Creatives Ignite

26/03/2025

Cucumbers: The Process of Making, Scanning, Cleaning out of Painted Paper
https://creativesignite.com/making-the-cucumbers-the-process-from-cut-to-scan

This has been a long time coming. New habits, new obstacles.

I should have done a lot of things differently. SHOULD, SHOULD, SHOULD.

So instead I will share what I learned.

20/02/2025

First Reuse Then Recycle: Making Scrap Pads
https://creativesignite.com/reuse-first-making-scrap-paper-pads
This is a quick video on making paper pads with three resources that you have around your office.

I know we are designers, artists, writers, illustrators and we use paper. We print things out to make sure they look correctly before we send to a client or the printer. We end up with a lot of paper that we would recycle.

I am challenging you to take your one-sided printed paper and make pads of paper out of them.

Creatives Ignite provides creative solopreneurs with weekly inspiration & honest insights about running a creative business. Encouraging creatives to keep their creativity ignited by exploring new tools and techniques, making messes, and connecting with people all around the world.

Sign up here to get the episode link delivered to your inbox. https://creativesignite.com/signup

20/02/2025

Watermelon patterns with a variety of different backgrounds!

20/02/2025

First Reuse Then Recycle: Making Scrap Pads
https://creativesignite.com/reuse-first-making-scrap-paper-pads
This is a quick video on making paper pads with three resources that you have around your office.

https://youtu.be/QrB8ZSeySAk

I know we are designers, artists, writers, illustrators and we use paper. We print things out to make sure they look correctly before we send to a client or the printer. We end up with a lot of paper that we would recycle.

I am challenging you to take your one-sided printed paper, stack them up and take them to a printer to be chopped into the sizes you want. We have a small guillotine at the University. It’s sorta like this: https://amzn.to/4hQq9gE.

These are super affordable and don’t take up that much space. I used to take large stacks of paper that was printed on on only one side to my local printer and have them use their big guillotine and chop it up to the sizes i wanted it. It cost about .25 per chop. So it was very very very affordable. Call around and ask local printers what the cost is.

Then after I get my paper cut and organized with all printed on sides facing the same direction, then I start assembling four to six pads at a time.

Creatives Ignite provides creative solopreneurs with weekly inspiration & honest insights about running a creative business. Encouraging creatives to keep their creativity ignited by exploring new tools and techniques, making messes, and connecting with people all around the world.

Sign up here to get the episode link delivered to your inbox. https://creativesignite.com/signup

This is a quick video on making paper pads with three resources that you have around your office. I know we are designers, artists, writers, illustrators and...

17/02/2025

Analyzing Fabrics & Sharing my Teacup Process
https://creativesignite.com/analyze-fabric-teacup-process/

I am still trying to find my groove. I actually recorded this in January but couldn't find time to edit til this week. I am working on getting a regular rhythm for creating, editing, making patterns, learning, and publishing them on spoonflower (https://spoonflower.com/profiles/dianegibbs and now on Patterned (another website for pattern designers) https://www.patterned.com/dianegibbs

I am reading and watching and learning a LOT. I am doing my best to take notes and hope to share those with you on the blog and in the videos.

I know I struggle in certain areas. These areas I lean heavily on tools, resources, and others. This is how I learn. I ask, I adjust, I make some more applying what I have learned. I struggle with color and how to make a Hero pattern.

Creatives Ignite provides creative solopreneurs with weekly inspiration & honest insights about running a creative business. Encouraging creatives to keep their creativity ignited by exploring new tools and techniques, making messes, and connecting with people all around the world.

Sign up here to get the episode link delivered to your inbox. https://creativesignite.com/signup

24/01/2025

HURDLES: Pushing Through: Making & Uploading the first patterns
Overcoming two big hurdles
Episode 494

How often do you get in your own way? Is it because you don't know all you need to get the thing done? Or is it that you are fighting perfectionism? Or maybe something else, perhaps fear of success?

You see the last two weeks I procrastinated because I didn't know what I was doing. I hadn't ever done some of the things I was trying to do. I didn't know how long it would take.

The other part was that I don't identify as someone who is great with color. So I had to get over myself. You might be asking what that means exactly. I had to sit down and do it. Instead of avoiding possibly doing it wrong, possibly making something ugly, and possibly wasting time.

As I write it, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. But I am an avoider. I will do other things and keep pushing what is hard for me back. But I am the exact opposite for clients. I will attack the hard thing first, because I know it might take me longer.

I think it's because I put this work, the work for me, my business last. It's been hard to do. I have had to limit my client work so that I can get through the work I need to do for my business.

