The Essential Stages of a Flourishing Designer
Stages of a Flourishing Surface Designer
Follow this map to learn what stage you're in on the path to becoming a Flourishing Designer. It will guide you along the journey to what you need to do next in order to keep making progress on your goals!
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Stage #1
SPROUT
Feel inspired, discover all the possibilities waiting for you, and dedicate yourself to making this dream a reality!

Stage #2
SEEDLING
Begin to share about your work, become confident in your direction, and make time to move toward your goals and build your skills.

Stage #3
BUD
Begin to trust yourself, fall in love with Adobe Illustrator, set up systems and accountability to make forward progress.

Stage #4
ROOT
Begin building a brand, create in collections, build your portfolio and start sharing it with the world.

Stage #5
BLOOM
Build confidence in your entrepreneurial journey, create an annual plan and start building multiple streams of income.

Stage #6
FLOURISH
Work in your dream career, become a leader in your industry, build a team and make an impact in the world.
LESSONS FOR EACH STAGE
Stage #1: Sprout
Feel inspired, discover all the possibilities waiting for you, and dedicate yourself to making this dream a reality!
Top 10 lessons in Flourish for the Sprout Stage:
- Mark Your Mission: Why Are You Here?
- Would You Buy Your Own Artwork?
- How to Cherish the Hardest Time in Your Career
- 10 Seconds of Courage is all You Need
- Getting Started & Staying Motivated
- One Thing a Day: The Secret to Success
- How I Quit My Day Job (And You Can Too!)
- To Share or Not to Share
- 5 Part Plan for Achieving Goals
- What I Wish I Had Known When I Was Starting Out
Explore More:
Stage #2: Seed
Begin to share about your work, become confident in your direction, and make time to move toward your goals and build your skills.
Top 10 lessons in Flourish for the Seed Stage:
- Creating Custom Color Palettes
- Secrets to Success: Arin Guthe from True Cotton Art
- Mini Mindset Monday: I Don't Have Time
- Behind the Scenes: A Day in the Life
- Roundtable Discussion: Meet Immersion Alumni
Explore More:
- Behind the Scenes: A Typical Work Day
- How to Make a Color Palette That WOWS
- 10 Tips for Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer
- File Types & Color Profiles
- Lettering Basics with Hannah Slay
- Design Inspiration: A Lettering Project
- Easy Botany for Artists with Betsy Mitten
- Intro to Materials and Textures in Realistic Graphite Pencil with Lisa Ernst
- Laser Session with Menna Abera [Watercolor for Surface Design]
- Stamping Natural Elements for Surface Pattern Design With Kimberly Crawford
- Designing a Repeating Pattern the Old Fashioned Way with Francisca Reyes
- How My Business Changed When I Began "Selling With No Ceiling"
- Behind the Scenes: How We Choose And Schedule Community Instagram Posts
- Mini Mindset Monday: What Problem Do I Solve?
- Mini Mindset Monday: The Importance of Knowing Your "Why"
Stage #3: Bud
Begin to trust yourself, fall in love with Adobe Illustrator, set up systems and accountability to make forward progress, and engage in creative play to find your signature style.
Top 10 lessons in Flourish for the Bud Stage:
- Secrets to Success: Genna Blackburn
- Secrets to Success: Amarylis Henderson
- Gathering Inspiration for a Pattern Collection
- Design Inspiration: How I Capture Inspiration with Photography
- Design Inspiration: Welcome to the Garden
- 30 Days to a Collection
- File Organization
- Mini Mindset Monday: The Importance of Play in Creativity
- Behind the Scenes: The Flourish Planner
- Working with Texture with Lissie Teehee
Explore More:
- Goal Setting: Choosing an Industry
- Pros And Cons: Wacom Vs. iPad Pro + Apple Pencil
- Post Processing Photo Flow
- Photography Styles (And Why You Need One)
- Photography Equipment + Resources Galore
- [Email Marketing] Add This One Thing To Your Emails TODAY!
- Finding Your Signature Style
- From File to Finished Product
- Drawing Apps for the iPad Pro
- Procreate Workflow for Textured Vectors
- Creating a Surface Pattern in Photoshop with Melanie Stimmell
- Linocut Motifs for Surface Design with Susan Yeates
- Colour Composition with Sophie Davari
- Intro to Typography with Laramie “Xhico” Garcia
- Laser Session with Rebekah Lowell [Unifying Work]
- The Art of Storytelling with Rebekah Lowell
- Workflow Tips for the iPad with Amy Bradley
- Your Checklist For Entering The 'Real World' As A Designer
- An Interview About Quilt Market
- Secrets to Success: Meghann Rader
Stage #4: Root
Begin building a brand, gather your work into a portfolio, and start sharing it!
Top 10 lessons in Flourish for the Root Stage:
- Workshop with Entrepreneur Hope Johnson: How She Doubled Her Instagram to Swipe Up in 8 Weeks
- Your Portfolio Checklist
- Behind the Scenes: 12 Emails That Paved the Way
- [Email Marketing] How to Grow Your List - Part 1
- [Email Marketing] How to Grow your List - Part II
- Workshop with Bonnie: How to Price Your Work
- Meet: Mariana Durst from Desk & Design [Website Design]
