chaos of pre-show preparation, ironing, assembling, and punching holes for this little piece of collateral when we began to wonder if it would even be worth it. But it absolutely was. More than any other part of our setup, the press kit is what people remembered, what they held...
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205: What We’re Bringing to the Table at Expo
The Professional Creative
Bringing our vision to life at the Licensing Expo was one of the most rewarding and meaningful experiences of my creative career, and in this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on what it was really like. I share the inspiration and intentionality behind every detail of our booth, from the concept of a welcoming “greenhouse” to the birds I hand-sculpted with over 100 hours of love and labor. I talk through the creative decisions that shaped our booth, including the layout, live floral installation, tactile displays, and the thoughtful storytelling woven throughout. I also get honest...
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204: Inside Our Expo Strategy
The Professional Creative
Stepping into the Licensing Expo for the very first time was both exhilarating and intimidating. In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of how we approached exhibiting at the world's largest licensing trade show in Las Vegas—from our earliest preparations to what happened after the doors closed. We didn't come with flashy campaigns or loud visuals. Instead, we showed up with clarity, intention, and a booth designed to feel like an extension of my studio—warm, welcoming, and rooted in story. We talk through how we turned doubt into confidence, especially in the face of...
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203: Prepping the Portfolio: Back to Our Roots
The Professional Creative
Before I ever signed a licensing deal or showed my work at a trade show, I had one thing—a portfolio. In this episode, I take you back to the roots of my very first handmade portfolio and walk you through how I’ve translated that same heartfelt essence into a new, fully digital version for today. This journey has come full circle, and I want to share not only the story behind my original bound book but also how you can create a meaningful online portfolio that feels like an experience. I open up about the emotional connection behind that first portfolio—how I bound it by hand, infused it...
info_outlineAs creative entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves wondering what our audience wants—what they’re thinking, needing, or hoping we’ll create next. In this episode, I share one of the most powerful tools we use to stop guessing and start knowing: surveys. You'll hear exactly how we ask meaningful questions, the specific ones we rely on, and how we design surveys that lead to clear and confident decision-making.
The episode begins with a funny (and humbling) story about a yacht surprise gone sideways. It’s a lighthearted reminder of how important it is to ask the right questions before making decisions, whether big or small. From there, I walk through three detailed examples of how surveys have shaped key areas of our business this past year: email newsletters, product development, and live events.
You’ll learn how one simple survey question led to a major new feature in our Pattern Plus membership, how asking about newsletter cadence brought instant clarity, and how we use post-event feedback to improve each year’s conference. I also share the framework we use to build surveys that are simple, specific, and impactful—along with the tools and practices that help us get great results.
If you’ve ever felt unsure about what your audience wants or needs, this episode will show you just how easy and effective it can be to ask. You don’t have to wonder. You just have to ask.
📒 Episode Notes, Links, & Resources 📒
https://www.professionalcreative.com/blog/200
Connect with Bonnie:
▸ ONLINE | http://bonniechristine.com
▸ INSTAGRAM | https://instagram.com/bonniechristine
▸ START SIMPLE IN SURFACE DESIGN | FREE MINI CLASS | https://www.bonniechristine.com/startsimple
▸ FREE SURFACE DESIGN GUIDE | https://www.bonniechristine.com/guide