Category: inspirational

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.

I love my work. I hate my work.

 

This has to be one of the most interesting topics on how we love and hate designing at the same time. There are aspects of any profession that one will not like. Because you to really have to embrace all aspects. If you are in a profession and you think it will always be fun then you might as well just stop working altogether.

When you learn to love all the parts it will be much easier to move through the day to day. If you hate certain parts more then others the day would be completely draining and boring. So learn to love what you do in all aspects. I’ll end it with this just think of a boxer they have to train,eat healthy and do many other things just to get to a fight and be prepared. Think of the small things as you working up to something greater.

 

The effects of mismanaging time

Whenever we wake up sometimes we do whatever. Or we do the normal schedule wake up, eat breakfast,shower, drive to work, work our hours and then come home. Then we eat dinner, watch a little TV and then go to bed. In those hours that we are awake how many of them are we actually using productively.

When I say productively how are they being used to help us to do more then exist. Because I personally am not going to let time go to waste. When I am watching a documentary or movie or taking a break from the computer I am always doing something. Whether its liking photos on instagram and seeking inspiration from whatever its for a reason.

The reason makes everything fall into place. This may sound like over working well to some it may and to some it may not. You have to get a handle on your time. Because there is not an unlimited amount of time you will get in your life. It may seem as if that is true currently in your life. But in all reality we are not put here to stay whether you want to believe it or not.

When you just waste a day you are setting yourself back. By setting yourself back you are letting the necessary take a back seat. Because you and me both know that there are things that you need to be doing or that you want to do. As a result of you wasting time you have no idea when you will start or even finish them.

Once you get a system going this can even be writing down your daily schedule or writing a to do list for the day. When you write off or delete the things you do its a great feeling and you will feel a sense of accomplishment for the day. So I will leave you with this

Defer no time, delays have dangerous ends.” – William Shakespeare

Getting better with continued practice

When I first started doing calligraphy I had no idea what I was doing. But I knew that after learning more about it I wanted to continue pursuing it. Because I felt why not. My first couple pieces were lackluster. Which is going to be the case for starting anything.

But you know what I did? I kept practicing each day. Some days I would need to recharge and take a day off which I don’t really know if I did or not. But anyhow let me stay on topic. Above is the first calligraphy piece I posted to my instagram.

Below is my most recent calligraphy work that I posted to my instagram.

If you can notice how much cleaner and thought out this piece is compared to my very first one in which I used a dip pen. Because I and you know that the only way to get better is to do the work. Being disciplined is only a small portion of the journey. My words I said to myself in regards to improving my calligraphy was “why not keep going with it and use it as another skill with my other ones in regards to design and it seems more people are doing hand lettering compared to calligraphy”.

If you are not willing to sacrifice to be successful in whatever field you are currently working in or striving to work in remember you will end up getting ran over by someone who will make the sacrifice.

Never Fall in love with an Idea

When you have an idea that you feel is amazing and going to change the world we fall in love with the idea. Then we tend to think that maybe that we will not have another one like that. But feeling as if we will run out of ideas is absurd. Everyday we are using ideas that we have thought of. Also we are using creative ways to solve problems that we have whether its the way we walk up the stairs or the way that we avoid straining our muscles lifting weights.

Coming up with ideas for creative projects can be exhausting and make you feel as if you will not be able to find one as good as before. You first have to learn to trust yourself. But before trusting yourself you have to believe in yourself. I feel personally that is one thing that creative people struggle with. Because we are putting ourselves out there whether its through music, art and etc.

When you learn to stop holding onto ideas you will become free from the limitation you’ve set. Then after you’ve decided to free yourself from limiting beliefs enjoy the process. You can even start writing down your ideas when they come to you. I personally carry a pocket sized notebook. Also a pen to go with it, so whenever I have a chance I would be able to write down ideas and etc. There is ton’s of apps for taking notes but there is nothing like pen to paper.

Remember you only run out of ideas when you believe that you will.