The Professional Creative

When Bonnie Christine gathered her team together in April 2025, she asked a question that would change everything: What if the biggest innovation isn't digital at all? The data was undeniable. Vinyl sales hitting 18 consecutive years of growth. Barnes & Noble opening 60 new stores. Eleven million Americans are raising backyard chickens. 80% of Americans now garden, a 5-year high. Etsy's reporting...

When Bonnie Christine gathered her team together in April 2025, she asked a question that would change everything: What if the biggest innovation isn't digital at all? The data was undeniable. Vinyl sales hitting 18 consecutive years of growth. Barnes & Noble opening 60 new stores. Eleven million Americans are raising backyard chickens. 80% of Americans now garden, a 5-year high. Etsy's reporting...

When Bonnie Christine gathered her team together in April 2025, she asked a question that would change everything: What if the biggest innovation isn't digital at all? The data was undeniable. Vinyl sales hitting 18 consecutive years of growth. Barnes & Noble opening 60 new stores. Eleven million Americans are raising backyard chickens. 80% of Americans now garden, a 5-year high. Etsy's reporting...

When Bonnie Christine gathered her team together in April 2025, she asked a question that would change everything: What if the biggest innovation isn't digital at all? The data was undeniable. Vinyl sales hitting 18 consecutive years of growth. Barnes & Noble opening 60 new stores. Eleven million Americans are raising backyard chickens. 80% of Americans now garden, a 5-year high. Etsy's reporting...

When Bonnie Christine gathered her team together in April 2025, she asked a question that would change everything: What if the biggest innovation isn't digital at all? The data was undeniable. Vinyl sales hitting 18 consecutive years of growth. Barnes & Noble opening 60 new stores. Eleven million Americans are raising backyard chickens. 80% of Americans now garden, a 5-year high. Etsy's reporting...

When Bonnie Christine gathered her team together in April 2025, she asked a question that would change everything: What if the biggest innovation isn't digital at all? The data was undeniable. Vinyl sales hitting 18 consecutive years of growth. Barnes & Noble opening 60 new stores. Eleven million Americans are raising backyard chickens. 80% of Americans now garden, a 5-year high. Etsy's reporting...

When Bonnie Christine gathered her team together in April 2025, she asked a question that would change everything: What if the biggest innovation isn't digital at all? The data was undeniable. Vinyl sales hitting 18 consecutive years of growth. Barnes & Noble opening 60 new stores. Eleven million Americans are raising backyard chickens. 80% of Americans now garden, a 5-year high. Etsy's reporting...

When Bonnie Christine gathered her team together in April 2025, she asked a question that would change everything: What if the biggest innovation isn't digital at all? The data was undeniable. Vinyl sales hitting 18 consecutive years of growth. Barnes & Noble opening 60 new stores. Eleven million Americans are raising backyard chickens. 80% of Americans now garden, a 5-year high. Etsy's reporting...

When Bonnie Christine gathered her team together in April 2025, she asked a question that would change everything: What if the biggest innovation isn't digital at all? The data was undeniable. Vinyl sales hitting 18 consecutive years of growth. Barnes & Noble opening 60 new stores. Eleven million Americans are raising backyard chickens. 80% of Americans now garden, a 5-year high. Etsy's reporting...

What I've been doing and where we're taking this beautiful podcast.

When Bonnie Christine first dreamed of seeing her artwork on fabric, she was met with a tidal wave of overwhelm. She had no roadmap, no clear next steps—just a big dream and a million scattered tutorials. That confusion cost her 18 months of slow, uncertain progress. In this episode, Bonnie shares the tool she wishes she had from day one: The Pattern Path, a six-stage roadmap that guides aspiring...

Once you start seeing it, you can't unsee it: our world is covered in patterns. From the notebook on your desk to the wallpaper in your favorite café, someone, somewhere, designed each of those. And in this episode, I want to open your eyes to the possibility that someone could be you. I share the very moment I discovered surface pattern design, while walking through my mom's fabric store, and how...

