Meet Karolyne Davidson

Before I started surface pattern design, I was only designing Hanukkah cards each year and giving them as gifts. I found out about the Immersion course after taking one of Bonnie Christine’s week long pattern design classes, and it truly opened my eyes. It showed me that with renewed skills, there are real opportunities in the world, even ones I could pursue from home. The only thing that held me back was the cost. I stay home with my husband, who is disabled, so we have to pinch every penny twice.

What changed after Immersion is that I now have friends who understand where I am on my journey and where I hope to go. I get to see their successes and challenges each week. We encourage each other and try to offer help when we can. That community is my most wonderful treasure from Immersion. It pushed me out of isolation. I am usually a quiet person, but the group has helped me talk about what I am learning, share again and push through each new challenge in Adobe Illustrator. It brought back the critical thinking behind creativity. I learned how to break a whole composition into motifs and use those same motifs in new ways and arrangements.

During the live course, I realised my computer did not have enough memory to run Adobe Illustrator, which explained all the stalls and hiccups I was having. There was a bit of a wait before I could begin the coursework fully. During that time, I watched videos and sketched as much as I could. I created one hundred sketches on a single subject. I did everything possible without Illustrator, and now I am going back through the program and completing the coursework. At the moment, I am in the middle of Module Five, Pattern Mastery.

I hope to finish the course and take the Immersion test before the end of January 2026. After that, I hope to create a small collection and submit it to companies in the industry or try platforms like Spoonflower. Right now I am focused on finishing coursework, creating a new card design and getting ready for the holidays. I am also building my drawing skills so I can render my ideas more confidently.

I am looking forward to what is ahead and I hope to surprise myself soon by being brave enough to submit a design and ask for the money, so to speak.