Michelle is a mom of two and a grandmother living in Trinidad. At the age of 58, she left an unfulfilling and stressful career and embraced her childhood dream of being a designer. Now, she is ready to sharpen her design skills and propel her business forward. 

“Although my experience in surface pattern design has been limited, I can tell you that I am all in and excited. I'm always thinking about patterns, looking for them in all things. I find inspiration for my work on my morning walks, taking photographs, and collecting samples of leaves and unusual found objects.

I am passionate about a career in surface pattern design and look forward to seeing what I am able to create with my designs. I feel that I have so much to offer the world as a surface pattern designer from what I consider the unique perspectives of age and location, coming from the Caribbean. I would love to represent the Caribbean as a surface pattern designer on an international platform.”

Amy is a natural creative who is passionate about helping others and hopes to build a creative career that leaves a lasting mark on the world.

“Over the past few years, my health has demanded that I slow down, and in slowness, I’ve reevaluated what really matters to me and what legacy I want to leave behind. I’m a creative by nature and I feel it’s a creative’s responsibility to imagine the world as better than it is and then make it so. I’ve always wanted to do something that mattered, that touches people and moves them, that makes the unseen feel seen, and to be of deeply healing service. 

As a Black woman, I want to be a voice for the underrepresented in all I do. I want to bring freshness and diversity, and emphasize the healing beauty of the natural world while providing myself, my family, and future generations with financial freedom.”

Xaivier is a single mom who runs a local mural business in her hometown Rome, Georgia. After facing severe anxiety and depression, she has boldly stepped into her purpose and wants to inspire and empower others through her work. 

“I want to live a life and pursue a career that supports this goal, to walk in my power, while being an imperfect example to other humans and entrepreneurs to do the same in their own unique way. I am a woman whose work is informed by my own lived experiences and observations. My life calls me to artistically confront our greatest walk which is to accept ourselves and our beauty in a world that often challenges it. As an artist, I have had the nudge to follow my dream of not only creating murals, yet creating patterns and symbols of Black culture in textiles, wallpaper, stationery, and even tiles that allow my community to feel vibrant and seen.”

Asia is an online business owner and mother of three, one of whom has autism. She wants to create one-of-a-kind educational resources for children in need and provide for her family in a meaningful way.

“My goal is to enrich the lives of as many children and families as possible through educational materials as well as products that are both inspiring and useful in everyday life. Receipt of this scholarship would help me move with leaps and bounds toward my goal of supporting my family from home and becoming a well-known and trusted local business that families can turn to for a variety of their daily needs.”

Afsaneh is a scientist who recently found her voice through art. She hopes to grow and build a brand that makes a meaningful difference in the world by inspiring others to follow their dreams and pursue their passions.

“I’m half Iranian/Indian and lived in multiple countries before settling in England. Cultural and parental expectations meant that art could never be considered a viable career option for me, so I moved into a scientific career. My life changed after I experienced extreme burnout. For the first time in my life, I gave myself permission to slow down and I rekindled my love for art. I truly felt its power to inspire courage, connection, and self-appreciation by prompting powerful pauses for rest and reflection. I hope to design and sell products that remind people to prioritise their own well-being above the expectations of others.  

I also dream of earning well from these sales so that I can create and donate products to charities that focus on the settlement of refugees when they arrive in countries that are new to them. I want to start bringing my beautiful designs to life, so I can truly make the impact I want in the world. I trust in the Immersion course to instill the strong foundations I need to create beautiful designs that speak to my cause and find the right industry for my heart’s message.

Alexis is an environmental engineer and soon-to-be mom from Peru. She aspires to use her newfound artistic voice to raise environmental awareness and inspire her daughter to follow her own dreams and desires.

 “Since I was a child I have been very creative and I loved to draw. However, I decided to study environmental engineering for fear of not being successful as an artist. As a result of the pandemic and finding myself without a job, I decided to share my art with the world. I started my own brand "Tucana" to share information about environmental conservation and endangered species. I want to become a brand recognized not only for my original designs but also for spreading this important message. 

