Hey, Reader!

I was digging through old DMs this week looking for an email and found a note from a licensing client, three years old, telling me a collection I'd delivered was "exactly what our line was missing." I'd completely forgotten about it.

Which is the problem, isn't it? The nicest things people say about our work live in DMs, inboxes, and review tabs — scattered and buried. It made my day to find that note. And it got me thinking. Those notes aren’t only about making us feel good about what we do, they could be doing a little work for us. (And doing it better than your kids do their chores.)

This week is about putting reviews to work for you: why social proof helps sell when you’re pitching, how to ask for it without feeling weird, and a quick free system that collects it for you.

BEAR BELL PRODUCTIONS Botanicals That Feel Like History There is something deeply satisfying about how this pattern uses restraint. The cream background lets each flower shine. The color palette reads like a seed catalog from 1920s England, and that specificity of taste is what makes it a standout. A Diamond Trellis Holding Five Different Blooms The repeat uses a quatrefoil or diamond lattice structure that creates visual rhythm. Five flower varieties rotate through the grid with enough variation that your eye keeps moving and the connecting vine framework ties everything into one coherent story. It is a smart move, structurally. The trellis does the organizing work so the florals can stay loose and hand-drawn. Perfect for Heritage Home Collections and Quilting Cotton. This vintage-feel floral design works as entryway wallpaper, high-end quilting fabric, and linen tea towels. This buyer loves clean, understated, traditional designs like 18th-century bookplate engravings and hand-colored floral lithographs. Show them some love on IG

CATHERINE ENDRES - ELEGANT HALLOWEEN Dark Romanticism Meets Harvest Season This bold mirrored design with damask sensibilities has an immediate sense of order. The scrolling blue foliage acts as the framework, while the motifs are carefully distributed so no single one dominates. The generous navy negative space prevents the feeling of being overcrowded despite the high level of detail. Magic Mix of Color and Craft Muted sage greens bridge the warm and cool tones, making the palette feel cohesive. The restrained use of white in the skulls and stars adds crisp focal points. Every motif shares the same engraved, hand-drawn aesthetic with consistent line weight and texture. That allows a surprisingly eclectic collection of motifs to read as a single story, giving the pattern a timeless quality. Uniquely Elegant Halloween packaging, table linens and Home Collections I see so many possibilities for this pattern: Halloween candle packaging, autumn-themed placemats and napkins, and upscale Halloween decor just to name a few. This one speaks to the adult buyer who wants seasonal without cute. Show them some love on IG

KLARA HAWKINS - PALACE GARDEN Palace Pink, Panel by Panel The color story leads and it isn't apologizing. Hot pink, mustard, deep red, cream — it should read as chaos, but the scalloped arches, block-print borders, and mirrored florals give the eye structure the way traditional Indian miniature painting always has. Peacock, elephant, lotus. Boldness held inside careful architecture. A Curated Panel System, Not a Seamless Repeat This is a placement print. Each illustrated tile tells a story. Framed borders and different scales of florals – some tall and linear, some compact and radiating outward - draw the eye. Smart spacing allows the detail and vibrant colors do their thing without becoming busy. Perfect for Greeting Cards & Journal Covers As a placement print, this pattern will feel right at home as a greeting card. I can also see it on POD notebooks and journals. The buyer here is someone who loves visual stories and bold color. Show them some love on IG

Tip #1: Why Someone Else's Words Sell Your Art Better Than Yours

When you post about your own work and pitch your own work and describe your own work, you can end up your own worst enemy.

Why?

Because we can’t always see the forest through the trees or the repeat in the pattern. (Come on. That was pretty good.) Because we’re so close to our own work. Because you made the art, so of course you think it’s good.

In the past, we’ve talked about ways to review your portfolio and make sure your art stands out. Today we’re focusing on social proof. When a buyer or an art director sees what someone ELSE says about your products or about working with you, it does the convincing you can’t do for yourself.

The good news: you’re probably sitting on something already.

• A kind reply from a licensing client
• A five-star Spoonflower or Etsy review
• A collaborator who’d vouch for you in a heartbeat

Check your DMs, your inbox, your reviews. You probably have several scattered around. Somewhere. Just dig around a bit and you'll find them. And that's the issue. Scattered is really not efficient.

These reviews and positive comments are a valuable asset. Really.

In my experience, this is the missing layer under your polished portfolio, the mockups, the pitch perfect emails. Social proof helps those other things land, because it answers the question every buyer is asking: “Is she a professional who is easy to work with?”

This week: spend 15 minutes hunting through your DMs, inbox, and reviews. Paste every kind word into one doc. That’s your proof file — started.

Tip #2: The Un-Awkward Ask — How (and When) to Request a Testimonial

The reason a lot of designers don’t have testimonials is that it feels weird asking. I mean, who wants to say: Tell me how much you like me. Oh, and put it in writing so I can use it.

It feels awkward and kind of needy.

The fix is pretty simple. Think of it as timing + structure.

Timing: Ask at peak positive impression: right after you deliver a collection the client loves, right after that unexpected DM singing your praises. Don’t do it months later when the warmth has faded. The moment they say something kind is the moment to ask.

Structure: Do as much of the work for them as possible. Don’t hand them a blank page. That feels like work and work gets ignored. Hand them three short prompts to answer:

1. What led you to reach out to me?
2. What’s the biggest change or result you’ve seen since we started working together?
3. If someone was considering working with me but wasn’t sure, what would you tell them?

They’ll return a usable testimonial that takes about two minutes of their time.

Then actually USE it. Yeah. I know. Sometimes that's the hardest part. But believe me when I say, social proof really does help. Add it to your portfolio site. The bottom of pitch emails. Your sales pages. A pinned Instagram highlight. You get the picture.

💡 Pro Tip: Always get explicit permission to use their name, business, or photo. It's easy to do. Just add one extra sentence in the ask. For wording suggestions see the tech hack below.

One Google Form That Collects Testimonials for You (Free)

There are lots of paid apps and tools that collect testimonials for you. But there is a way to do it for free. You can create a reusable form with Google:

1. Go to forms.google.com (free with any Google account) and create a new form.
2. You can decide whether you’re going require answers and email information. Make adjustments under the Settings tab. (My two cents: the less you require, the better.)
3. Add your three prompts from Tip 2 as short-answer questions.
4. Add a checkbox: “I give permission to use my words and name in marketing.” (Permission, built in — no awkward follow-up.)
5. Add optional fields for name, business, and website.
6. In the Responses tab, click Link to Sheets — every testimonial now lands in one organized spreadsheet automatically.

You can drop the Google form link anywhere and anytime those positive moments happen: emails, thank-you notes, your course completion page, etc.

One link. Collects happiness. Puts it all in one place. Handles permission. My systems-loving heart is loves this one.

Until next week — keep creating! 🎨

P.S. If you want to use AI to help run your business (not create art) check out my upcoming sessions at Creative Systems Lab. Last week we worked on email funnels and opt-in pages. Next week, August 6, we’re using Claude to build a value proposition that tells buyers why they should pick your product. Highlighting your unique benefit and show the exact value you deliver. Click here to register for Session 4.

Aaaand whenever you're ready, here's how I can help you ⬇

Live, 90-min business sessions for creatives 💡 ​Learn with CSL →​

Get a personalized blueprint for your art biz 🎯 ​Build your plan →​

Create & sell a market-ready mini pattern collection 🔥 ​Let's go →​