Please join us in celebrating this month’s spotlight surface designer, Mel Armstrong. We know you’ll find her story inspiring!
Please introduce yourself.
I’m from Wellington New Zealand, which is where I was born, but I spent most of my life in Australia. I have dual Australian/New Zealand citizenship. I’m passionate about wildlife, sustainability and following your creative passion to live a fulfilling life.
I’ve always been creative. I started out my career as a ballet dancer, after training at the Australian Ballet School.
I then got a University degree in Computer Engineering and worked in the corporate world but got burnt out and found myself just wanting to create pretty interfaces rather than code programs, and the hours I was working were killing me.
I managed to get myself back into the creative world by doing some graphic art and web design alongside acting as I was really missing the stage. I did lots of theatre, T.V. and film in Sydney, Australia before buying a house in the Southern Highlands about 1.5 hours out of Sydney, where my partner and I settled down to have kids.
Tell us a little bit about your design journey.
My journey into Surface Pattern Design and Illustration started in 2013 when I was pregnant with my first child. I wanted to find some fabric to make some clothes for my baby, but couldn’t find anything that was gender-neutral and appealing to me, so I googled “design your own fabric” and stumbled upon Spoonflower. With my background in graphic design I decided I would give it a try, so did a few online courses then applied for the Make it in Design scholarship, which I ended up winning. I completed the Make it in Design course and that essentially was where my career was born.
In that first year, I got my first licensing agreement with a shoe manufacturer in Australia and I haven’t looked back since. Over the next few years, I slowly grew my Illustration/Surface Pattern Design business whilst slowly letting go of my software engineering and web design business, until around 5 years in I was ready to say I was a full-time Illustrator & Surface Pattern Designer.
What streams of income are you focusing on right now?
My main income stream is art licensing (fabric, kids products, stationery, home decor, etc). Many of my licenses have royalties, which are ongoing and grow each year, which is a substantial amount of my income. I also illustrate children’s books, which also bring in royalties.
Lastly, I share my knowledge and skills by teaching online. I’m a Top Teacher on Skillshare and I also post short tutorials on YouTube.
What do you like to do besides designing?
This is my full-time business, but my other creative loves are knitting and sewing, which I wish I had more time for. I’m also a mum to two beautiful children.
Do you have a favorite portfolio design or client collaboration?
I collaborated with an Australian dog accessories business last year called Indie Boho, which I just loved. The products are gorgeous and I’m so proud of the art I created. The relationship with them was so wonderful and ongoing so I’m hoping to do another range with them at some point.
Where do you get inspiration for your art?
Mostly from nature, animals and the funny things my kids say. I love going on long bush walks, which luckily for me, in New Zealand there are many and they are a constant source of inspiration.
When you look back at your design journey so far, what are you most proud of?
Sticking with it. There were a couple of points in my career, in particular when we moved back to New Zealand from Australia when money was really tight, and I started looking for another job as I didn’t think I could continue with “the dream.” Even with my years of experience in software, websites and art, I couldn’t get a single interview, so I had to put my all in and make this business work. I’m so glad I did. I learned how to be more proactive at approaching clients and negotiating contracts and really focusing on building my skills as an artist. I think it really paid off as I’m now in a good position building lots of great client relationships and continuing to build my art skills and portfolio.
Who are your favorite artists?
Oliver Jeffers (Author/Illustrator)
Lizzie Pannell (Artist)
Lisa Congdon (Artist/Illustrator/Author)
If you could offer advice to other designers who are struggling, what would that be?
Create and draw every day. Focus on 1-3 income streams only and audit them annually. While building your art skills, build your business skills too.
Where can we find you?
Website: www.melarmstrong.com
Instagram: @melarmstrongdesign
YouTube: @melarmstrong
