Resolution Time Again

Every year we start with the renewed hope that we can better ourselves. Last year I made goals to exercise, take more photos, and take breaks. I did take my first vacation this year, but otherwise have failed miserably in my goals. What can you do expect take a step forward and try again. Trying is better than not taking action because you are afraid of failing.

EXERCISE: I make the same resolutions that millions of others are making at this time of year: to exercise, to live a healthier lifestyle, and to not live behind a computer screen. Spening a minimum of 9 hours a day behind a computer screen and never getting up creates bad habits to fall into.

ILLUSTRATIONS: last year I tried to focus on photography, and it didn't work out too well. I will try again to stir my creative juices with practing my illustration skills. I will try to post my activities on my dribble profile, so be sure to follow me.  As a sort of 2b option I will tack on that I should create one painting. I used to make lots of paintings but I did not create single new one last year. I would like to complete one painting this year.

DISCONNECTED: These days bewteen my new iPad, my smartphone, the mutple computers I have access to, I am overly connected. I would like to think that I can "disconnect" completely at least once a month, but I think it will be harder than that. Hopefully this will happen a few times during the year, and maybe I can get my husband to join in so that we can reconnect with the people in our lives and not the devices.

What Do You Do?

Maybe it the job "graphic designer" or maybe it is the creative field in general or maybe everyone has a difficult time describing what they do for a living. I have talked with some of my fellow graduates and we discussed what is the best way to describe to our grandparents what we do.

"I make art on the computer"

It's not quite accurate, but they art and computer are easy enough concepts to understand. Graphic Design can be so inter-disciplinary that it is difficult to describe with the field that it is no wonder "outsiders" struggle to grasp the concept. (My grandparents probably think I play in Microsoft Paint all day).

What I do on a day-to-day basis:

• Receptionist: Answer and Direct calls
• Media Buyer: Monitor and Purchase Facebook Ads
• Graphic Designer: From sketch book to digital files to final prints
• Direct Mail—yep, someone has to make that junk mail and keep the USPS in business
• Newspaper and Magazine ads 
• Email Designs 
• Business Collateral: business cards, brochures, posters, and ect...
• Magazine Layouts: Small publications for local non-profits
• T-shirts
• ...and the occasional logo
• Web Designer:
• Flash Ads
• Website Development
• Website Coding
• Email Coding and Sending
• Facebook Page Management
• Website and Email hosting

My job has really shifted over the last six months and I have become more responsible for the web development and facebook management. I have had to work faster, and expand my skill-set. New projects and opportunities are definitely a blessing, but they have left me worn out and burnt out (which is why I have a vacation soon—I am counting the days). There are skills that are sitting on the back burner but would love to get out again: branding, photography, illustration, aftereffects, and drawing. (and work with more open-minded clients)

So what do you do for a living and what would you LIKE to do?

Not Where You Want to Be?

One thing I have very little of? Patience. My husband teases me all the time for my lack of patience. When you get out of school most of us have this big shiny dreams of doing something fantastic with our lives and careers, but many of us (especially with the recession) fell on our faces. Many college students are moving back home with mom and dad, and taking jobs that they are over qualified for. It can be a difficult pill to swallow each day when you are not where you thought you would be on your career path.

I too have felt the familiar sting of looking at my path, and I haven't felt like I have lived up to my potential. It can be hard to take when I see my fellow graduates who have moved onto careers at top agencies, design firms, and some have been brave enough to make the leap to freelance. What I have to swallow when I feel like a failure is that everything I do is leading me to some place new, not physically, but my capabilities. I want to rush through the small steps that lead to art direction at a big agency or bold enough to be your own boss. Those small steps are what enable us to be able to handle the big stuff when we get there.

So today I am taking it one thing at a time:

"View from my Desk"

Jacked In or Not?

Recently I took a vacation from work, and there is was the concern of what would happen if an emergency occurred while I was away. My boss calmed herself when she realized that I had a smart phone and could check emails on my phone, but I revved up the anxiety when I explain I do not stay linked in away from the office. Yes, technology has made my life incredibly easy to stay connected, but I know that I don't want it to rule my life. I have never added my work email to my phone. I do not want to hear alerts or deal with the stress of taking work home with me. I already work 8 to 5; I don't need to tack on 5 more hours (that's my time).

Everyone was easily shocked by relaxed notion of being connected 24/7. I pretty much ignore my phone at night unless I am expecting a call. that is the best part of technology I can use it when it is convenient to me, and put it away when I would rather focus on the life going on around me.

Weekend Redo

This weekend I finally accomplished something I have had on my to-do list for awhile. This was my great grandmother's bed-set that she had given to me when she had given to me after she passed away. It was with me most of my childhood, and it has seen better days. (If you look closely you can see all the sticker residue.) My grandmothers was one of those who would one an item re-purposed than traded or hidden away. If it functions for you and makes you happy, that is all that she would want.

