A mum, two kids and a dream: My journey into surface pattern design

Firstly, hello! Thank you for visiting my page and welcome, I'm so glad you're here!

I'm Gosia, a mum of two, I work full-time, and somehow, in the middle of all of that, I have also started my surface pattern design side-hustle. If you'd told me ten years ago that I'd be building a creative business around colour and pattern, I honestly would have laughed. But here we are, and I wouldn't change a thing.

This is my story, and I hope it resonates with anyone who has a dream quietly sitting in the back of their mind, waiting for its moment.

It Started With a Design Course I Didn't Ask For

I moved to Australia in 2013, I was starting over in every sense of the word. New country, new life, new job. In finance! About as far from "creative career" as you can get. But sometimes things unfold in ways you just don't expect. My boss and I kept getting frustrated waiting on our in-house design studio to deliver, and one day he just said, right, I'm sending you on an InDesign course. So off I went. And honestly? I was completely obsessed. Something just clicked.

Not long after that, I had my first baby. And in true chaotic fashion, right in the thick of postpartum life, I signed up for an online graphic design course. Every night after putting my daughter to sleep, I'd crack open the laptop and get to work. She was an incredible sleeper, I had absolutely no idea how lucky I was until my son arrived 😄. I finished the course with a couple of extensions because, well, life. But I finished it. And somewhere in the back of my mind I thought, one day, this is going to be my job.

Then life got loud again. Full-time work, the everyday busyness of it all, and the dream quietly waited.

Two Kids, One Business, and a Pivot

In 2021 I had my second baby, and when my son was about 2, I launched my first business: Paperfolk Studio, a stationery design studio for weddings and small businesses. It was such great experience and I loved parts of it. But if I'm being honest with myself, my heart wasn't fully there. So, after less than 2 years I made the call to step back from it and follow the thing that actually lit me up: surface pattern design.

(Paperfolk's Instagram is still up and I still work with a handful of regular clients, but my focus has very much shifted!

One of my very first wedding stationery collections.

The Course That Actually Changed Things

I'd done a few surface design courses before, some were good, some were fine, but nothing quite landed until I found Cass Deller's Surface Pattern Design Course.

It's hard to explain without gushing, but I'll try. Cass doesn't just teach you the technical stuff, although she dives deep into Photoshop and Illustrator, which is invaluable. But I love how she puts her heart and soul into the content she provides, and by the end of the course, you feel like you know her. Cass's course makes you part of the community of budding designers, which is amazing when you start out and a great place to bounce off ideas, ask for feedback etc. She teaches you how to think like a surface designer. The course covers everything: the mindset, the creative process, building a cohesive body of work, the tech skills, understanding the industry, and the business side of things too. It's thorough without being overwhelming, and the way she explains things just makes sense. It gave me real confidence to move forward and actually take this seriously.

Genuinely one of the best investments I've made. (If you are ready to take this next step, I have included an affiliate link below, I promise I only share things I truly believe in!) Click HERE to Enrol

I also have a special 10% OFF code for Cass's course, click on the button below to grab yours and start learning!

CLICK HERE TO GET 10% OFF THE COURSES

Finding My Style (It Takes Longer Than You Think)

Once I finished the course, I just started making things. Lots of things. Finding my style wasn't quick, and for a while I wasn't sure I even had one.

But Cass mentioned something that really stuck with me. She said that for a long time she didn't think she had a recognisable style either, until the people around her told her she absolutely did, and when she looked at her work as a whole, she could finally see it too.

That's exactly what happened to me. The more I created, the more something started to emerge. I love experimenting and I don't like to box myself in, but colour is definitely my thing. Bold, playful, full-of-life colour. That feels like mine.

My trailing floral pattern, hand-painted in watercolour

Where Things Are At Right Now

Given where I'm at in life, full-time job, two little ones, a lot of moving parts, I decided the best next step was to open a shop on Spoonflower. I launched at the end of March and started uploading designs steadily. A couple of sales came through in those first months and I won't lie, I did a little happy dance, as heard that it's definitely a slow burn and takes a long time to make a sale.

So that's where I am right now, growing my Spoonflower shop, building out my website, and quietly getting my portfolio and licensing work ready for when the time is right to start pitching. Im taking my time to explore, to learn, to perfect my chosen medium, and to enjoy the process. The dream is to one day become a ful-time surface pattern designer.

It's a slow build, and I'm okay with that. I'd love for you to come along for the ride.

A quick note: this post contains affiliate links. If you buy through my links I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I only ever recommend things I've used myself and genuinely love.