Episode 20 What Those Negative Thoughts Are Doing to Your Creativity

Posted on by Carina Gardner

On today’s episode of Make + Design, Carina takes a look at negative thoughts and negative self talk. In a world where we’re constantly trying to dial our creativity up, freeing ourselves from negative thoughts and self talk can lift a huge burden. Carina talks about the difference between people who get over negativity by diving into a work project and people who are immobilized by negative thoughts.

Carina tends to bulldoze through negative thoughts and knows that her work isn’t as good if she doesn’t first clear out the negative thoughts before creating. She shares some of her healing journey from post-traumatic stress disorder and how therapy helped her to overcome the negativity that had constantly plagued her when she was younger. Carina also shares her tips for dealing with people in our lives who might be negative or say negative things to us. She also talks about the positive things that come from surrounding yourself with positive people who encourage you to reach your potential. Another source of negative thoughts for Carina comes when she has a lack of clarity. Reaching decisions quickly has been a great way for her to overcome negativity. In cases where she makes the wrong decision, she talks about what can be lost as the result of a bad decision and how the learning that comes from mistakes can make the mistake less of a total disaster than it might have been.

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY 

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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

 

Episode 17 Four Books That Made Me More Intentional

Posted on by Carina Gardner

On today’s episode of Make and Design, Carina continues her series of periodic book reviews by sharing four books that helped her to become more intentional.

The first book on her list is “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. Find out how this book helped Carina to become more self-aware about the steps that she took in falling into a particular routine and how that helped her to level up her habits.

Here’s another round up of books that I love and helped me! Maybe one of them will help you also b

The second book on Carina’s list is “The Power of Habit” by Charles Dewhig. This classic book helped Carina to gain further insight into how to change her habits.

The third book on Carina’s list is “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl. Carina shares some of the insight she gained while she went through Frankl’s heartbreaking account of surviving the Holocaust and how finding *meaning* got him through that experience.

The last book on Carina’s list is “Words That Change Minds: The 14 Patterns for Mastering the Language of Influence by Shelle Rose Charvet. Find out the ways that this book helped Carina understand how the words people use reveal what they really want.

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY 

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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

Episode 15 We Are What We Do

Posted on by 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.”

You’ve heard the phrase “you are what you eat,” but what about the phrase “you are what you do.” I

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. 

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY 

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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

Episode 11 What 3 Questions You Should Be Asking Yourself Every day

Posted on by Carina Gardner

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.

Everyday there is so much work to do and prioritizing can be difficult. Here are three questions you can

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.

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY 

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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

Episode 9 Books That Helped Me Save Time

Posted on by Carina Gardner

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! 

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY 

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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

Episode 7 What Design Flows Looks Like For Me

Posted on by Carina Gardner

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 

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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

Episode 6 Are You Using Your Planning Season Wisely

Posted on by Carina Gardner

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 

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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.comCheck out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp

Episode 5 How Committed Are You To Doing What You Say You Are Going to Do

Posted on by Carina Gardner

On today’s episode of the Make and Design Podcast, Carina looks at a BIG word: Commitment. She analyses what it takes to be a person who says what they say they’re going to do and how that relates to integrity. We all have different levels of commitment depending on the thing we’re committing to. Carina talks about some things she learned from the book “When” by Daniel H. Pink. How often do we let extenuating circumstances keep us from following through with our commitments? She also talks about the difference in the activity level of people who are committed compared to those who are doing something only half-heartedly. One of the big advantages to commitment and consistency is that it builds patterns within us that make us more dependable. 

Commitment is a big word but there are those who use it, and those who do not. We love people who are c

Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY 

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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

Episode 4 Can You Tell If Your Work is Good, Better, or Best

Posted on by Carina Gardner

On today’s episode of the Make and Design Podcast, Carina examines when it makes sense for designers to do good work, when it makes sense to do better work, and when it makes sense to do your very best work (spoiler alert: it depends on the medium!). Carina also takes us on a trip down memory lane as she explains what it was like to design her very first fabric line way back in 2007. She gives great insight into how hard or how rewarding it is to learn new skills as a designer. 

One of the keys to being able to distinguish between your “good” work, your “better” work, and your “best” work is to create *a lot* of design work. Only when you’ve put in the hours to create a large portfolio will you have the experience to know what’s good, better, or best. Carina’s shares three things  to consider when you’re leveling up and learning to measure whether your design work is moving from good to better. Hear her tips on time, editing, and direction (as it relates to your original inspiration for a project) when it comes to your work. 

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY 

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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

Episode #2 Why Wanting is Different Than Belief

Posted on by Carina Gardner

On today’s episode of the Make and Design Podcast, Carina takes a deep dive into why just because you want something doesn’t really mean you BELIEVE you will be able to get it. Belief is powerful especially for makers and designers. Carina shares insights that she learned from the book “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” by Angela Duckworth. She also gives insight into lessons she’s learned about belief while raising three very different children. 

Carina shares two secrets that will help you move your *wants* into a mental place where you *believe* you will get what you want. Hint: they have to do with the people you spend time with and how you spend your time. When you implement these two secrets, your wants will become beliefs! 

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY 

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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/

Carina Gardner has a Ph.D. in Design and was the Creative Director of a scrapbooking company and paper goods business. She currently designs fabric and die cutting files while teaching other designers how to create meaningful design work while making a residual income online. 

Find out more at http://www.carinagardner.com 

Want to become a designer? Check out Carina’s next Design Bootcamp at http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp.