The Magic of a Mastermind

By: Bonnie Christine

Story Adapted From Pattern Magazine – Volume 6

Pattern Magazine is Bonnie Christine's quarterly print and digital publication for surface pattern designers, artists, and creative entrepreneurs who believe that how you live shapes what you make. This story first appeared in Volume 6, Marking the Moment, the autumn 2026 issue.

Inside the Mark Makers.

There is one particular moment that captures the magic of a mastermind. And it is beautiful to behold.

It usually arrives on day two of an in-person intensive, with notebooks out and conversation flowing.

One of the women in the room shares the challenge she’s been carrying alone: the hard quarter, the hire that didn’t work, the launch that didn't land.

The room leans in.

Within minutes, the problem is held by nearly thirty other women who have either faced the same struggle or are deep in the work of solving it. With detailed questions and genuine encouragement, the woman is given a strategy to replace what she once felt stuck in. And instead of carrying her challenge alone, she carries it in the very best company. Sometimes she walks out with a solution; almost always, she walks out lighter.

This is what a mastermind makes possible.

Photo by Krista A. Jones

The Power of the Right Room

I was first introduced to the concept about ten years ago. Masterminds felt mysterious to me back then, like closed rooms where the insider information was shared. In truth, that’s about right. Ha!

American entrepreneur Jim Rohn once said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Whether you take that statement literally or not, the concept holds: the goals and dreams you have may be bigger than the room you’re in.

And sometimes you have to step out of one room and into another in order to fully grow into the dream.

In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill put it this way, “No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind: the master mind.”

That third mind, the collective intelligence of a group, is the heart of every mastermind. It is the magic of a room of generous, ambitious, like-hearted people thinking together.

I joined my first mastermind in 2019 and have been part of it ever since. And I found the mastermind so valuable to my growth as a creative business owner that, a year later, I created my own: the Mark Makers Mastermind.

It’s the magic of a room of generous, ambitious, like-hearted people thinking together.

What Is a Mastermind?

A mastermind is a small group of individuals who meet together to share openly, think through solutions, and support each other’s growth.

What makes a mastermind unique is the level of relationship you find inside. You are not learning from an instructor; you are learning alongside peers. You are surrounded by creative entrepreneurs doing similar work.

Instead of carrying your business alone, you have a place to share with individuals who have a deep understanding of what you do and where you’d like to go.

Creative entrepreneurs especially need this kind of room.

Photo by Krista A. Jones

Wanting More?

Read the full story in Volume 6 of Pattern Magazine.

The complete feature (why creatives need this kind of room, a look inside the Mark Makers Mastermind, and four things to look for when choosing a mastermind of your own) is in the latest issue.