• Candid, optimistic, pragmatic, and staunchly authentic.

    Enneagram Type 3w2 (if you’re wondering) and very much a Sagittarius.

  • I’m a ‘no BS’ type of person, but I’ll help justify anything they want to do or pursue.

    They’ll also tell you that I’m a frequent ankle-roller and love to have a laugh at anyone’s expense… including my own (as long as there aren’t any major injuries).

  • I’m a hard worker and I make stuff happen. Strategic and not afraid to go after an opportunity. Can get a little overwhelmed by his big ideas (he’s an innovator and I’m a realist) but that I eventually come around. (Ha!)

Hey, there! I'm Erin Kendal…

I’m a mama of two boys who kicked her uncreative corporate job to the curb after using Spoonflower to build a successful career in surface pattern design that’s changed my family’s life!

My designs are used by hundreds of brands around the world to elevate and sell their products. Now I’m on a mission to inspire and empower other designers to find the success that they dream of, too.

A “once-upon-a-time corporate with a handmade side hustle”—turned self-taught designer obsessed with colour and patterns— I’ve had an ‘unconventional’ journey into creative entrepreneurship.

I’ll never tire of seeing my designs pop up around the world on the coolest products ever — from wallpaper at Australia Zoo to pet accessories in the US, baby shoes in Israel, and cloth nappies in the UK (just to name a few).

Believing that there’s beauty in simplicity, I design modern seamless boho patterns that are easily adaptable between being timeless and on trend.

I love mentoring fellow designers in my Power Sellers Academy membership, on how to build a business on their terms, on Spoonflower—opening the door to living a creative lifestyle… just as I’ve done.

How I got here

I grew up surrounded by creativity — my mum was a traditional sign-writer, my sister is an incredible painter, and my dad made alotta hand stamped leather bags in the 70s.

I suffered from a fear of failure until I was about 25, so I’m a self-taught designer. Most of my ‘working’ life (15 years, in fact) was spent in a fluorescently-lit Australian government office as a business analyst and software tester (entirely UNcreative!)

I’d always dreamt of becoming a creative entrepreneur and I tried my hand at many things to get where I am today. For many years I had a side hustle as a maker and that journey organically transitioned me to a career in surface pattern design.

👉 SUBSCRIBE TO MY POPULAR ‘DESIGNERS STUDIO’ NEWSLETTER TO LEARN MORE!

Work from my previous ‘side-hustle’ as a maker.

Collaborations, Worldwide.

In selling via print-on-demand platforms and through licensing my artwork, I’ve formed many wonderful and authentic relationships with creative entrepreneurs around the world… from the United States and Canada to Germany, Israel, and Dubai. (Thank you, internet!)

“I dearly value this grassroots collaboration between designer and maker — because I’ve lived it on both sides.”

I’ve been a guest on Bonnie Christine’s Immersion alumni round table, Stacie Bloomfield’s Leverage Your Art course, and Mable Tan’s ‘I Am An Artist’ summit.

I’ve had my work featured in several magazines, including Love Patchwork and Quilting, HGTV magazine, and an interview about my surface design journey in Aussie magazine, Peppermint.

Teaching

I started teaching in 2021 with the launch of my first course, Surface Pattern Design: Grow Your Career With An E-Commerce Business, which has since had more than 700 students through its virtual doors.

Back when Instagram was more about sharing with your friends, using filters called ‘Valencia’ and others with faux torn borders, I started trying to figure out what I could do that would allow me to live a creative life, working for myself.

I was printing fabric via Spoonflower which, in turn, saw me stumble into surface pattern design. I haven’t looked back since!

I LOVE that I get to paint, draw and design for a living (what a dream!) and I hope to inspire and empower others (including my own children) to do something they truly love for a living.

In 2023, I started my Power Sellers Academy membership, where I guide fellow designers on how to leverage and use Spoonflower to its full potential, empowering them with the skills to strategically grow their business.

Interested in working together?

I’d love to hear from you! Send me a message or submit a licensing enquiry.