Archive for What I Learned
Is Your First Draft Your Best Draft?
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Back when I was in high school I always did better on tests if I just went with the first answer that came to my head. If I over thought my answers, I would invariably screw something up.
I am in the process of working on a new client project and part of the requirement was that I produce three different mock ups (yes, I am being compensated for all three designs) from which the client could pick their favorite aspects.
I did a handful of pencil sketches (David Airey would be proud of me) and then set out to work. I had been given some general guidelines of what they were looking for, but nothing too concrete.
Needless to say, I loved the first concept. Coming up with two other design concepts became much more challenging. I did manage to come up with the other mock ups, but I just didn’t like either one nearly as much.
We had a meeting with the client today to review all the concepts. Guess which one they liked best? The first one I did – with a few minor tweaks.
I am still glad I did all three versions because it gave me an even better feel for what elements the client is very passionate about (positive or negative).
How about you? Are you like me – a go with your gut kind of gal? Or are you a big time brainstormer, edit, re-edit, review, re-edit kind of a person?
My Secret to Productivity is Not Really a Secret
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Ben Yoskovitz wants to know our secrets – our secrets to productivity. He is holding a group writing project called The Ultimate Guide to Productivity and Adam Kayce of Monk at Work invited me to join in.
My secret to productivity isn’t really a secret – you have to LOVE what you do.
That said, I am not always the most productive person. I frequently fall victim to my two arch enemies, procrastination and perfection. I have to really take great care in which projects I take on to avoid these two menaces. Over the years I have learned what types of projects get me fired up and which don’t. In the old days, I was not in a position to turn any work down and I often had to take on projects that I didn’t love. Try as I might, the results of those projects show my real feelings and over time I am learning the power of “no”.
As I get ready to face the next decade in my business, the power of “no” needs to get stronger so that the power of “love” can guide my business to more productive, successful, meaningful work. In the fall I will find myself with larger blocks of time that I will need to manage. Something tells me that if I don’t love my work, I will be wasting an awful lot of time.
Alister Cameron also participated in this project and his post goes even more into depth about the importance of loving your work – i.e. passion and purpose.
I found some of the other participant’s posts to be very timely, too, like Wendy at eMoms At Home’s need for leverage and ChrisG is right on the money when he describes getting into a flow state – I call that times when you just have to “run with it”.
Need the zen? Dawud is all about staying focused and Adam needs clarity. Gayla’s zen is in the spreadsheet, and then some days its all about the caffeine!
Everyone is welcome to take this to their blog and share with us! However, I play by the rules, so I am personally tagging:
- Randa Clay of Randa Clay Design
- Lisa Sabin-Wilson of Just a Girl in the World
- Tara of Graphic Design Blog
- Yvonne Russell of Grow Your Writing Business
- Daniel of the Wrong Advices
My Favorite Blogging Perk – Synergy
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Hindsight is 20-20 and if I even had an inkling of the power that blogging held for a work from home, freelance designer like myself, I would have jumped in much sooner! Since beginning my blogging journey almost one year ago, I have grown as a designer, a writer, a business woman and a person in ways I never could have imagined.
Apart from the daily professional development and being exposed to the trends in my field, blogging has given me the opportunity to synergize with super talented professionals that I would have never met otherwise!
Synergy or synergism (from the Greek synergos, meaning working together, circa 1660) refers to the phenomenon in which two or more discrete influences or agents acting together create an effect greater than that predicted by knowing only the separate effects of the individual agents. (wiki)
I have experienced the satisfaction of helping others and I have certainly been on the receiving end of a lot of great help!
In her guest post at Alister Cameron’s blog today, Randa Clay writes about The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers. All of her points are valid and certainly worth the read, but her item #5 – synergize – is the one thing that I think every blogger needs to do, as it delivers the most pay off. As an example, Randa talks about our niche blogs and how we have generously given each other insight, feedback, how to’s and support – to the benefit of both of us. The end result is something much greater than we could achieve on our own.
At the MomGadget forum, members regularly share their tips, ideas, and support for the benefit of all members. The community is thriving and as a result, we are all better for it – the synergy at play even sparked a new blogging network where bloggers bring their own blog. After all – what fun is success if you don’t have anyone to share it with. And those who have walked a similar path to yours understand the meaning of that success much more!
Most recently, I experienced blogging synergy first hand when I decided to make over this blog – right before your very eyes! Many designers would have considered it unprofessional – not me! I knew that some of my readers would love to see the transformation happen and could learn from it. Me, I got some genius ideas out of it – things I might have missed out on if I were designing in a vacuum. (Thanks Kevin and everyone else who gave me input – you rock!)
What is your favorite blogging perk? Join the conversation and we will all benefit!
Tags: blogging, synergy, alister cameron, randa clay, mom gadget, gack ink
