Please join us in celebrating this month’s spotlight surface designer, Madeline Wong. We know you’ll find her story inspiring!
Please introduce yourself.
Unlike many creatives, I have not always been creative — or at least, not encouraged to be. As a young child, growing up in China in the 80s, I attended art classes that focused on closely copying examples. My drawings were always criticized for not being realistic enough or not resembling the teacher’s.
Or both.
I was close to my cousin and my neighbour, who were both excellent realistic artists. On the other hand, I was exceptionally good at math, which led the adults in my life to write off any artistic talents I might’ve had.
I now live in the suburbs of Toronto, Canada with my husband and two daughters. My kids love art and I make it a point to never criticize their creativity. I shower them with encouragement and I truly love the art that they come up with when they’re not afraid of being not good enough. In fact, while typing this, my 5-year-old has come by about 5 times, showing me her drawings and colouring.
Tell us a little bit about your design journey.
I think it all started when I came across a Stacie Bloomfield Facebook ad. I remember sitting on the train home in 2022, shortly after my company’s return to the office, trying to follow along with her holiday collection design challenge in my notebook. I was utterly lost but became very intrigued by surface pattern design. It was the biggest rabbit hole I ever fell into. Since then, I’ve taken many SkillShare classes and some well-known big courses. It’s definitely a case of the more I know, the more I realize I don’t know! Less than 2 years in, I’m still trying out different workflows and programs.
What streams of income are you focusing on right now?
Right now, I’m focusing on building a large body of work and honing my style, but I’m also dabbling in POD and licensing. My plan was to upload to Spoonflower as I create, but I’m realizing it takes way more time than I anticipated, and I’m a bit delinquent there. I’ve also started to get into licensing, which can be a full time job in itself. I’m moving along so slowly that I might as well not be moving at all, but as Stacie would say, slow growth is good growth. Every time I get a sale, I can’t believe that someone who doesn’t know me bought my stuff. This is a huge part of what keeps me going.
What do you like to do besides designing?
A colleague of mine has dubbed me “brain-ambidextrous”. I have a degree in computer science and math, as well as an MBA and a couple of business professional certifications. More out of necessity, I work full time in performance marketing for a bank, which doesn’t have much demand for creativity at all. I actually do love data, spreadsheets, analytics, processes, etc. But that’s only about 20% of my job (shocking). The rest is corporate and political stuff that I don’t care for.
During the pandemic, while on maternity leave, I picked up photography and calligraphy. It was the first time I tried anything creative since I was little. I considered pursuing either as a business, but decided that I didn’t want to regularly leave the house or worry about physical supplies. With a demanding job and young kids at home, time is very limited and I don’t spend much time on these hobbies anymore except when they contribute to my side hustle. My headshot above is a self-portrait, and sometimes I incorporate calligraphy in my designs.
Do you have a favorite portfolio design or client collaboration?
Remember my first attempt at a repeat pattern for Stacie’s holiday challenge? Eventually I put together a somewhat presentable mini collection, which I then updated for the Sketch Design Repeat Get Frosty 3×3 Design Challenge prompt. I continue to make little changes to it as my skills evolve. It’s not perfect — nothing is — but I love seeing its evolution. To this day, this little group of whimsical snowmen has been my favourite motifs and definitely represents what I would call my style.
Where do you get inspiration for your art?
My kids and their art, everyday things, nature that I’ve captured with my fancy camera, and all things geeky. But mostly my kids. I see so much inspiration every day that there’s not nearly enough time to bring everything to life!
When you look back at your design journey so far, what are you most proud of?
That I’m doing this at all in this season of my life, without time on my side; but despite being slow, I’m still here chugging along.
Who are your favorite artists?
My fellow Canadian, Becca Courtice! I learned calligraphy from her, and she’s THE person for it. What I love most about her is that despite being one of the biggest names in the calligraphy world and running a successful business, a big part of which involves teaching, she is so down to earth and gives zero vibes that she’s “trying too hard.” She honestly doesn’t pitch her paid classes at all, nor does she need to. Her content is incredible and speaks for itself.
Mabz Brisson, who’s Becca’s real life bestie, draws the most amazing line florals. She’s so humble, and yet the funniest artist ever. Her tutorial videos are the best, both in what she teaches and in entertainment value.
If you could offer advice to other designers who are struggling, what would that be?
Decide what you want to focus on, and focus on it. Don’t get distracted by what other people are doing, or by all the courses out there. I spent the better part of a year trying to do everything, changing directions every two months. I spent way too much money and got nowhere. Eventually, I decided to stop spending on online education until I’ve recouped what I already spent. Since then, life’s been very busy and I’ve had less time for my art and business, but I’ve made more progress compared to when I was distracted.
Where can we find you?
Website: www.giftedgeekdesigns.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giftedgeekdesigns/
Cara: https://cara.app/giftedgeekdesigns