Another reason why I want to go ahead with this project is to set an example for my daughter (on the way) that it's ok to choose more than one path in your life. Starting over is not something that should be frowned upon and choosing your passion should always come first.”

Anna is a self-taught designer and illustrator whose life and career plans took an abrupt halt when the war in Ukraine erupted. Now she is ready to pursue her passion again and spend the rest of her life doing something she loves that supports her family and helps others find joy and happiness. 

“I started learning design two years ago, but last winter I woke up from the sounds of explosions and bombing and the news the war began. All my career and life plans were replaced by the only thought to keep my family safe. War changes how we see life and what becomes a priority. I want to be independent and be able to support my family, help my people, and at the same time do something good with my life, create something that'll make others happy.”

Erin is an artist entrepreneur, stay-at-home mom, and breast cancer survivor. Her goal is to live boldly with intention, dive deep into pattern design, and take herself, her family, and her business to the next level.

“In 2020, I was diagnosed with breast cancer which put my business and dreams on hold. Difficult as it was, I can say that I have bounced back with more passion, drive, and determination than ever before to pursue surface pattern design as a career. My absolute goal for my future is to create a surface pattern design business, manufacture my own products and become a licensed artist. I am committed to realising my life goals and growing my business. Life is precious and I intend to live my dreams. I have been given a second chance at life and I'm not going to waste a second of it!”

Celeste studied Biology in Argentina, but never felt that she was on the right path. She currently is a substitute preschool teacher and has a deep desire to help children express themselves through art.

“I strongly believe that kids can connect to nature through art. I would love to write and illustrate children’s books and teach kids different ways to express themselves through art. I would love to create content that could help them to do art journaling and/or nature journaling, because I believe art expression is something so important in our lives and we should cultivate it from a young age.”

 Patricia is a pediatric occupational therapist that helps autistic children and children with disabilities. She loves doing crafts with her clients and has a dream of merging their love for art with a business that will give back to those in need. 

 “My clients often draw amazing things that shock all of us! I'd love to be able to create a company that sells blankets or other needed items and when a purchase is made, a family in need will also get an item they need. I also want to be able to use the art from my clients to place on notebooks, fabric, so that they can see they are talented and capable of creating.”

Jay nominated his mom for a scholarship. After many years of sacrificing her career and dreams to raise her son, it’s finally her turn to put herself first and live the desires of her heart. 

“My hope for my mom is that she can finally do something she loves and was always meant to do. I want her to know that all of her hard work she has done for me wasn't for nothing. She deserves her time to fulfill her dreams. I want her to have the chance she never got to have because she put me first.”

Adriene is a single mom of two and runs a business as a marketing writer and journalist. She recently ended an abusive relationship and is ready to let her voice be heard and her story told. 

“It wasn't until I picked up The Artist's Way last year on my 47th birthday that I realized how much I had buried my creativity in order to make enough money for me and my two children. Being a marketing writer means my story is never told. I now want to throw my heart and soul into sharing my own creativity with the world.”

Azadah has not been allowed to work for the past 7 years. She will be moving to America later this year and hopes that she’ll be able to use her surface design skills for a fresh start:

“I studied graphic design at university and worked as a graphic designer in Iran. Seven years ago I left Iran with my family on a boat to Australia. I have since spent five years in Nauru detention centre and two years in Australia with my young family where I have not been allowed to work. My art has been my outlet and gives me peace from the situation my family is in.  We will be moving to America in the near future where I will be allowed to work and I would like to be able work professionally as an artist and sell my work. Winning one of your scholarship roles would help accelerate this process and give me a head start to this. It would mean the world to me.”

