Ellen Stapleton is an Australian artist (also from Brisbane!) who creates colourful and elaborate artworks full of beauty, energy and positivity. After signing up to the course in September 2020, she is planning to launch her Mandala Affirmations Card Deck later this year. It’s been wonderful to see Ellen’s mandala illustrations coming together in this way, and you can already get a sense for the potent and joyous energy they create.
Can you share a little about the inspiration behind the deck and why you wanted to create it?
With all the challenges that 2020 threw at me, I found it extremely important to nurture and cultivate my own inner happiness. I started turning to affirmations to give me a daily boost of inspiration. Being an artist I am always looking for my next creative project to pour my passion into – hence my Mandala Affirmation Deck was born!
In what stage of the process were you before joining the course?
I am amazed at how Jo’s course has helped me skyrocket what were just ideas of creating an affirmation deck into actually having a sample deck in my hands and a solid launch plan all within just a few months!!
What decisions did the course help you with?
SO many things!! Any time I have felt lost or confused I have turned to the information in this course and every time have found the solution I was looking for.
The main decision this course helped me to make was if I wanted to print a small number of cards locally or get a bulk amount printed overseas. I have decided to get a bulk amount printed and to use the company that Jo recommends. They have been so great and easy to work with so far.
What was the most valuable takeaway for you?
From my experience creating other products, I know how overwhelming, frustrating, time-consuming (and even expensive) it can be to do it all on your own. Trying to reinvent the wheel at every step is exhausting.
The clear roadmap that Jo has provided in this course has helped to take the overwhelm and stress out of creating my deck. It has allowed me to take effective action steps while focusing on enjoying the creation process.
Is there anything that surprised you about the process so far?
I am blown away by the incredible amount of information that is provided in this course and appreciate how clearly and thoroughly Jo explains everything.
I have been surprised at how smoothly the whole process of creating my affirmation cards has been. It is a big project to create a deck of cards and I have been putting a lot of time and energy into this. In saying that having such a clear plan and access to the information in this course has helped to make the whole process evolve quite quickly which has been a very nice surprise!
Would you like to share any details about the upcoming launch of your deck?
I am excited to say that I plan to launch my deck with a Kickstarter campaign later this year. Updates will be shared on my mailing list and my Instagram.