- Mindy Young From Indy Bloom Design: How She Makes 10K a Month on Spoonflower
- Secrets to Success: Gia Graham
- Behind the Scenes: Wild Forgotten Fabric Collection
Explore More:
- ETSY: Intro to E-Commerce with Tiffany Emery
- Meet Ria Green [plus Quilt Block Mock-ups!]
- 8 Books for Growth as You Root & Bloom
- Live Q&A: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Working with Companies
- Make a Portfolio That WOWS
- Completing Collections & Building a Portfolio
- Designing Coordinates For A Pattern Collection
- Designing a Focal Or "Hero" Print For A Collection
- Gathering Inspiration for a Pattern Collection
- How to Gather Inspiration + 6 Steps to Collection Creation
- eCommerce: 5 Ways To Guide A Customer Through An Online Shop
- My Favorite Time Management Hacks
- Product Photography 101
- Being Intentional with Instagram
- How to Grow an Authentic Following
- Instagram For Your Brand: Tools For Success
- [Email Marketing] Why Your Email List Is Everything
- [Email Marketing] How To Grow + Engage Your List
- [Email Marketing] Which Email Marketing Service Providers Should I Use?
- Making Your Workflow WORK
- 3 of My Favorite Marketing Strategies
- Copyright for Artists
- What You Can Expect to Earn
- How To Take Your Own Product Mockup Photos
- Etiquette for Submitting Your Portfolio
- Types of Portfolios [AUDIO LESSON]
- Workflow: Productivity Strategies
- Laser Session with Melissa Hyatt [Project Planning & Time Management]
- Create a Professional Portfolio with Adobe InDesign with Nayda Cruz
- Sustainability in Surface Design with Kimberley-Jayne from Mellow Ground
Stage #5: Bloom
Build confidence in your entrepreneurial journey, create an annual plan and launch strategy, send your work out into the world, and start building multiple streams of income.
Top 10 lessons in Flourish for the Bloom Stage:
- Secrets to Success: Hope Johnson
- Meet: Danielle Cook from OhHappyDani - Using Creativity for Good
- Mini Mindset Monday: Goal Setting + Implementation
- Meet: Audit your own website with Sarah Ann Design
- 7 Revenue Streams from your Artwork with Stacie Bloomfield
- Behind the Scenes: Filming the Focus to Flourish Course
- [Email Marketing] Setting up an Opt-In using ConvertKit
- Your 90 Day Plan to Launch ANYTHING Online [Part 1: Prelaunch]
- Your 90 Day Plan to Launch ANYTHING Online [Part 2: The Launch]
- Mini Mindset Monday: Getting Good at Receiving Feedback
Explore More:
- Art Licensing + Pitching Your Work
- Protect Yourself: What To Look For When Reviewing A Contract
- How To Get Your Work Noticed + What To Charge For It
- Tips for Hosting a Blog Tour
- How To Make Your Own Stop Motion Videos
- Three Types Of Videos You Can Easily Make In iMovie
- Going Beyond A Business By Building A Brand
- Meet: Sarah Watts from Ruby Star Society
- Providing Value + Income Through Videos
- Creating Visual Content: Tips For Video + Audio Setup
- How to Connect, Collaborate + Organize Projects
- Submitting Your Work: Pro tips
- Master List of Companies and Clients
- Submitting Your Work: Email Template + Swipe Files
- Laser Session with Sara Curtis [Creating an Income Plan]
- Laser Session with Dora Cuenca [Getting Your Work Seen]
- Laser Session with Martina Stock [Contacting Clients]
- Laser Session with Maete Porto [Pitching]
- Designing for Enamel Pins with Alexandra Tinsley
- Behind the Scenes: The 2021 Flourish Planner
- Your Avatar: How To Reach + Engage Your Ideal Customer (or Client)
- Your Avatar: Developing Your Ideal Customer
Stage #6: Flourish
Live your dream and help others accomplish theirs, lead in your industry, and make an impact in your community while continuing to build a business that works for you!
Top 10 lessons in Flourish for the Flourish Stage:
- Meet Kiley Bennett: Crafting Online Courses
- Meet Emily Jeffords: Adding Subscriptions to a Creative Business
- Meet Sarah Williams: The Subscription Box Expert
- Behind the Scenes: The Immersion LIVE Set
- Behind The Scenes: What It Takes To Launch A Course
- Behind the Scenes: Top 10 Apps I Use In Bonnie Christine
- The Art of Class Creation with Chris Vabre
- Behind the Scenes: Immersion Course Launch
- Laser Session with Isa Down of Poppy & Gray Co. [Platforms]
- Meet: The Mark Makers - Advice from my Mastermind
Explore More:
- Why You Might Consider Teaching + 10 Steps to Course Creation
- Creating Content For A Course [Pro Tips]
- Teaching Platforms
- Copywriting: 4 Steps To Writing Great Product Descriptions
- Copywriting: Writing Copy To Address Your Customers Concerns
- Copywriting: The Art Of Copywriting
- Tips & Tricks for Tradeshow Booth Displays
- My Favorite Ways To Create Residual Income Streams
- Affiliate Marketing 101
- Membership Sites 101
- Facebook Ads [Part 1 of 2]
- Facebook Ads [Part 2 of 2]
- Behind the Scenes: Phoenix Meet & Greet
- Behind the Scenes: Immersion Course Launch
- Behind the Scenes: The BC Shipping Room
- Laser Session with Adriana Franco [Launching a Mockup Business]
- Laser Session with Adrien + Lemon Lovegood [Adding Residual Income]
- Laser Session with Corinne Wells [Avoid Overwhelm & Add Revenue]
- Laser Session with Alex Gilbert [Implementing Multiple Revenue Streams]