Author: Josten Dooley

Believe that you can do it

 

As humans no matter what profession we tend to lack belief and many other things. When I first had the idea of launching an Etsy store I got scared. By me having the feelings of oh my goodness what if I do not sell anything. Then I said to myself at least I tried. Because I would rather try then just sit and wonder. In other words saying what if I tried?

This should be the mentality that you have in life. Not just going to work and doing the best job you can to maintain your position. When your on break thinking about what you could be doing or what you really want to be doing instead of this job that just pays the bills make a plan.

But before even thinking of making a plan you have to believe. Because at times you’ll feel like giving up and when you feel pain you have to embrace it. The reason is that pain does not last forever. Pain is just a part of the process. Also you cannot be ignorant and not educate yourself. If you are not reading and learning daily this is the time to start. You may be reading this on your phone, email account or wherever you may be you start today.

Start learning today about the profession you want to go into. Then after you start learning remember the harder you work the luckier you will get. A very simple way to put it is you get out of it what you put in it. If you are working hard then you will get results that you could only dream of before.

The official launch date for my Etsy store is March 25th so make sure to stay tuned for that.

How to get started Learning calligraphy Pt 2

So you’ve determined what type of calligraphy you want to do and how much you want to spend. Also you’ve done the research that is required for learning calligraphy.

The materials that I started learning calligraphy with was a calligraphy kit. At first I was a little distraught as in this is it. Well I will admit after I realized this kit gives you the basics. Inside you have gouache, 3 fountain pen inks, fountain pen, and a brush and a practice pad and heavy duty paper for drawing calligraphy on. For example there’s cards,wine bottle tags and etc.

Then after I finished the first calligraphy set I then ventured to a higher quality fountain pen. The pen that I bought was the pilot 78g. The nib is a bit sharp and not as wide as others.  Which means you can use it for regular writing as well. I continued to practice and learn with this pen.

Then my next purchase was a cheap calligraphy marker made by a Speedball. The thing about calligraphy markers is that the crispness of the nib wears down afterwhile. I had also purchased another calligraphy kit for very cheap. The real reason I purchased it was because of the book with different fonts. One font that I really wanted to learn was Gothic.

Do not be discouraged by want to be a great calligrapher starting out. The reason is because you will not be. Remember it takes time.

How to get started Learning Calligraphy part 1

 

When I first learned about calligraphy I had no idea how to get started. The same thing can be said for many other hobbies/professions. Because we see the work of others and have no idea where to start. Well I’m going to tell you how in a series of posts.

First you want to determine what type of calligraphy you want to do. Meaning did you want to do. Meaning did you want to just learn calligraphy for the heck of it. You may be how I was at first I was amazed at flourishes. But lets stay on topic here.

Of course gathering materials is key with this. Because when you first start out you may want to go and buy the most expensive calligraphy set you can and by the best paper and pens you can afford. Well that’s not what you want to do. You may ask why not? I want to use the best material possible.

The reason I say not to is because for one you don’t have a lot of experience. Then second you may say screw this I don’t want to keep practicing calligraphy. Third you may end up quitting all together.

A recap of getting started with calligraphy

  1. Determine why you want to do calligraphy.
  2. Do your research about the history (watch a few documentaries and read articles)
  3. Do not spend a lot of money starting out

 

Stay tuned for part 2 of getting started with calligraphy tomorrow.

Take Care of your body

Taking care of yourself as a designer or just in general is important. For one as designers we sit down all day staring at a computer screen. Well that may be different for some more then others. I started doing insanity a couple months ago and I am glad I did.

Because realizing that the more you sit down, the worse you end up feeling. That may not be the case for you. Another thing was wanting to feel better. By feeling better I would work better and therefore produce better work. When you first start taking better care of yourself then you want to do the same thing in other aspects of your life.

To keep this short start doing whether its yoga,taking a walk around the walk or even going for a bike ride. Getting outside will do nothing but have a positive effect on you. Remember how you were as a child when you loved going outside to play? well its time to bring that back again and enjoy nature instead of being inside all day. Remember that healthy body and mind leads to a healthy life.

Give it away

At first I did not understand this concept. Because I had the mindset that whatever I put out I need to be paid for it. When I put the wallpapers up for free I was nervous. More so because I thought nobody will download them.

Then another mind-frame was feeling as if I would not get anything back from it. The same thing for writing blog posts can be a similar comparison. If you are always worried about getting something back then you will be limiting yourself. Because sooner or later you will be paid back for your contribution.

A great example for receiving something back from giving something away for free is when you do pro-bono work. Many people are against it. Well for me it depends upon the circumstances in regards to pro-bono work. Because there are a lot of organizations that will take advantage of designers.

But you have to remember that you have to be willing to work from the bottom up. There are countless amounts of stories of people whom gave their time and dedication away for free and they are people whom you admire nowadays.

Fix your thinking

Fix my thinking you may be saying  what does that have to do with anything. Well for example if you are working on a project and you feel not capable of doing it, it will most likely turn out bad. The reverse is the same. If you are confident and believe you can do it then you can.

But with this type of thinking you do not want to fake yourself out. For example you don’t want to pretend like you know how to program ruby on rails and or python script. Because therefore that is what will result in a bad combination of you just taking on a project for money.

The problems that you have don’t matter. The way to fix the problem is to fix your thinking about the problem. If you are wanting to improve from your current situation fix your thinking. The same thing is for if you are designer wanting to improve your skill. Taking action and believing that you are going to improve will do wonders for you. Belief may sound cliche but it works whether you believe it or not.

So remember this that the way you think about a situation determines how the situation will turn out.

Reality is my Drug

Being a designer and not dealing with reality is a tough thing to swallow at times. Because we can get so consumed with thinking we are making progress when really we are not. By progress I mean improving and doing what we need to be doing. Such as promoting your work, learning a new skill and etc.

Whenever you try and deny the truth(reality) things can get interesting for you. I learned to embrace the harsh truth of reality. Doing so has taught me to be more honest with myself and to stop kidding myself. Looking into a mirror you are seeing yourself. Take some time to ask yourself what is something/s that I have been putting off for so long? and what are somethings that I know I should be doing but not doing.

The simple things can range from ordering new supplies to reading a book based on your profession and or learning a new skill. Because those who progress are continually experimenting with different things until they get it right.

So remember there is nothing greater than the truth and being honest with yourself.