Happy Holidays!

The Holiday Penguin says “Happy Holidays!” Everyone have a safe and happy holiday. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. ;)

New Year, New Opportunites

I’ve been working a 3-6 month on-site contract position since May. It’s been a great learning experience but as with most great things, they must come to an end. As of January, my contract will be up and I’ll be available for more freelance work and full-time graphic design opportunities (plug, plug).

I’m excited for the future! During this transition I’m updating my marketing materials including my resume, portfolio and business cards. It’s important to maintain your marketing materials even if you’re working full-time and it’s vital if your freelancing. In addition to marketing, maintain your networking chops. Meet new people, join creative organizations and use your resources. Social media is a powerful tool when looking for work, but also utilize your friends and family. Let everyone you know what kind of work your in the market for, and it never hurts to ask your creative friends for a referral!

Luckily I’ve made some great contacts at this contract job and I’m optimistic that I’ll only grow and build on my career from here. When things like this happen it’s easy to get discouraged, but look on the bright side. There’s always more work out there, be creative!

I’m Still Here!

Life has been crazy this spring/summer and I just wanted to check in and say that this blog is still alive and ready for more of my ramblings…I just haven’t had a lot of time to ramble lately.  Sunshine and grilling on my patio is, at this point in time, more appealing than sitting at my Mac and blogging about the random graphic design ideas the pop into my head. However, with the start of a new personal project, I’m sure I’ll be more inclined to write about that process and what I learn from it. What’s this mysterious project? It’s too soon to tell where it will lead me but I’m excited.

I encourage you to get outside in the sun. It’s beautiful here in the midwest and I plan to soak it up while I can. If it’s warm where you are take advantage of this summer weather and make use of that sketchbook (nature is a great source of inspiration).

More to come!

Music that Fuels Your Creativity

We have all of our favorite bands and music genres, especially we creative types. Most of us listen to music while we ‘re working on client work, personal projects and in an effort to ignite our creative inspiration. Is there a certain type of music you listen to that lulls your brain into the work day, entrancing and bending your productivity and creativity to its every crescendo and refrain (I was a band nerd)? Certain types of music really do it for me, but it depends on my mood. If I have an intense project I’m working on that involves a lot of problem solving, I’ll reach for a movie soundtrack or something my brain can ignore when it needs to focus solely on the task at hand. Recently, my soundtrack of choice has been The Social Network. It’s just the right mix of wordless grit and melody to keep me interested in the music while working, but also allows me to zone out of the music and immerse myself into the task at hand.

If I’m working on something relatively easy or fun, I tune into one of my favorite bands. Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of Adele and Florence and The Machine (do yourself a favor and buy their albums). If you know me at all, you know my favorite band of all time is the Dave Matthews Band (haters, zip it) but I can’t get a thing done while it’s coursing through my ear buds because I’ve been a fan since high school, have seen them a dozen times and I know all of the words to every song and I can’t focus on my work at all. I’ll start singing along to So Much To Say, despite my work and coworkers ears, and it’s all over. It’s a fact of my life.

No matter your motivations, music probably encompasses your day to day activities like it does mine. So, what do you like to listen to while you work? Techno? Classical? Radio Disney? I have my share of guilty pleasures, but I draw the line at Radio Disney, but whatever floats your boat.

The Hobbies of Creatives

We graphic designers, web developers, writers and other creatives can’t work all the time (contrary to popular belief). Whether we work in a cubicle of in our home office, sometimes we need a break. Hobbies create an escape from our day to day work activities and allow us to recharge our creative minds. I recently asked what hobbies creatives enjoy, and I received a few interesting answers!

PixieGirl Designs enjoys yoga and says, “I recently started doing yoga to bring a little balance to my life. I love reading and watching movies! Also love to cook!” I agree with PixieGirl that yoga is a great way to bring balance back into our lives. Graphic designers (and other creatives) are often immersed in their careers 24/7, especially if they freelance on the side or full-time. I love my work and talking shop but doing an activity not design related, like yoga or cooking is a perfect way to center yourself and create a healthy work-life balance.

Michelle Kunk (@jetetaquine) likes to craft in her spare time and says half jokingly, “I hot glue fridge magnets to beer caps!” While Michelle is not a creative professional, she has always enjoyed being creative in her spare time and her unique crafting hobby show this. I know Michelle personally, and I have seen the fruits of her beer caps crafting labor. I’ve often helped her collect the materials for this project.

Personally, I love to play guitar in my free time. This activity gets me away from my computer and helps to clear my mind when it is cluttered with my to-do list and work related activities for the day. It also helps me to stay creative. When I take a break from working to noodle on my guitar, I find that I’m 10 times more productive when I begin working again or revisit a project I may had been struggling with before I took a guitar break.

Conclusion

I find it interesting that PixieGirl Design and I enjoy hobbies that take us away from out creative careers and elements, and Michelle, who is not a creative professional, loves to immerse herself into a creative activity by crafting. No matter what hobby you enjoy, it is important to make time for yourself away from your work. This will help your creative mind stay fresh and will help keep you sane.

My Workspace

Inspired by sites such as WorkstationSetups and posts like this one on WebDesignDev I’d like to share my humble workspace where I spend a majority of my waking hours.

The Specs (from left):

• Alvarez acoustic guitar (sometimes when I’m stuck on something, I’ll noodle on the guitar, it helps!)
• 15.4′ Apple MacBook Pro
• Apple iPhone 3G (sitting on a GoGoStand)
• Photo of my special someone
• White JBL Creature Speakers
• 360 GB External Hard Drive (A must for those Time Machine backups…I know it’s kind of ancient)
• 24′ Apple iMac
• Keyboard and Mighty Mouse
• Coffee (a necessity!)
• Tiki cup of pens and pencils
• My trusty lamp
• Space heater (under the desk, it’s freezing here)

I love my workspace, it’s not an office, just an area of my living room but it works for me. Want to share your workspace? I’d love to see it! Comment with a link or a photo of where you work.