We made a bet on beauty, permanence, and the tactile magic of print in a fast-paced, digital-first world, and that bet became Pattern Magazine, a 120-page quarterly print publication designed to inspire, inform, and live on your studio table for years to come. In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of exactly how we brought it to life, from the first spark of an idea to holding the finished...

From the very beginning of Surface Design Immersion, I've been deeply connected to the students who join us, especially our alumni. Over the years, I've watched them transform from curious beginners to confident artists, entrepreneurs, product developers, and educators. Their journey is a source of endless inspiration, and staying in relationship with them has shaped how I serve our community toda...

Pattern Plus was born from a deep desire to create something both simple and profoundly strategic for surface pattern designers. In this episode, I walk you through exactly what's inside the membership and how it's helping over 4,000 members gain clarity, save time, and make consistent progress in their businesses, without the overwhelm. I share the core problems we're solving: the stuck-ness that...

Something wasn't quite right, but it wasn't obvious. A few familiar names stopped showing up. The community felt quieter. Emails trickled in with kind words and lingering overwhelm. Rather than dismissing the shift or powering through, I chose to pause and truly listen. In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of how that pause sparked one of the biggest transformations we've ever made: the s...

A small, thoughtful press kit turned out to be one of the most impactful tools we brought to our latest licensing trade show. In this episode, I'm sharing how this tiny detail—something we nearly overlooked—sparked major conversations, opened unexpected doors, and ultimately stole the show. We were deep in the chaos of pre-show preparation, ironing, assembling, and punching holes for this little p...

Bringing our vision to life at the Licensing Expo was one of the most rewarding and meaningful experiences of my creative career, and in this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on what it was really like. I share the inspiration and intentionality behind every detail of our booth, from the concept of a welcoming "greenhouse" to the birds I hand-sculpted with over 100 hours of love and labor. I...

Stepping into the Licensing Expo for the very first time was both exhilarating and intimidating. In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of how we approached exhibiting at the world's largest licensing trade show in Las Vegas—from our earliest preparations to what happened after the doors closed. We didn't come with flashy campaigns or loud visuals. Instead, we showed up with clarity, intent...

Before I ever signed a licensing deal or showed my work at a trade show, I had one thing—a portfolio. In this episode, I take you back to the roots of my very first handmade portfolio and walk you through how I've translated that same heartfelt essence into a new, fully digital version for today. This journey has come full circle, and I want to share not only the story behind my original bound boo...

Celebrating milestones might seem small, but the impact is anything but. In this episode, I'm sharing a peek behind the scenes at how we intentionally honor and uplift our team through something we call "workiversaries"—the anniversaries of when each person joined Team Bonnie Christine. These moments of recognition go far beyond just marking a date. They are powerful opportunities to pause, reflec...

Today, I'm sharing how I went from struggling to write regular emails to building a system that helps us send two value-packed newsletters with ease and joy. You'll learn the purpose behind our two biweekly newsletters—"Secrets of the Studio" for surface pattern designers and "Beneath the Surface" for creative entrepreneurs—and how having a clear structure and cadence changed everything. I walk th...

As creative entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves wondering what our audience wants—what they're thinking, needing, or hoping we'll create next. In this episode, I share one of the most powerful tools we use to stop guessing and start knowing: surveys. You'll hear exactly how we ask meaningful questions, the specific ones we rely on, and how we design surveys that lead to clear and confident deci...

Stu McLaren is one of the most impactful mentors I've ever had, and I'm thrilled to bring him back to the podcast to talk about a topic that can completely transform your creative business: recurring revenue through membership sites. Stu's course, The Membership Experience, was a game changer for me. It's the only course I've ever completed on time, and it's one I return to year after year. After...

After a little spring break, I'm back with a behind-the-scenes update on what's been unfolding in our business and creative world. This season has been one of the most energizing yet, full of new ideas, bold moves, and heart-filled work. In this episode, I'm sharing what we've been working on, what's coming next, and what you can look forward to on the podcast. It all started with a leadership ret...