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Hard work and Patience

Hard work and patience is one thing that is needed to get ahead in life. Because you cannot have one without the other. There are many people that want to take the shortcut or find a platform that has different company ownership or whatever. Well I feel they are not doing it for the long term or in other words putting in the work where they started.

Because putting in work for the long term is more valuable than a person who just shoots in the dark or go where the crowd goes. If you are following the crowd you should rethink your current mindset. You should not follow the crowd you have to realize that there is hope.

The reason why there is hope because you have it deep within you to achieve what it is you want to do. If you are not executing backing up your words you are not being honest with yourself. Another thing is if you are pretending to be popular when you know your followers are fake there are no shortcuts. 

Because those who are focused on the numbers will lose in the long run. The reason why is because they have not planned for the long term. One is better than zero. People talk about starting from the bottom when they have not wrapped their head around that saying.

Starting from the bottom and embracing the climb. The climb to go from something to nothing. Whether its getting the Graphic design job that you wanted or whatever. You have to be willing to put in the work. Graphic design projects everyday in whatever way possible. You can do it if you believe.

Also remember that there is hope for you. Hope is what will allow you to continue to move forward. Start executing and get your ass to work.

Do this logo design for me and I’ll promote you and recommend you

If you are a graphic designer do not fall for this trick. Because you want to know something this is a very old trick. The trick is that the person who told you this they are wanting something done for nothing. Them promoting you is just a way to tell you want you want to hear.

The best thing that I would do is to tell the person no. If you are doing work for them and you know your work is valuable then you should be getting paid. But you have to have the work to show. By that I mean you should have a collection of your work “a portfolio” that showcases your skill.

But if you do happen to fall into one of these situations and the client does not agree to your quote you can do one or two things. You do not want to discount your work. Just think about it for a second. How valuable would you find a graphic designer who always gives people discounts? Not very valuable.

Now how to do with the situation of clients who do not agree to your quote. The mentality of full price or free is a good one. Taking this approach can be very defeating. By defeating you can feel as if you are being taken advantage of with the project. If that does happen with the client you should just go ahead and fire them.

Another thing you can do is just say may be later on we could have the opportunity to work together. The situation is very simple, plain and straight to the point. But if the make the conversation about some cheap design service then they are not serious about their business or project.

So learn how to deal with the people who will promise a lot but do not deliver. There is a lot of those people out there. They will say they are going to do something but then they never will do it. I tend to just search if people are actually following through with what they say. I rarely see that being the case.

10 tips to avoid being depressed as a Graphic Designer

As a creative person depression can set in quickly. Being a designer at times it can feel as if we are not good enough. Because everyone now thinks that they can be a designer.Or why should they pay a designer when they can download the programs and watch a youtube video on design.

When things like that come up it can make you want to quit all together and find a regular job. The other thing is when the clients are not coming in. Then you’ll start questioning yourself in every aspect. Questioning your ability and many other things about yourself as a designer.

Well when you start questioning yourself all you are doing is just making things hard on yourself. Which doing that will help speed up the process of depression. Do not let yourself make yourself depressed.

Here are 10 tips that I use to avoid being depressed as a Graphic Designer.

  1.  I focus on the process. When you take time to focus on the process it will make more sense and you will have a clearer sense of direction.
  2. I trust my judgement. Learning to trust yourself as a designer will be very valuable in your career.
  3. Never settle for the first idea. When you settle for the first idea you’ve already lost. The reason I say that is because the first idea is rarely ever the best idea.
  4. Work hard to get great results. Working hard can be very rewarding. When you know that you have worked hard to get the results you’ve wanted its an amazing feeling.
  5. Take time to relax and or go for a walk. As a designer/creative person we can have our minds cluttered with so many things. So taking time to relax and have a break makes a great difference.
  6. Graphic designers provide value. If you do not already realize this you as a graphic designer or any kind of designer you do provide value.
  7. Your work matters. If you are doing work that you are not passionate about or care much about its only your fault.
  8.  Be honest with yourself. If you know that you lack the skills in one area or program then you need to be working on improving that area. The information is very valuable that is available for free.
  9. Stop being a copycat. By being a copycat I mean looking at design work for days. I mean it is ok to look at design work but there becomes a point where you have to stop.
  10. Be you 100%. Whether you are a graphic designer, web designer make sure you are being yourself. No need to pretend to be something you are not.

well these are 10 tips you can use to avoid being depressed as a graphic designer. If you are experiencing depression do not be ashamed. The reason I say that is because there is someone else out there who is experiencing or has experienced what you are going through. The thing that this is called is self awareness.

If you ever need to talk about anything you can contact me and we can chat if you want.

 

DIY Calligraphy Pen

 

The type of pen that they made is called a cola pen. The way that they made theirs is a bit different from how I did mine. But anyhow cola pens are great for expressive calligraphy.

 

Have a great weekend everyone

Learning Calligraphy takes a lot of work

The art of learning how to do calligraphy is something that takes time. You have to be wiling to put the work in. Also you have to deal with the fact that you are going to fail over and over again. Then there are times when you will have to start over completely.

But you know what with this process you develop confidence in yourself and your work. The process of finding a hand (font) to learn and then get comfortable with you can then do it from memory. When that happens you can develop your own style of it. But style is something that will come the more you are doing calligraphy.

There are times when I think of how much calligraphy and brush lettering work I have done and it amazes me. The reason is before I was just playing around with calligraphy. In that sense I did not take it seriously. Also I did not think I would’ve gotten to where I am today. But I always know there is so far for me to go.

Whenever I pick up my pens I know its time to put in work. By that I mean its time to get to work and continue pushing myself. This is something you can apply to whatever your main focus is whether its business, building homes and etc.

And one major thing that got me interested in calligraphy was the history. The history of it is what inspired me. The beautifully written manuscripts and etc still gets me excited. Also how when I was in school we had homework for writing cursive. I’ve always been more of a person who has written in cursive compared to print.

Master the Moment

This is what many of us should focus on doing. Because the moment in what we are living is what will prepare us for what will come later. The need to focus on the moment is what will allow us to get closer to where we want to be.

I am guilty of focus on the future more than the present. Then that had an effect on my present being. But you know what this is a societal trait that was picked up many years ago. Also I believe you possibly suffer from this as well.

So from now on focus on the present and what it is that you are doing. If you know that what you are doing is not beneficial to helping you get to where you want to be stop doing it. Stop wasting the valuable time that you have.

Listen to your heart and do what feels right to you. Many people can give you advice on various topics but you know what is right for you. The people may get upset with you about not doing what they recommended but thats ok. Remember you are living your life for you not someone else.