Skillshare Mini Challenge // Backgrounds for Everyone!

If you're following along with the Scripture Memory / Dwell Richly printable, here's the verse for week 42: 

But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Nehemiah 9:17 (ESV)

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A S S I G N M E N T

Mini Challenge for Bonnie Christine's Intro to Surface Pattern Design Class: Design a desktop wallpaper featuring your own artwork and favorite inspirational quote (for more examples, check out the free downloads under 'class project'). 

You can sign up for a free month of Skillshare here!

C L A S S   P R O J E C T

Desktop Background: I love the idea of this challenge but honestly, I rarely see my desktop background. There's a reason I design planners and organization printables... not because I'm organized but because it's my life goal to have structure, to get organized and to figure out a system. I have yet to achieve any of those goals. ;)

So, for this mini challenge, I played around with a few different desktop backgrounds to fit the styles of everyone. For those of you who keep a clean desktop, the ones who close out all windows at the end of the day so that they can open a fresh workspace every morning, I used the quote: "What she tackles, she conquers." Because trust me ladies, if you can create structure and strategy like that, I firmly believe that what you tackle, you will conquer. Plus, what a wonderfully motivating quote that would be to start your day with! 

And then I created this desktop background for people like me. People who always have countless windows and projects open, way too many to tackle in one day. People who, let's be honest, if you actually ever see your desktop, it's because you've stretched your trusty computer a little too far and it's given up on you. Time to close everything up and reboot. Time to take a break. Time to go pick some flowers on the wildside. ;) 

I realized after I posted the project and the name [Backgrounds for Everyone!] that I only posted feminine backgrounds so here's a gender neutral one. :)

Which background do you relate to the most? Feel free to use these backgrounds for your own desktop! 

Wailua Falls // Kauai, Hawaii

If you're following along with the Scripture Memory / Dwell Richly printable, here's the verse for week 41: 

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 (NIV)

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This is a story about a time where we stood among a crowd of people mesmerized by the huge waterfalls flowing from a cliff into a pool. We stood among the onlookers on the road that looked down below, searching for a way to get down to the pool for a closer look and a quick swim. After much investigation and reading through our handy Ultimate Kauai Guidebook, we found the fence and Hazardous Cliff signs blocking the trail down to the falls. So we did what any adventure-craving, crazy person would do: trekked around the fence and hazard signs, scooted down the rocks and dirt while holding onto a couple of the ropes that guided us through the mud without losing our shoes, and enjoyed the luxuries of nature at the bottom of the falls.  

This is also a story of our Father's faithfulness. I look at the photos of these waterfalls, carving out the edge of the rocks into an eroded overhang. Rocks, to me, seem like the steadiest of all natural creation. Together, they form hills and mountains. They are solid - literally rock steady. Because of their fortitude, we barely see their changes due to other natural elements. But they do change. Over time, they change. 

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 (NIV)

But our Father doesn't change. He is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). His love for His children will not and cannot be shaken, regardless of time and situations. His covenant of peace to us, the covenant of salvation, will not and cannot be removed. He is a Father who overflows with compassion for His children. And we don't even have to trek through mud and slide down mountains holding onto ropes to find Him. That is peace.

Why I Love Skillshare // An Online Creative Learning Community

If you've had a face-to-face conversation with me in the past year, I probably mentioned my love for Skillshare at one point or another. Why? Because I'm obsessed. I think it's one of the greatest creative communities of all-time and I've consumed more knowledge through the classes, teachers and students than I have in years.

Skillshare is an online learning community for creators. Unlike traditional study, online classes at Skillshare are taught by industry experts and focus on learning by doing. The courses, which are not accredited, accept anyone who wants to learn.

I grew up in a wonderfully creative home. My parents always nourished the wild curiosities and adventurous endeavors that my brother, Chase, and I put our minds to. They never squashed our excitement for new projects (regardless of how crazy, messy or strange they were). In fact, they encouraged them.

However, my design background started in a high school journalism classroom with one of my favorite teachers, Brian Cole. He taught the intricacies of InDesign and photography. While writing copy was somewhat enjoyable, I couldn't get enough of playing with different layouts. I continued to Auburn where I studied public relations and finished out my degree working as a marketing / PR intern at Mammoth Printshop where I had the opportunity to sit alongside Whitney Zech, a phenomenal graphic designer who rekindled a crazy passion for design within my soul. She taught me the basics of Illustrator and it was over for me. I couldn't get enough of it. But then I graduated and JD & I moved to a small town so I was basically on my own for learning. I wasn't sure where to go for that (unless I went back to school), so I focused instead on arts and crafts for a few years until Chase told me about Skillshare. It took me a while before I signed up but I asked my friend, Ashley, to join me in one of the handlettering projects and she was in. 

I'm semi-embarrassed to admit that I'm always one for free trials then dropping the 'service' when the trial period is over but Skillshare is one of the few things I believe in paying for. After the first free month, I became addicted to learning these new skills. A lot of people ask how I have time to watch the videos and do the challenges. I'll tell you how: I make time for it. I make it a priority. I believe in learning. I believe in excelling. I believe in expanding your skills. I believe in joining in community with others so that we can be better. (Plus, it helps that I work solo in the studio all day and have the videos playing on repeat while I work on custom projects). During every trip we've taken in the past year, I've focused on one class and one project. It's because of Skillshare that I've been exposed to true techniques of handlettering, calligraphy, surface pattern design and so many other design niches. 

The most recent project I've finished is the Calligraphy 101 class, taught by Bryn Chernoff. I couldn't describe Skillshare in any better light than this: 

'Picking the phrase or quote' was definitely the most difficult part of this challenge for me. It was so hard to narrow it down but I wanted to use a phrase that has encouraged me as a creative, in hopes that it will encourage all of you as well! 

I was sharing with my friend, Lauren (from the Department of Agraculture), the other day about how I quickly plunge from inspired to discouraged when scrolling through my Instagram feed and Pinterest. At first, I feel like, "Yes! I can do this. I can create something wonderful too!" But then the disillusionment of, "No, I can't. Everyone is accomplishing so much more than me," sets in. Lauren quickly diffused this by sharing John F. Kennedy's quote: "A rising tide lifts all boats." Even though Kennedy was referring to the economy in this speech, one of the creatives she follows on IG shared the quote in a post and wrote about how this is the same effect for creatives. When one of us is successful, it's like a rising tide and it lifts us all to succeed as well. Instead of getting discouraged by others' success, we should be excited for them, knowing that it is a sweet tide of success, lifting up the world of creativity, knowing that s/he is making a way for us all, creating opportunity. 

Don't get me wrong, I still get discouraged every now and then, but that perspective changed a lot for me. When I see the teachers and students of Skillshare, I see this quote played into motion. So many have been willing to share skills that we wouldn't be able to have access to otherwise. Because of the variety of classes offered, we're able to create that tide, to build skill on top of skill, and to reach new levels of creativity we've only imagined. I've been deeply inspired by this community coupled with the encouragement and tips we're able to give one another. 

Check out my full project and steps here. Want to join in on the fun with Skillshare? Get a free month membership here! Let me know which class you take and maybe we can take it together!