Well, It’s time to bite the bullet and create a portfolio of my designs. Oh dear.

Everyone who is anyone in the surface design business says it’s the best way to pitch your work. I know it’s the next step in moving towards achieving my ultimate goal of becoming licenced. It’s just a bit . . . . . . confronting.

So in times of indecision I like to move from the known to the unknown.

I know I absolutely love making patterns. Have you ever felt like you’ve found your thing and it’s no longer a conscious decision to do it? It’s non-negotiable. That’s me. Pattern making is my thing. It brings meaning to my days. It’s fun with no strings attached. There are no deadlines. No one is critiquing my work. No hard and fast rules. Nothing relies on it. When inspiration strikes I go and create to my heart’s content. I do it for me and no one else. Yet.

I know creating and pitching a portfolio to companies will make all of this real. I will be accountable. My pretence of being hard at work by spending my time learning about surface design in general is rapidly nearing its use-by date. I know I’ve been in this phase for long enough. It’s been fun but I know it’s time to step up and take action. But am I mentally ready?

I’ve been contemplating that question for quite a while but the answer is always the same. When you’ve found your ‘thing’, you have no choice but to move forward and enjoy the ride.

I know I might fail. There’s a big risk of failure. I know that’s why I’m not jumping for joy at the thought of assembling a portfolio. I may never get to where I dream to be. My big big dream of spending my days creating beautiful designs that people love, becoming licenced, seeing my designs on real fabric in stores, making a little money in my own little business and working from a cute studio overlooking our little dam may never happen. I’m a dreamer. I always have been. I find a comfortable little corner and watch from afar. There’s no risk in that.

So I have to ask myself the big question. If I don’t become licenced, will I still create patterns? And the answer is yes. It’s who I am now. It’s what I do. So there’s nothing to lose.

Over that past month or so I’ve made the commitment to move forward and give it all I’ve got. I’m 50 good grief! It’s time to set about doing everything I can to make this big big dream a reality.

Now to the unknown. How to create a beautiful portfolio that will get me licenced?

Creating a portfolio means there’s lots of things to consider. Digital. Hard copy. Mock ups. Presentation. Content. Page layouts. Fonts. What work to include and what to leave out? I’ve made well over 200 patterns over the past 18 months so that’s a lot of decision making. But I’m up for it.

I took the first step by purchasing a set of page templates. It all looks simple enough and the instruction video was informative. I think the purchase was the right decision for me as I haven’t seen many surface design portfolios in their entirety and as a visual learner having a reference is crucial. And I’m already starting to picture how I want it to feel and the story I want it to tell.

So I’m off to a slow but positive start. I know enough about myself that once I’ve made a decision the rest will follow. One thing a day. It’s good advice!

Wish me luck.