Birgitte M. R. Johnsen Illustration & Design

Creative collective

I wanted to make a few simple illustrations which could work well for a website, which seemed like a perfect topic for one of my limited colour palettes. The topic of choice for thes ite feel on Joanna Henley’s Creative Collective, a growth programme which is helping a bunch of artists and illustrators, including myself. I wanted to capture some of my experiences with the first few weeks of the programme, which would be likely to be covered on a site. My style was simplified for these illustrations, with a focus on shapes and colours, which are considerations which need to be taken for website illustrations: they need to be as clear as possible, but also work in smaller viewports.

A zoom call showing 9 participants, with the presenter in the middle. the The image is painted digitally in dusky blue, dark blue, cream, yellow and peach.
Media: Digital.

The Creative collective is a twelve week growth programme, and the group has bi-weekly meetings where we discuss the different topics we covered. It’s a chance for us to speak face-to-face, ask questions, and hear the different interpretations of the topic at hand. Everything is done digitally, which isn’t much of a surprise considering we’re located in five different countries and two different continents.

A computer window showing a conversation, with one person making a long comment or question, with multiple people responding and showing their support. The image is painted digitally in dusky blue, dark blue, cream, yellow and peach.
Media: Digital.

While the programme is about learning and growing, it’s also created a lovely little community where we can can ask for feedback, more information, share our wins and thoughts. One of the tools we use for this is Slack, where we share weekly updates of how we’re getting on with the different modules. It’s also considered a safe space for sharing experiences and get input on things we’re working on.

Three sheets of paper lie on the ground, filled with handwriting, and next to them is a fountain pen. The image is painted in cream, yellow, dusky blue and dark blue.
Media: Digital.

One of the basis of the work we do is done through journalling, or morning pages as some call them. It’s basically allowing yourself to mind-dump everything onto three pages before you get on with your day. While I have to admit I was a little bit reluctant to begin with, I have found it to be very helpful. Writing is helping me let go of things, but it is also allowing me to reflect on things and therefore find direction for that day. So while it is a bit about writing all the stuff on your mind, it’s also about directing your thoughts, and delve into topics which are helpful to cover. Sometimes the different topics would give us journalling prompts, which has really helped with this.