Dealing with clients...

Nothing Can EVER be "Photoshopped"

From the Adobe Website:

Trademarks are not verbs.

Correct: The image was enhanced using Adobe® Photoshop® software.
Incorrect: The image was photoshopped.

Here

WTF! I'd be honored if someone used my product name as a verb. Snotty!

How to Be Outstanding

Here is some great advice. I struggle daily with feeling inadequate and lost. This article is really long but really inspired me as a designer and as a person in general. Link

Lessons from Following My Passion

Here is a summary of lessons I’ve learned through this experience:

• Anything is possible if you want it bad enough
• When you follow your heart, not only will you contribute more to your organization, you will utilize less energy and you will feel happier.
• We are all naturally gifted at certain disciplines. You’ll know when you find it, because you can quickly grasp new concepts, you find it enjoyable, and doing it comes easy to you; almost like breathing.
• Doing something that is not natural to our abilities and interests is like swimming against the current. You’ll eventually get to the shore, but it will take you longer and will excerpt extra energy.
• Doing things that come natural to us and align with our interests feels like swimming along with the current. You’ll get to the shore smoothly and with little effort.
• When you are clear about wanting something, take action towards its attainment, and persist until you reach it, the universe will conspire to make it a reality. Your energy and determination will move people, and they will find ways to help you.
• Insecurities and negative self-talk derived from fear achieves nothing, except to convince us that we are failures and losers. These are lies that only appear real in our imagination.
• The roadblocks you encounter on the way to reaching your destination are actually gifts. Treat them as challenges that you were meant to experience and learn from. They are like small tests that the universe presents us with, as if asking: “How bad do you really want this? Have you given up yet?”
• When you listen to your heart, follow your passion, and do what you love to do, it’s hard not to be outstanding. You’re almost guaranteed to succeed.

Public Service Announcement: Screen Resolution Vs. Print Resolution

I just have to get this off my chest. What you see on your computer screen will NOT always print well. Especially if you are printing on a web press. See those pixels? See 'em? That is what you get when you start with shit resolution, you get shitty printing. There is no adding pixels to lo-res. It's just not possible. Thank you. Here is a link if you would like to learn more about resolution.

Sweet Justice

I love to see people's mistakes. It's in my blood. (stuff white people like) I'm notorious for finding bad-grammar in advertising. I know I'm guilty of misusing the english language, but the satisfaction of pointing and laughing is something I cannot resist.

The graphic design equal to grammar misuse is poor photoshop usage. Check out this blog, photoshop disasters, I visit it everyday. One entry that sticks out in my mind is this. It made me not feel so bad about my physical appearence. I just don't have my own personal make-up/ reality shifter built in - yet.

Along the same line is youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com. This blog points out designers and artists that copy each other. Yes, there are certain fads and themes that get recycled in popular culture but this blog displays straight, shameless rip-offs. I'm glad someone is out there callin' assholes out!