The beginning of product development often feels deceptively organized.

You build timelines. Source materials. Approve samples. Send emails. Track revisions. Everything appears to be moving forwar...

This month’s portfolio review features Monica of Monica Kane Design, who asked whether her artwork is suitable for the interiors and home décor markets and where she should focus as she continues r...

We’ve talked before about circling. About staying in research mode, refining endlessly, waiting to feel more certain before making a real move. But sometimes, underneath all of that, there’s someth...

A seasonal snapshot of design, color, and surface shifts

A Shift Toward What Lasts

There was good energy on the floor at High Point Furniture Market this season.

The spaces that drew people in f...

When you run a creative business, the work is usually the first thing you figure out.

You learn your craft. You refine your taste. You get to a point where you can consistently create something st...

This month’s portfolio review features Darlene May of Monashee Illustrations and Designs, who asked for an honest look at her work as she continues refining her direction as a surface designer.

Most designers enter the interiors industry with a plan that feels straightforward at the time. You develop the work first. You build collections, refine your portfolio, and wait until it feels rea...

For many surface pattern designers, entering a new market starts the same way: you send a pitch email and hear nothing back. Your work sits in an inbox while weeks turn into months without a respon...

There’s a particular kind of woman I’ve come to recognize.

On paper, she’s done everything right. She’s taken the courses, invested in mentorship, refined her portfolio, and learned the tools. She...

This month’s portfolio review features Marie Le Moal, an artist whose work is built around hand block printing.

Her portfolio sparked a really interesting conversation about something we’re see...

You finally do it. You pitch the larger client. You raise your rates. You introduce yourself as an artist or a designer, without softening it. You take the step that felt just beyond where you were...

The way we talk about work often treats freedom and security as opposites. One is framed as expansive and creative. The other as practical and limiting. A lot of advice reinforces that split, even ...