Total Make-over: $33
Spray Paint (2-cans): $6
Lace (1.5 ft): $5
Contact Paper: $4
Glass Knobs (6 knobs): $18

 

Steps to a great new look for your dress: 

1. Clean Dresser (Alcohol works best)
2. Fill in any holes with wood filler
3. Sand (Start with 120 grit and work your way up to 220 // If this is a Formica dresser make sure surface is dull looking after you sand so that paint with adhere to the surface)
4. Wipe down the dust
5. Cut and adhere the lace (Use book paste or spray adhesive)
6. Then spray paint in a clean well-ventilated area. 
7. Let it dry over night. 
8. Add knobs. (These are hand cut glass, so you can save money by using knobs that aren't as pricey)

Done!

Time for Peace & Quiet

We recently "completed" our current house project. (It is almost done.) We had an open house this past weekend. Enjoyed friends and family with Sangria, and apple crostini. The dogs and I were so tired afterward that we had to take a nap. Hopefully with a break from my house I will be able to devote more time to my blog and personal projects.

Apple Crostini

1/4 cup whipped Butter
1/3 cup Cream Cheese
1 package of Gorgonzola
1 Baguette
Honey

Mix this ingredients together until well combined. Cut baguette diagonally to slice 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Toast bread. Spread cheese mixture onto toast. Top with a thin slice of apple. Drizzle Honey on top. Serve immediately and enjoy

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Sangria

One bottle white wine
One cup orange curraco or triple sec
Two cups sliced strawberries
One lime sliced
One orange sliced
Two lemons sliced
One cup of sugar
12 oz lemon lime soda

Add fruit and liquor  8 to 24 hours before serving. Just before serving add soda. Stir and serve.

Double Trouble

The last couple days I have been dealing with some double trouble, that has me completely distracted. Sometimes some unexpected arrivals leave piles of dishes and other chores undone. And today, that is okay.

Currently: Home Icons

Icon preview

I am busy working on a personal project that is making me improve my illustration skills. I am looking forward to the finished project (which will be more colorful.)

The Best Days are Ahead of Me

It is easy for me to look at past projects, and sometimes current projects and wish I had done better and known more. Overcoming this negative attitude takes effort, but I find that knowing that I recognize this failure and need for improvement enables me to know that my best days in work and personal life are ahead of me. And that is encouraging.

So those school projects that I look back and cringe, let me know how far I have come and where I can go is really up to me.

More Than a Pixel Pusher

Some days I feel like all I do is move pixels around the screen until someone says okay that's what I want. Going back to my roots in design studies I need to remember that graphic design is much more than pushing pixels for ideas that other people have already made up. My job is to help the client serve their customers or audience. I believe that my clients can contribute to society, and it is my job to facilitate them.

It was just a couple of weeks ago that my husband and I were discussing the importance or lack-of-importance of the university school system. My fundamentals in design, that my work is more than making things look pretty: each part of a design should serve PURPOSE. This is something I never would have learned through "on the job skills training". Sure there are a lot of things left to be desired about the university system (like the lack of recourse students have when advisors and instructors fail to be available and delay your graduation due to their mistakes and not the students, but this is another rant for another day.)

The functionality of design is what separates design from art (although that line is very blurry). Type and image do not function in the same way that a chair functions, but it is essential all the same. Visual Communication can provide valuable information about services, products, or ask us to take action for a cause. 

" Design is not so shallow, but damn does it look good."

2012 Resolutions

I know that creating a New Year's resolution is cliché, but if it makes me a slightly better person I am all for it! Making a list allows us to strip away our bad habits and develop new good ones. 

1. One Photo A Day: I want to make photography my priority this year, because without practice I cannot improve myself. By forcing myself to take photos everyday I can develop habits that encourage the ability to be observant and use photo-editing tools.


2. Exercise: the most cliché resolution of all, but it is a good one. Like many Americans I have a very sedentary lifestyle. I drive 30 minutes to work, sit for 9 hours straight, drive 30 minutes back home, and then sit for the rest of the night in front of my computer. I need to take some time out and be more ACTIVE for my health and well-being.  My goal? Exercise more. I am hoping an easy goal like this will make it easier for me to keep up with it, instead of dropping it a couple weeks later.


3. Take a Break: I am naturally a hard working and overly stressed person, who finds it difficult to take breaks or slow down. Often times, I find that since my "to do list" isn't complete that I don't have the time or don't deserve giving myself a break. With more research I have read that taking breaks is essential to being a more productive being and happier as well. 

 
 

Happy Holidays

I hope everyone enjoys this holiday time and the end of the year, and can look back at what this year has been and can say it was awesome! I have had a lot of up and downs, but I am happy that I am where I am. I know that I will end up where I need to be...time to get started thinking about those shiny new resolutions.

