Embracing the Learning Curve: Celebrate Your Growth

When you're just starting out as a surface pattern designer, it’s easy to feel like everyone else knows what they’re doing, while you're fumbling through layers, colour palettes, and repeating tiles that almost work... but not quite.

If that sounds familiar, let me tell you this: you are not behind. You're simply a the learning curve and that’s exactly where you’re supposed to be.

What the Learning Curve Really Looks Like

Let’s be honest: learning surface pattern design isn’t always a straight road. Sometimes it feels like a maze. There’s different art programs to learn, how to build a seamless repeat, what colours to use, and how to balance your motifs. And just when you think you've figured something out, a new question pops up.

This is normal. Every designer even the ones with years of experience started at the beginning.

The learning curve is a period of exploration, trial and error and skill-building. It’s also the most important phase because it’s where your foundation is formed.

Progress Isn’t Always Obvious (But It’s Happening)

One of the biggest frustrations beginners face is feeling like they’re not getting anywhere. You might be watching tutorials, practicing and creating but your results still don’t match your vision.

Here’s a secret: progress in surface pattern design often happens quietly.

You may not notice your improvement day to day, but over weeks and months, your confidence with your tools start to grow. You start choosing colours more intuitively. You space your motifs better. Your patterns flow with more ease.

That’s growth. And it's worth celebrating.

How to See (and Celebrate) Your Growth

If you want proof of your progress, try these simple exercises:

• Revisit old work
  Open up one of your first patterns and look at it with fresh eyes. Notice what you’ve improved even if it's just cleaner shapes, better repeats, or smarter use of what colours you’ve used.

• Keep a "Design Milestone" journal
  Track your small wins. First successful seamless repeat? Write it down. First time your pattern felt truly you? Mark the moment.

• Redo a previous pattern
  Choose a design you created months ago and recreate it with your current skills. The difference will amaze you!

• Create a "then vs. now" side-by-side
  These visual comparisons are powerful reminders that you are evolving even if it doesn’t always feel like it.

Mindset Shifts That Help You Embrace the Journey

As a beginner, mindset matters just as much as technique. Here are a few shifts that can make your journey smoother:

• Curiosity over perfection
  Instead of trying to get everything "right," approach design with a mindset of play and discovery.

• Progress over comparison
  Stop measuring yourself against people who’ve been designing for years. Compare yourself to yourself - the person who didn’t even know how to use a clipping mask last month.

• Growth is not linear
  Some days you’ll feel like a creative genius. Other days, nothing will flow. This is normal! Both are just part of the process.

Final Thoughts

Learning surface pattern design is a journey and the learning curve isn’t a roadblock; it’s the path. Every repeat tile you wrestle with, every colour palette you experiment with and every "failed" design is shaping your skills and your unique creative voice.

So take a moment today to look back. I bet you’ve already come further than you think!

Just to show you how growth evolves over time, check out my very first pattern below compared to a pattern I did recently. BIG different, yet if you asked me as a designer how much I’ve grown, I’d prob say ‘only a little’ because it’s hard for us to see our own growth.

Your Turn

What’s one way you’ve grown as a designer in the past few months?
Have you had a small win, a breakthrough, or just a moment where something clicked?

I’d love to hear! Drop it in the comments or share it with me on Instagram - tag me @nicolarowedesigns and show me your “then vs. now” design!

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