Zoey has always wanted to work in surface design, especially to bring designs that reflects Asian artistic elements from her culture and empower others to feel represented and a sense of belonging through the items that they utilize everyday:

"As an artist, I want to showcase the dichotomy between the language we speak and the histories we carry from our ancestors and the history of migration. I want to create art programs to empower and encourage BIPOC communities to use their creation as their power and self care for their mental health, as well as showcase how important their culture and voice is in the world.

I hope to work with companies who will reach and diversify the designs that they offer to their customers."

Bonita has worked most of her life with special needs individuals, where she always inspires others by talking about the possibilities. Now she’s ready to take some of her own advice:

“This population’s lives are enormously improved when the people closest to them can have unlimited vision.

After preaching “possibilities” and having “options” to many in my community, now I have to reach to see if this is possible for me. I want so much to make a living from my artwork. Even though I confess this, I don’t know how to get there. Not only will this course chart a path for me, I want so much to work with some young girls in my community to assist them to see the possibilities far earlier than it has been for me. There’s so much for me to learn but I’m excited for this possibility.”

Tanya is on a mission with a big dream:

"It’s my dream to install a Sanitary Pad making machine (15-25k) in one community which with allow girls to continue their schooling (most have to drop out completely as they have no access to period products) and employ the women in the community to earn income (by operating the machinery) which will have a massive effect on gender inequality in rural villages. The power of girls completing schooling I believe will impact their direct community and further for decades to come. I can’t think of a better dream. <3"

Omowunmi’s husband and three children suffer from the Sickle Cell Anemia. Her hope is to use surface design to bring awareness to this debilitating disease:

“My goal is to learn a new skill in surface design that will allow me to create items that will artistically educate and transform the way people understand Sickle Cell Anemia.

The goal is to create designs that can educate children and adults. I know this course will help me accomplish my goals and more. The ideas that I have will allow me to help raise awareness and funds to help patients of the sickle cell support groups with getting medication, transportation to medical visits and more.”

NZinga was recently notified that her department is getting phased out this December, and she’ll be without a job. She wants to use this time to learn surface design so that she can bring more diversity to the world of children’s fabric:

“The news was devastating and after panicking and crying I had to pull myself together and come up with a plan. There are a lot of wonderful children designers and designs out there in the fabric industry but there is a lack of representation in images with children of color. I would love to be able to learn pattern design and be able to fill that gap. I am hoping that this will turn into a stream of income and hopefully grow to replace my job or at the very least be an income source to keep us afloat.”

Lindsay has been working diligently on advancing her skills as a designer, and dreams of being able to apply to studios in the US and Europe and convince them that I have a unique perspective living/working in Colombia.

“I am excited to do the work,  get out of my comfort zone, get feedback, and polish my portfolio. I graduated from RISD in Painting in 2009. I worked for a small print design studio in Philadelphia as a sales associate and print designer in 2012. I loved how much I learned in this job but it sadly folded a year later. After this, I started and directed a contemporary art gallery called FJORD for six years. I learned a lot about starting a business, problem-solving, and leadership. Here, I discovered the deep satisfaction of 'planting a seed and watching it flourish'.

In 2017, my interests shifted to wanting to help a community flourish again. I moved to Medellin, Colombia to be the Program Director for Venture with Impact, a skill-based volunteer program connecting NGOs with professionals for a one-month project. I also volunteer with Enable Medellin, creating 3d printed prosthetics for kids and adults involved in the Colombian conflict.  Over the past year, I have taken all of your classes on Skillshare, including the last one, which is why I am applying for this in my first power block of the day! I have been working on my portfolio and developing my style over the past year. In December, I overcame my fear and launched a website and instagram and yesterday I created a logo!  This year, I am determined to get a job with a print studio (ideally B-corp) designing home goods/ kids wear. I am ready for more!”

"It is my dream to be able to dedicate myself professionally to the world of pattern design, I wake up every day thinking that this is what I love most in life.”

In 2019, Michelle went through a strong depression because she felt that she wasn’t living the life she was intended to.