Puppy Love

My last dog died in 2008, and it did take time for me to be ready for a new pet. But it as been two years since I have felt the itch for a new dog. The desperation has only grown now that I have a house with yard. Dogs are what I think about most days, even though I know that currently my house is not ready to add this furry friend. Tools everywhere and the fence will bow down in a single Kansas wind. We often find neighborhood pets in our yard from the weak fence.

Waiting is truly the hardest part, but I am hoping that by the time my birthday rolls around we might get the funds to build a fence and get a puppy. What breed should I get?

Purging

It's cool and kind of fun! Not in the eating disorder kind of way, but in the event of when you are moving and deciding what stays and what goes. I always feel really good after I let something go that has been burdening me for a long time. When the stuff begins to relieve the clutter in my home there is more space and room to breathe. Purging is great with junk food and carb filled cabinets, overfilled "storage" spaces, "friends" lists, hard drives, and you guess it design!

Sometimes due to our clients' demands or our own faults, design and layouts become cluttered and overworked. Once you start removing the extraneous "fluff", designers have more space to stand out and become more modern and sophisticated. Helping clients and ourselves see that will a little room that their/our message can really stand apart (loud and clear!)

Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday  is coming up with weekend. In a effort to boost local business American Express is helping small businesses get its own day between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Small businesses provide the most jobs in the United States, so do some good business and support your favorite local shop. Wichita has a lot of great shops to support this weekend:

• Bluebird Arthouse: a LARGE selection of artist supplies that you can't get anywhere else in Wichita. 

• Avivo: delicious brick oven pizzas.

• Kanai: my favorite sushi place in Wichita.

• Coca Dolce: delicious chocolates as well as gelato.

• Wichita Art Museum gift shop: they sell art from local artists at a variety of prices  It is free to visit the museum on Saturdays, so why not look around, get inspired, and buy a gift.

•  Sedgwick County Zoo: It may be a little cool, but I love to walk through the zoo and see all the animals.

Shopping season has begun, so why not spend your dollars in the community. What are your favorite local spots?

Goal Check-In

• I thought I would let you all know how I am doing on my goals. I did get out of Wichita; I went to Cheney Lake. That counts right? 

• My second goal, because of some personal and financial matters my website is down at the moment. I hope in a couple months I can have it back up and running. 

• I have been have at least 1 cooking adventure in the kitchen every month. In October I made eyeball cake pops. It was pretty exciting. 

• Some days I struggle but I have been able to post often. 

• Doing something engaging everyday? EPIC FAIL! I also have not been doing as well as I would like to actively observing everything around me.

Recent Happenings

My time away from work is more exhausting than my 8 to 5 job. I have not been able to spend the time that I would like on my blog lately, so i wanted to share with you what was stealing all my time form you. I have done things I never thought I would be able to do. (like using a table saw).

Taking more time and more money than is we planned of course, but slowly but surely our house is coming together.

Happy Halloween!

Today is my favorite holiday. Even thought it's a Monday I hope everyone gets out and has a very festive Halloween. I am dressing up at work and bring sweeties. What are you doing today?

Making Budgets Go Farther

Yes, typically I am a design blog. Recently I have had a greater needs to make my funds stretch father. My husband is still and school, and I have to provide for all the bills. WE do not have room for splurging on fun. But on occasion I can get a little fun or save a little more by:

• Plan your Meals around what is on sale at the grocery store.

•  Save money, energy, and water by taking "Navy Showers". Basically you shut the water off when you are not using the water in the shower.

• Make a budget when shopping, and then keep a running total while you shop. It will help you track spending and stay on budget.

• Inbox Dollars: I earn money at the slowest rate on this site. Mostly money is earned through surverys, emails, and watch ads. The great part of this site is that it gives actual money, not gift cards.

• MyPoints: This site has you earn money through web searches, surveys, emails, and online shopping. You can do the shopping that you were going to do already, but just get points back on it. You redeem points for gift cards, and you have to wait for them to be mailed to you.

• Swagbucks: I earn money through surveys, polls, watching ads, and web searches. The points rack up most quickly on this site. I use those points to buy Amazon gift cards (which can buy almost anything.)

• Coupons: Inbox Dollars, MyPoints, and Swagbucks all let you print coupons and let you earn money/points. Coupons work best when you can stack them with other in-store sales. Sites such as stockpiling moms and totally target can help you snag the best deal.

Do you have any secrets you use to save/provide more money for yourself? 

Writer's Block

This blog writer's blog has come at inopportune time, since I am very busy in my personal life. I know I have talked a lot about inspiration, perhaps because continually being inspired seems to be an issue for me. I have also have a problem with my ability to celebrate Halloween this year, because I made a disicion to move at the end of this month, I had to pack up all my Halloween decor. This year I won't have the ability to have party or create festive foods. My big life decision always seem to put a damper on my favorite celebration. I always have next year to look forward to: (these images can be found on my pinterest)

I miss Halloween greatly this year, but if everything works out I should get my very own batch of trick-or-treaters at my door. Now what candy to buy to fill the wallets of dentists everywhere?