Why I’m Staying in Creative Pals with Laura Jane Illustrations
When I first joined Creative Pals with Laura Jane Illustrations, it looked a little different to how it does now. Laura has changed things around over time, partly based on what her members needed and partly based on what she needed from the membership in her own business.
I actually really like that because one of the things I've been thinking about a lot in my own business is that we're allowed to change things. We don't have to keep doing something in exactly the same way because that's how we started doing it. Sometimes you try something and realise your people need something slightly different, your own business changes, or you change.
That's very much part of what I mean when I talk about going The Pretty Way. You can have a destination in mind without being stuck on one particular route to get there. Creative Pals has evolved since I first joined and, from where I'm sitting as one of its members, those changes have made sense.
One of the things that has stood out for me about Creative Pals, especially compared with some of the other memberships and creative things I've joined over the years, is how responsive Laura is inside the community. She's not giving us resources and creative briefs and then disappearing. She's in there with us, chatting, answering questions, supporting what we're creating and genuinely being part of the community.
We now have a monthly catch-up too, which isn't recorded or turned into another piece of content we need to catch up on later. It's literally whoever is available turning up and having a chat. Laura runs two different times so that those of us down under can actually make one, while people in Europe and the US have another option that works better for them.
What I've actually created through Creative Pals
I've now taken part in two Creative Pals Marketplaces and both have pushed me to create something very different. The first theme was food, which became my Tiny Treats Bakery collection of seamless patterns. I created seven patterns, each in three different colourways, which are now available on Spoonflower.
The second marketplace theme was seasons and, as I'm writing this, I'm finalising my 2027 Far North Queensland Adventures Calendar. The calendar is inspired by our adventures around Cairns and Far North Queensland and features little characters, critters and creatures you might find up there, all drawn in my own whimsical, playful and very wonky style.
That's another part of Creative Pals that works for me. We're given a starting point, but I'm not being told exactly what I have to create. I can take the brief wherever my brain wants to take it. Food became Tiny Treats Bakery and seasons became Far North Queensland Adventures. They came from the Creative Pals themes, but the end results are completely mine.
Having the marketplace at the end also gives me a reason to finish what I've started. I can have all the ideas in the world, but actually turning those ideas into finished products that I can put out there is a different thing entirely. Having a theme, a deadline and other people creating alongside me gives me that extra nudge.
The community is probably the biggest reason I stay
Laura recently did a survey of the Creative Pals members and shared the results with us, and the thing that stood out was how many of us mentioned the community. That would be my answer too.
We're all together inside Circle having a chat, sharing what we're working on and supporting each other. When the marketplace goes live, we're checking each other's links, sharing posts and spotting things that might not be working. We're generally mucking in so that Laura doesn't have to do absolutely everything herself, and I think that says a lot about the community she has created.
There are plenty of memberships where you can pay each month and get another pile of resources to download. I don't really need another pile of resources. What I value much more is having somewhere that encourages me to actually make things, while being surrounded by other creative people who are doing the same.
So, will I stay in Creative Pals?
Yes, I will.
I'm paying for Creative Pals every month, but I genuinely believe I'm getting something from it. I've created a complete pattern collection, I'm finishing my Far North Queensland calendar, I've taken part in two marketplaces, I've chatted with other creatives and I've had support from Laura while also being able to support other people in return.
Laura has publicly shared on her YouTube channel that her goal is to reach 200 paying Patreon members, and I'm all for seeing her get there. I love supporting other artists, other women in business and creative small business owners who are trying to run a business, be all the things, do all the things and muddle through while learning as they go along.
I think we're allowed to change the route while we're doing it too. Laura has done that with Creative Pals and I'm doing it with my own business. That's part of going The Pretty Way for me. You don't necessarily need to know exactly what the finished thing is going to look like when you start. You can make something, see what happens, listen to the people around you, change what isn't working and keep moving towards where you want to go.
Having some good creative pals alongside you while you do it definitely helps.
In May 2025 we travelled from Brisbane to Seattle, cruised through Alaska and finished our adventure in Las Vegas. Looking back, I remember the glaciers and mountains, but I also remember hot apple cider, an iceberg shaped like Nessie, a Reindeer Fart and some very good rosemary fries. Sometimes the smallest dots are the stories we keep.