Hey, guys!
As this blog is a "learn-as-you-go" project for me, I've decided last night that I'll be introducing a new section here. The Tip Factory will be comprised of posts, each with two parts:
- 5 lessons I've learned this week.
- 1 useful place to visit.
Don't worry, the Finding section will be continued but on an "an-artist-every-second-week" basis. The reasons are the following:
- An artist a week is a bit overwhelming, not just for me, but, I figured, for the readers.
- It's also a bit overwhelming for the artists themselves. Giving them time to think over their answers is never a negative thing.
- New artists provide a special kind of support, but it's somewhat limited. Tips from other experienced/professionally teaching people will contribute towards the full development of this help center.
Let's begin!
Five lessons I've learned this week!
- Photoshop is your friend:
Photoshop IS your friend. It's perfect for the small touches that don't make a Difference. I think you have to draw the line whenever you feel tempted to do something on top of the part with your actual product or when your goal outgrows your skills. I attempted to something that was beyond my skills and, unfortunately (or maybe not?), it was deleted hastily from my computer. However, I still keep the original of my more successful Photoshop editing enterprise.Compare:
As you can see, I haven't changed that much (upper right corner switches and table shadow), but I think the second photo's much better!
- The color wheel's your friend.
An e-mail lesson regarding photography mentioned how a red truck would be redder if it was against a green forest than in front of a grey concrete wall. This tip made me think of how colorful products could be enhanced by their background and the result (although not so successful thanks to the really gloomy day) is the following two pictures to compare:
Way yellower, although I personally dislike the second photo.
- Schedule ahead...
Do schedule ahead! Scheduling is more than a way of organizing and not forgetting to do important things. It gives you some perspective on what is actually important and helps you identify your goals in a shorter and longer term. If you're like me - a person who only does to-do lists in order to not fulfill them, I'd recommend skipping the strict hour-by-hour scheduling and instead doing a plainer tasks-identifying list.
- ...but never panic!
Scheduling doesn't mean doing everything at all cost. Do NOT forget to eat. Or get some proper sleep. Everyday I make myself a list with tasks with the clear knowledge that the Earth won't explode if I don't finish all of them off. There are many more important things than listing a new product or writing a blog post (ironic, yeah). The first and most important of them being to keep yourself happy if you want your enterprises to function properly.
- Improvise.
Sounds clichéd, but I've come to realize it's an easy thing to forget. Ever since I've decided to be a "professional" I've started thinking less creatively and more conventionally. I've started buying more "professionally" manufactured products with less and less personality. Who cares if your fridge-model has no faults? It's way more exciting to do things yourself and make them Your creations. Do not misunderstand me, I love perfect items almost as much as handmade ones, but there has to be a balance between what you sacrifice in order to look more professional and what you'd do to calm your hand-making-fever.
Today's Useful place to visit:
Photography Tips and Techniques - This site is awesome. I've subscribed and read all their e-mails and combined with my other photography book, you can see how they've helped me:
From:
To:
Well, that's that for this week! I hope you'll find these tips useful and if you have any other problematic topics you need some assistance with, you can always join me in the musings. On Monday I'll share all the new photos I have, although I've leaked some today!
Have a relaxing and tasty weekend (lunch time now!),
Bilyana
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