Building Wild Ridge Studio One Collection at a Time
When I first started learning surface pattern design, I thought the goal was to create more all of the time.
More patterns.
More products.
More content.
More collections.
But over time, I’ve realized I’m much more interested in building connected bodies of work instead of endlessly creating isolated pieces. That shift has changed the direction of Wild Ridge Studio.
Now when I create artwork, I’m thinking about how a single piece can evolve. A watercolor study might become a placement print. That placement print may later turn into a greeting card, a postcard for Trail Side Post, a repeat pattern, a notebook cover, or eventually part of a larger licensing collection.
Everything slowly feeds into everything else.
That process is actually what inspired me to create a space on Patreon in the first place. I wanted somewhere to share the middle stages of creating — the sketches, watercolor experiments, failed color palettes, collection planning, trail inspiration, and works in progress before they ever become finished products.
Because here’s the thing, the creative process rarely happens in a straight line.
At least not in my world.
A lot of Wild Ridge Studio is built from hiking trails, collected observations, the mountain landscapes and wildflowers, old sketchbooks, and the quiet habit of noticing which ideas continue returning over and over again.
The more I lean into those recurring themes, the more cohesive the work starts feeling.
And honestly, I think what I am creating on Patreon is becoming a natural extension of that same idea: creating artwork that feels collected, seasonal, connected, and lived-in instead of rushed or disposable.
