Rebecca Smith

I absolutely loved Immersion! Going through the lessons, live calls and projects gave me such insight into the business of surface pattern design and really gave me the courage to let my dream of being an artist blossom into a reality! Both Flourish and Immersion have been so life giving for me!

Immersion was so immersive and comprehensive. It felt like a college course, but in my most favorite subject and with no pressure or finals!

When I had my second baby in 2012, I was looking for a creative outlet and something to bring in a bit more income for our family. I worked part time at an investment firm and felt very unfulfilled creatively. I decided to open an Etsy shop and made all sorts of handmade baby clothing and accessories. I would create some of my own fabric designs and print them using Spoonflower to sew into baby headbands and leggings.

I realized that my passion wasn't in sewing baby items morning, noon and night, it was in the fabric design.

At that point in my journey I had taught myself Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and was doing a bit of freelance work for friends and my church. I really had no confidence in my abilities, and never believed I would be a good enough designer to create surface designs that would actually sell. I remember browsing through successful Spoonflower shops and fabric designer sites I admire, wondering how they did it, and if I would ever be good enough to do what they're doing. It all felt so overwhelming.

My path to Immersion:

I closed the doors of my Etsy shop in 2019 and after experiencing one of the hardest years of my life, decided it was time to take a risk and begin a new creative journey. That's when I found Bonnie's Flourish community which was so warm, welcoming, and full of women who were just like me and who totally understood the dream in my heart!

After experiencing the Flourish community for a few months, I learned about the Immersion course and took the leap of faith and made the investment. I began the course pretty sufficient in Adobe Illustrator and mainly wanted to learn about the business side of surface design, but man oh man, I was blown away with all of the Illustrator knowledge, tips, tricks, and shortcuts I gained from the course! Bonnie has such a warm heart and is such a sweet teacher.

One of my biggest takeaways from Immersion was how to set and accomplish goals.

Working through the course really helped me stay on track, motivated, and encouraged by the amazing community.

I recorded short, mid and long term goals and am so proud to have accomplished all of my 2021 goals!

During Immersion I was able to complete my very first fabric collection. Afterwards I used the skills I learned to create two more collection, began sharing my work on Instagram, built a website, and created my first digital and physical portfolio! I dusted off my old Spoonflower shop which held only a few designs, and now have over 150 designs in my shop! I still am yet to accomplish my biggest goal, a licensing deal, but really feel that I have all of the tools to make it happen!

Even after Immersion, Bonnie's community is ongoing and I find myself referring back to her materials and lessons often.