This focused time in my business' life marks a significant moment in my business. I am able to focus and not get sidetracked. I will then be able to see if I can actually make it. Can I make a living doing these things?

Who knows but the rate I was going I would never produce anything. Or not enough things to be seen as more than a hobby.

This week I have faced the hurdles. Taken time to study, try, and overcome. I've won this week, because I have completed things that I have not even attempted because I thought it would take so long to complete. I have a new philosophy I am still getting used to. I am going to make time to figure it out. I am going to not wait because I am scared.

Hope this episode gives you some encouragement and hope. Also I recorded about six hours of making and squashed it into 28 min. I know not everyone is a pattern designer so I sped up some parts. But think about your process, are there ways you could get faster or work smarter?

https://creativesignite.com/hurdles-pushing-through/

11/12/2024

Year End Review 2024
https://creativesignite.com/year-end-review/
Creatives Ignite provides creative solopreneurs with weekly inspiration & honest insights about running a creative business. Encouraging creatives to keep their creativity ignited by exploring new tools and techniques, making messes, and connecting with people all around the world.

There has never been a time when the paragraph above is more true. But things are about to change.

For so many years I have wanted to teach more of what I am learning. I have done that but not to the extent I had wanted to. As we all know it is hard to juggle everything and this last month I have done a lot of praying and reflecting. I have made some difficult but exciting decisions.

I am excited to tell you about the big announcement tomorrow on Creatives Ignite. I am about to embark on a new journey and hope you will stick along for the ride. But honestly I know it won't be for everyone. And you know what that is okay. I am okay with people leaving.

I want people to get something out of the content I share. I have been sharing content regularly for 12.5 years. I am embarking with both hands and both feet on this new journey.

Let me tell you about it LIVE during Episode 492 on Wednesday, Dec 11, 2024 at 7:30pm GMT / 2:30pm ET / 11:30am PT / 8:30am in Hawaii. Sign up here to get the link delivered to your inbox. https://creativesignite.com/signup

This will be the last episode for 2024. I will be starting fresh in January and we will celebrate when I reach episode 500! I am 8 away!

04/12/2024

The Product Designer Series with Diana Ingles
https://creativesignite.com/product-design-defined-with-diana-ingles/

Creatives Ignite provides creative solopreneurs with weekly inspiration & honest insights about running a creative business. Encouraging creatives to keep their creativity ignited by exploring new tools and techniques, making messes, and connecting with people all around the world.

We are at the end of the Product Design series. I have learned a LOT and now know a lot about all different facets of the industry. I also know there are many different definitions of product designer.

But most can be broken down into two categories. One type is a person who works digitally and designs interfaces and customer journeys for a digital product like an app or website. The other type of product designer is someone who creates physical products and sells either direct to customer or sells wholesale.

This week we are finishing up this series and talking about someone who has gone from creating many products and selling them online direct to customer and locally but mostly retail. Diana (De) & John Ingles have completely changed their model and are now focusing on wholesale in a niche market.

I can't wait to pick De's brain this week and ask her about all they have learned.

Oh and two more episodes launch this week. One Wednesday, and one Friday! Definitely will be catching up quick and before the end of the year.

I hope you will join me this Wednesday, December 4 at 7:30pm GMT / 2:30pm ET / 11:30am PT / 9:30am in Hawaii. Sign up here to get the link delivered to your inbox. https://creativesignite.com/signup

20/11/2024

Product Design Defined with Kayhan Atamyildiz
https://creativesignite.com/product-design-defined-with-kayhan-atamyildiz

Creatives Ignite provides creative solopreneurs with weekly inspiration & honest insights about running a creative business. Encouraging creatives to keep their creativity ignited by exploring new tools and techniques, making messes, and connecting with people all around the world.

In this series about Product Design we continue to see how this field is vast and defined in numerous ways. This week we talk to restauranteur who pivoted to web design and then made the transition into a product design role. Hear how his background in running an Italian restaurant's kitchen led him to creating algorithms to create pasta so there was less waste and more efficiency.

Kayhan Atamyildiz has an amazing story and I love the connections he was able to make between the controlled chaos of a kitchen and the fast decisions you have to make as a product designer. He has worked for large corporations on teams as well as by himself. I am so excited to introduce you to him and have him share his story.

I hope you will join us LIVE for Episode 490 on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 at 7:30pm GMT / 2:30pm ET / 11:30am PT / 9:30am in Hawaii.

Signup here to get the link delivered to your inbox. https://creativesignite.com/signup