“I currently have a full time designer job that does not meet my expectations and I live in Chile, a very nice country but it has a very bad side: the design field is very small so the pattern designer field is almost non-existent so I have to focus my effort on working with clients abroad, which makes it a bit more difficult but at the same time more exciting.”

Michelle’s work has been featured in many publications already, and she’s ready to learn how to take her talent to the next level.

“What I am most passionate about is for being an illustrator and that is what I would really like to do. The jobs that I do in a freelance way are the ones that make me happier but unfortunately they don't come often enough. This is the situation that I want to change and although I know it may not be something that quick, I have to try and I have to dare because I really believe this is what I have to do.”

Marsha grew up in the ancient village of Klukwan in the southeast of Alaska. Klukwan means ‘always the village’. Her ancestry and heritage is filled with beautiful artwork that she hopes to integrate into her designs all the while empowering her local community with design ability and jobs.

"I sew and I do my Native American Art, I have always been interested in designing fabrics with my art for my sewing projects or to help others in being creative with fabrics or other designed projects so they could be making income. I am also a teacher mentor of my culture and language, learning to design for fabrics or other medium of art forms would bring ancient formline art of my Native American ancestors or other designs of the beautiful nature of my home area of Alaska”

“getting this scholarship would empower me to do a change in my career and enable me to empower others in a modern way. I live in a community that is low income and developing a business within the community would help in providing employment, empowering others to become entrepreneurs,  if I am able to obtain a scholarship.”

After creating her very first repeating pattern, Nicole is ready to build a rock solid foundation for her career as a designer. She’s ready to do the work, and prove to herself that she has what it takes to be successful.

Nicole is a single parent working in Japan with her daughter. She studied business in school, though has always had an interest in art.

“I graduated from business school and didn’t have any clear direction on what I wanted to do. Actually, I didn't really like the corporate world as much as I thought I would. I knew that I wanted to do something creative but I didn’t know what.

“Listening to Bonnie’s story was like listening to parts of my own. It inspired me and motivated me to do something, anything that I could. I will never forget when you said, “It only takes 10 seconds of courage.” I’ve have been so inspired and motivated by what I’ve learned. I hope that I’ll be given the opportunity to learn, and grow even more than I have already.”

As a full time college and high school student, Kendra’s dream goal is to enter the world as a creative entrepreneur. Living in a small town in Iowa means that job possibilities are low, but she knows that through the power of licensing and being online, she can work from successfully from anywhere int he world.

Kendra is the youngest of 9 children who after an extremely difficult childhood, has persevered.  

“Expression is a very important part of who we are and how we change the world. Although I excel academically, art is my true passion and where I feel the freest to express myself.  The contingency to invest in that passion so early in my life in an incredible opportunity.  There is so much violence, hate, and hurt all over the world daily. As an Artist, I can encourage others to grow, bloom, and flourish. “

“Each of us leaves our expression, our mark on this place.  I firmly believe that the Immersion Course will enable me to enable others and do my best at expressing myself in a way that makes this world, a better one.”

Sanna’s passion is in creating cross-cultural connections with other creatives. After raising her younger brothers, she’s finally ready to step into her own power, eager to live out her vision.

“Growing up in a collectivistic culture, community is important to me. …I want to gain confidence in a world where I’m told that I’m crazy for changing careers.

Being Cambodian American, I’m from a land of silk that tells stories. I want to be part of a generation that preserves this art form while also integrating my own unique voice. When my mother passed, she left me her most precious Cambodian textiles. I want to share with my online community and with the world what the Cambodian culture is through motifs while offering new imagery inspired by my homeland.

“Pattern making to me is also a healing experience. Ever since I grieved properly, I’ve seen the world differently. Finding inspiration encourages me to go outside to nature. I am more present. Before, I’d walk past the garden. Now, I sit with leaves. I take pictures of nature and share with others what I’ve witnessed. I want to help others to do the same. Embedded in my pattern design career, I want to integrate wellness and healing through curated experiences and visuals.”