You’ve always had the power, my dear…
Welcome to this week’s blog post. I’m thrilled to introduce you to Kathleen Lambert, one of the students in my Surface Pattern Design Academy program. She completed the course back in March but once you are in the program, you are in my community forever! I can’t wait for you to meet her. She is such a great example of a strong woman who has always put others first and finally decided to invest in herself. Read on to learn all about what she is creating!
What were you doing before you started your journey with Surface Design? My career has been being a pastor in the Presbyterian Church USA. I’ve served several churches up and down the east coast, from Massachusetts to Ohio to Florida and several stops in between. All three of my kids were born in different states. When my husband took a job in California, I was devastated because I had a dream job at an adorable church in Safety Harbor, Florida, which incidentally is a very artsy coastal town. When we got to California, I took some writing classes and for a while I was working as a film script reader and even produced a short film. I also substitute teach at the local Adult School for English as a Second Language classes. Writing, language and words are another passion of mine.
Before I started on my journey with surface design I had been dreaming of seeing my artwork on certain products like aprons, tea towels or reclaimed wood. I especially wanted to incorporate inspirational phrases with art to create double and triple entendres. I love how art is a language with many interpretations. I am not a formally trained artist, but I’ve been collecting art supplies as long as I can remember. I have always had creative ideas and I have a practical bent so I love see art on things we can use.
Kathleen Lambert Art
What was your biggest challenge prior to joining Anne’s courses? My biggest challenge was two-fold. First, I struggled with investing in myself and having the confidence that I could accomplish something new. Second, I had a stubborn mental block about my ability to grasp a Goliath of a software program like Adobe Illustrator.
How did that challenge make you feel? The challenge of lack of belief in myself was, at times, debilitating. I’ve dreamt of doing so many things, but always stopped short when it came to learning the technology. Without confidence I never thought I should spend money on my own learning and so I never did, until Anne’s class.
What changed after joining? Right from the start, I was amazed at what I could do. It’s like Anne unlocked this key for my creativity and removed the giant barrier I had perceived. I was turning simple silly doodles into vectorized graphics and they looked good! I remember asking my kids and my husband to come and look at what I had created. I’d never been so proud of my artwork before. And I had to explain what went into it, because this was some complicated stuff that I was doing. From that point on I was hooked. I can’t think of anything that gave me such a feeling of accomplishment as surface pattern design does. The day I made my first repeating pattern I was walking on air. All of a sudden, I had this newfound confidence and I began thinking I want to feel this way all the time. I want to build a business doing this all day long.
What has been one (or more!) accomplishment since you have gone through the material? Besides the first accomplishment of tackling Adobe Illustrator and learning to make repeating patterns, I’ve gone on to trust in investing in myself. This has been a big emotional accomplishment. I knew that if I was going to do this professionally I needed to learn how to do it from those who have been successful. Taking a deep breath and diving into Anne’s class was the first of many professional accomplishments that have continued to fulfill my career goals. I’ve taken more classes and now am invested in the small group coaching that I see as my insurance for building a successful business. I have a shop at Society6. I’m marketing myself on Instagram, which is no small thing for this introvert, and I’m building a website for my own membership and courses I’ll be offering in the future for women’s empowerment with art. I’m calling my membership #SecondStartLife because I’m finding there are a lot of women who are making a second start and they need support and a community where they can learn from each other and learn the techniques to become successful running an online business.
Why did you choose surface design? I don’t think I ever chose surface pattern design, it chose me. I didn’t know what surface pattern design was before I started with Anne’s free Masterclass. I’ve always wanted to see my art on everyday things. I just never thought about digitizing it before. Now I see patterns everywhere.
What’s on the horizon for you, what are you looking forward to? So many things! I’m hoping to be teaching my own art class at the Adult School in the fall, I’m building a membership and online course for women’s empowerment through art. And I can’t wait to see who I meet as I offer a space for other women to be empowered through art. And of course, I’m producing more content for more surfaces. I’m also looking at two industries in particular, paper products for a guided meditation planner and fabric for home fashions. But who knows, if I build up enough courage I may shop my wares around to all the many beachy boutiques near me. Wish me courage 😉.
Thank you so much Kathleen for sharing your story with us. It’s so important for other women to learn about what’s possible in surface design and how unique each person’s application of this practice can be.
Join my creative community and meet other incredible women like Kathleen. You’re incredible too and we can’t wait to meet you.
Remember,
It’s Never Too Late to Create
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MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation living in, and traveling to, beautiful environments in the United States and abroad.
