My Favorite Piece I Created in 2025 (and Why?)

Time to round off the year and reflect back on the good things (yes positivity rules). Take a peek behind the scenes of how I build a collection—creatively, emotionally, and with commercial use in mind.

(Hint hint - it is the collection with the Proteas)

Soo… the year is swiftly coming to an end. Can you feel it? These months always go so fast. It’s natural to reflect on what worked well, what worked less well, and what one would like more of in the year ahead.

I’ve created a lot of art this year that I don’t love……but luckily also a good deal that I really do.

I’m a big believer in making space for your weird ideas, impossible projects, and silly sidetracks. They’re all part of clearing the path for the work that ends up meaningful — and licensable.

Some pieces stay tucked in a digital drawer. Others become the foundation for my strongest collections. And this year, one collection stood out above the rest.

So, let’s get to what it’s all about:

My favourite piece is… drumroll… My Aussie Birdie Pop Collection. See it below:

Wait, do you need to see that again? OK, one more time....

What's special about this?

This collection feels wholesome, playful, and deeply personal. It reflects everything I love about our current home in Sydney, Australia — its wild nature, cheekiness, and colour. Every morning on the school run, we drive past the cockatoos’ favourite corner, usually followed by a determined turkey trotting across a green pedestrian light like it owns the place.

While my patterns are never 1 : 1 depictions, a lot of the flora here made its way into the collection. One pattern started from a photo I snapped of a flower bed. I tend to stop and photograph things that are subtly beautiful (especially the often unseen things), and I really want to share that sense of “surprise or awe” with - well everyone!

Ok, good for you — you live somewhere nice. Yawn. So why is this interesting?

One word: connection.

My initial idea for this collection was rooted in a wish to create connection — between me and this place, between locals and the familiar motifs they love, and in the end also between brands and customers who respond strongly to nature-inspired storytelling.

Australians have a deep affection for their nature, birds, plants, and stories. Like you guys happily swim with sharks every day - to me that's just one example of dedication to nature. However, I've noticed this deep love in several instances.

I recently visited the home of May Gibbs with a friend. May Gibbs is a famous Australian illustrator – known by practically every Aussie for her gumnut babies. The big love people here have for her work is one of the testaments to the deep connection to nature and the surroundings, I experience here. (And by the way, Gibbs' work is beautiful).

So, from a personal perspective, I just really connect with this collection for all of the above reasons. From a licensing perspective, I believe this collection speaks directly to an audience that knows and loves this landscape - but this in my opinion has an even broader appeal too.

So, how does one make a collection anyway?

Good question. If only it was as easy as sitting down, sketching everything neatly, selecting a perfect colour palette, and then—ta-da—collection done.

Uhm… no.

It’s different every time, but usually I start with one main pattern (often the most complex one) and build outward from there. I don’t always have a palette ready. Sometimes it's loose pencil strokes, sometimes it’s a digital scribble. And I can promise you: the idea in my head and the reality will never match.

Sometimes what I create disappoints me. Sometimes it surprises me. Often my initial idea disappears entirely throughout the process. Then it’s more my long-held values, sudden inspiration, current interests, and the latest Netflix documentary that sneak into the process (ok maybe not… although have you seen Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio? Stunning).

I test things. I delete things. I add possums, make them blue, decide they are too blue, replace them. I write little phrases for greeting cards. I mock things up to see them in context. Sometimes I start with the end in mind (where could this go?). Sometimes I just draw and figure out the commercial angle later.

The initial sketch that kicked off the collection. You can still go so many ways from pencil strokes. In the end I left the possum out of the design for various reasons.

But one thing stays consistent: Every collection needs pieces that complement one another, vary enough to stay interesting, and stand strong across multiple product categories — from stationery to gift, home textiles, apparel, or kids goods – or stickers. I love stickers.

This matters for licensing, so I keep it in mind from the very first sketch.

The Colour Palette (or… my non-scientific approach)

Playing with colors after the collection is done - wuhu

Sorry, there is absolutely no science in my process when it comes to color initially when working with a collection. For me, it’s really intuitive. For this one, I began with a few colours I felt drawn to that day, and then added what was needed as the main pattern grew. I try to keep things limited at the start — otherwise I will happily throw every colour in the universe onto my canvas (almost). The beautiful thing about a collection is that it can also evolve as you open up to input from the client - test out different trendy color palettes etc.

So that’s the fun part. But despite the playful approach in the beginning, I do actually also like to make my files ready for submission or print. There is something calming in organising everything and making sure the final files are clean, “repeat-ready”, layered, and ready for licensing. It's a very good feeling seeing the final result of my ideas coming to life.

I guess that pretty much sums up my process. Joyful chaos in the beginning – organised delivery in the end. Hurray.

And that’s kind of it. My Aussie Birdie Pop Collection. I hope you like it.

I’m already working on another Aussie animal collection. I’m still experimenting with the style and I’m starting out with just one animal this time and 5 colors, but it’s coming together (brace for more colors). I’ll keep you posted on how it evolves.