Make and Design with Carina Gardner

On today’s episode of the Make and Design Podcast, Carina tells the story of how she trained for her first half-marathon. Adding the consistency and focus of training for a half-marathon shifted her identity from “someone who runs sometimes” to “runner.” When you do something every day, slowly and surely you begin to identify as a person who does that thing. Listen in to hear how this mindset can help you overcome imposter syndrome or feeling like you’re not good enough. The mindset shift that comes from changing our daily patterns results in real confidence.    __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY  __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.   Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.   Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp  Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/ Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

On today’s episode of Make and Design, Carina talks to crafting expert and instructor Kelly Wayment about her career. The ladies discuss Kelly’s trajectory from getting started in paper crafting as a hobbyist and how, over time, she developed the skills and following to become an industry expert. Kelly also tells us about her excitement of discovering the first Silhouette machine back in 2008 and how this led to her love of 3D paper crafts. Listen in to hear a crafting trick that Carina didn’t even know about!    __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY  __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.   Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.   Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp  Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/   About Today’s Guest   Kelly Wayment is a crafting instructor and has taught on sites like Craftsy, Michaels, and Silhouette. Find Kelly at www.findingtimetocreate.com and on Instagram at kraftingkelly. Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

Today’s Make and Design features three HUGE tips for taking your design work to the next level. Find out how Tip #1 helped Carina to create residual design income so that she is free to focus on bigger projects. In Tip #2, Carina goes through various ways you might use to find a design mentor. Finally, in Tip #3, we learn how to use our existing work as a gauge for improving and leveling up.    __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY  __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.   Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.   Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp  Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/ Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

Carina’s sister and Etsy guru SuiKim Friedmann joins the Make and Design Podcast today to discuss how to get started with social media. Carina starts by telling a “from the mouth of babes” story about advice her husband once received from a seven-year-old that applies perfectly to social media. Kim and Carina discuss the pros and cons of various social media platforms and give advice on the factors that will help you choose which platform is best for you. Are you looking for community or a place to easily share information? Find out what will work and what may not when it comes to social!    __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY  __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.   Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.   Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp  Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/   About Today’s Guest SuiKim Friedmann is an Etsy guru, coach, and blogger who shares her wisdom on how to build a dynamite Etsy shop at www.suikim.com and on Instagram at suikimfriedmann. Please note that Kim’s website has changed since this episode was originally recorded! Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

On today’s episode of the Make and Design Podcast, Carina explores the three questions that we should ask ourselves as designers every single day. She shares valuable insights into how she approaches a huge list of things to do and uses these three questions to give priority to the most important projects. Question number one has to do with whether a project makes sense financially. Question number two has to do with efficiency. Question number three is about how to compete in the overall marketplace. Tune it to find out what the three questions are exactly! Carina finishes up by running through several scenarios where she applies the three questions to give examples of why these questions are so vital. Sometimes a “yes” on just one of these questions makes it worth doing! A “no” on all three of these questions is a good indication that the project isn’t worth the effort. __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY  __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.   Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.   Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp  Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

On today’s episode of the Make and Design Podcast, Riley Blake fabric designer and quilter Amanda Neiderhauser stops by to give us all the details on her latest fabric line, Mod Meow! She and Carina also laugh about how they met for the first time (spoiler alert: there was 80s music and dancing involved). Amanda shares a bit of her inspiration as she describes her bengal cat, Mufasa. Amanda’s line is inspired by Mid-Century color palettes. Amanda also tells us about Riley Blake’s future plans to release multi-designer low volume lines and to do a cross-designer red line. Amanda’s contributions all feature adorable cats! Amanda’s passion for her work and for quilting shines brightly!    __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY  __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.   Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.   Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp  Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/   About Today’s Guest Amanda Niederhauser is a quilter and fabric designer for Riley Blake. You can find her work in the following places: Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

On today’s episode of Make and Design, Carina shares some of the books that she’s read over the last year or so that have been tremendously helpful to her.  These are some books that helped her change her mind about time.   “168 Hours: You Have More Time than You Think” by Laura Vanderkam. Listen in to find out how this book gave Carina a sense that she has more time than she thought.   “When” by Daniel H. Pink. Find out why this book gave Carina permission to take naps when she needs them.   “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker. The most academic book on this list. Carina now sleeps for eight to nine hours per night religiously as a result of reading this book. Also, find out how this book changed Carina’s parenting style.   “The ONE Thing” by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan. Get insight into how this book taught Carina to block off big chunks of time and how that has helped her.   That’s the list!  __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY  __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.   Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.   Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp  Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

Carina is joined by her sister and Etsy guru SuiKim Friedmann on today’s episode of the Make and Design Podcast. Carina and Kim get real about the struggles of parenting while running a business during the busy summer months while kids are out of school. Kim took the advice from her last visit to the podcast and freed up some additional time by hiring someone to help her with her workflow. Carina runs through her typical daily routine during the summer. Find out how the sisters break up their day to make sure that they get work done for their businesses while still spending quality time with the kiddos. Carina gives another recommendation for the book “When” by Daniel H. Pink.   __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY  __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.   Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.   Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp  Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/   About Today’s Guest SuiKim Friedmann is an Etsy guru, coach, and blogger who shares her wisdom on how to build a dynamite Etsy shop at www.suikim.com. Her old website, www.kimcrafts.com, will redirect you to the new one! Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

On today’s episode of the Make and Design Podcast, Carina talks about flow state and how she, as a designer gets into Flow. She talks about some of the ways that daily routines and habits help achieve Flow. She also gives us some tips on various areas where we can get into Flow and how leveling up your skills can help you get into flow more quickly. For Carina, there are some kinds of design work that she does where she can keep a TV show or movie on in the background. Listen in to hear what shows and movies she likes to have on in the background while she works! Some of her choices might surprise you!    __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY  __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.   Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.   Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp  Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional

On today’s episode of the Make and Design Podcast, Carina comments on the seasonal ebbs and flows when it comes to revenue in the design industry. She gives some tips on how to set up your annual calendar as a designer and how to get the most out of your planning season (hint: it’s great to give yourself a “planning season” during a time of year when you’re less busy with other work). Listen in for more keys to using the powers of intention and planning to maximize your potential as a designer and to avoid the pitfalls and loss of productivity that comes when plans aren’t as thought out.    __________ Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY  __________ About Carina Gardner: Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.   Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.   Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp  Watch this episode as a video at https://www.makeanddesign.com/Get my free gift to you here: https://www.designsuitecourses.com/intentional