In this week's #CreateWithCatCoq challenge, we're going to focus on one of the key things you need to know in order to be successful in licensing your artwork - Trend Forecasting.

Keying into motifs, colors, and patterns that are rising in popularity has been vital to my success as a surface designer. By creating artwork that is on-trend you're able to tap into a larger audience than if you weren't staying up to date with what's popular. More people loving your products or artwork means more sales, more customers, and more audience members.

The key is to predict upcoming trends before they become popular so you're able to be one of the first people to capitalize on the mass appeal of that trend.

But how do you predict trends before they become popular? I wrote a whole blog post about how to forecast upcoming trends and incorporate them into your work! No matter what industry or niche you're in, tracking trends is a vital skill to have for success. You can check out the blog post here.

#CreateWithCatCoq - Create an on-trend piece of artwork

Your challenge this week is to create artwork with on-trend motifs, patterns, or colors. If you want more details about how to uncover those trends, check out my Trend Forecasting blog post! I can't wait to see what you come up with! Don't forget to share your work using the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq on Instagram.

Want a peek into what's trendy these days?

Here are just a few of the on-trend motifs that I've been incorporating into my artwork recently. If you're wondering where to start with this week's challenge, try out one of these trends!

Retro-Inspired Art

Tropical Motifs

Announcing my new collaboration with Mixtiles

I am thrilled to announce that my artwork is now available with Mixtiles Art! I absolutely love Mixtiles because the artwork comes framed, and is super easy to hang on your walls. No nails required!

And it's incredibly simple to remove the artwork if you want to move it around in the future. This is also a great feature if you're renting your home (or living out of Airbnbs like me 😉).

Fun fact - the retro and tropical pieces I just showed you are from Mixtiles! So whether you're looking for trend inspiration for this week's challenge or framed wall art for your home, Mixtiles is a great place to start.

I can't wait to see what trendy pieces you create this week!