Story Pixel Articles

Finish your site

2010-02-05T16:37:38Z

Exposure is underrated

A lot of professionals, especially freelancers, feel like their opportunities will be on par with their talents. That’s not how it works. You must expose your work. Exposure increases your work’s value, dramatically.

Finish your site now

There are lots of reasons designers don’t finish their sites. I’ve been there and I procrastinated as much as the next person. Here were some excuses I told myself:

Not enough work in portfolio yet
Not good with HTML stuff
Too busy with “real work”

These reasons are terribly short-sighted, here is how to work around them.

Play to your strengths

If you don’t have enough work in your portfolio, then make a site that highlights your thoughts, ideas, and personality. People want to work with people they like. They don’t like you yet because they don’t know you. They don’t know you because your site isn’t finished!

Trust that HTML is not hard

Suck at HTML? That is okay, it is not as hard as you think. There are many options available to you. Wordpress and/or ExpressionEngine have a ton of great templates to begin with. You do not have to be a programmer to put together a site these days. Also: HTML is not a programming language.

You are not a mechanic

A lot of people will tell you the mechanic’s car is always broken. This is a harmful and outmoded metaphor. Doing your own site will lead to greater exposure, greater value, and to better higher-paying clients. And the latter makes life much easier and work more rewarding.

How to start

Get out some typing paper. Write down your 1 or 2 main goals (e.g. “showcase my work”, “create a soapbox for my ideas”). Take a tour of sites and make note of the ones you like the most. Don’t bite styles, rather look at their organization. You shouldn’t open Photoshop until you know exactly what content you are putting on your site. Remember: planning is at least half the work.

How to finish

Finishing a site is both fun and a test of your will. Tell a few friends of your intentions and timeline. Let them ask (even hound) you about it. You can challenge a friend to a “site race.” Also, put a piece of paper next to your desk and write on it “Finish site.” Tape it up in plain sight. Finally: remind yourself that client work makes other people money; your site makes you money.

Jealousy, a friend

2010-01-21T14:28:31Z

The wow factor

Through this digital window, the world’s most amazing creative works are in a relentless parade. How can one be impervious to jealousy?

Befriending jealousy

A passionate person cannot help but to feel jealous sometimes. However, many creatives seem to stop at resenting the creator. That is unwise because it’s useless. What’s wise is to view yourself as capable of doing anything. Richard Feynman’s captures this attitude:

What one fool can do, so can another

Passion is jealous

Jealousy is one of the natural consequences of being passionate about something. If you cease being wowed or stop asking how, then your passion may need some exercise.

Stay positive

Again, jealousy that inspires action is healthy. Do not indulge in gossip with a jealous person. Instead goad them to express their jealousy as creative action. Then everyone wins.

Mingle

A lot of us get a healthy exposure to amazing work by browsing sites like Smashing Magazine, FWA, and AIGA. But don’t forget to go to conferences and to attend any industry mixers. These activities put a human face on those efforts you have admired. And once you meet the person behind the creations… you realize… hey…

What one fool can do, so can another

Professionally we will never evolve away from jealousy, we will evolve because of it.

What I know

2010-01-12T17:24:13Z

Obviously a list like this can continue indefinitely, but here’s the highlights from my own meandering experience.

Work indirectly with the money

The objective of every project for a client is the same: make them more money. I find having a well-organized and impartial liaison between yourself and the stakeholder provides an important firewall during crunch time: when scope creeps and timelines are like a herd of cats.

Don’t work with assholes

Seriously. Also, so I’m clear on my definition, an asshole is someone who on first meeting “yikes, this person sure seems like an asshole… but I’ll give them a chance because I need the work.” No, unless you are starving, you should avoid assholes. They will shit on you.

Be brief

Don’t overload anyone (especially non-technical people) with details. It’s nerve-wracking, confusing, and a sign of weakness in their eyes.

Appear magical

Related to the above… but encourage the feeling in your clients’ minds that you have actual magic powers. Don’t be arrogant about that magic though. Appearing magical is how you’ll eventually start that cult *wink*.

Be (genuinely) humble

Be aware of your worth but don’t aggrandize your importance. It’s about results not your ego. Know there is always someone out there a little more skilled or knowledgeable.

Never be “If-Come Enterprises”

Never engage in business with people who want you to do something cheaply on the promise of future work that will be better-paying. It practically never ever ever happens that way.

Remain positive

When something goes wrong, deal with it but stay positive. Don’t forget that positivity makes you and your team more efficient. If you find that things are so bad you can’t stay positive, fire the client. Firing clients is a key survival mechanism for freelance.

Sketches everyday

2010-01-06T15:12:07Z

Keeping a consistent sketchbook is something every creative thinks about doing. This was the year I decided to be more consistent with sketching. The tipping point for this long-ignored to-do list item was this article. Now I spend about 20 minutes a day doing something creative and posting it here:

My daily Flickr sketches for 2010

If I’m really enjoying something I’ll put in a little more time, but as a rule I have to keep it short else it’s too much work. Why not join me? After all every day is full of possibilities just like January 1st.

Perfectionism, the enemy

2009-11-02T15:57:38Z

If I can’t create a genius work like the Mona Lisa, why even open my sketchbook today? If my soufflé will suck in comparison to Rocco Dispirito’s, I’ll just serve potted meat. I wouldn’t know where to get started with PHP, I can’t make my own site.

Recognizing the perils of being a perfectionist is tricky since it’s not totally a bad thing. When we were young, perfectionism was the habit we learned that led to those gold stars, spelling bee trophies, and being accused of being “so talented.”

But in the professional world, perfectionism can be the enemy of creativity and happiness. It can keep us from starting important side projects. It can make us hate ourselves for being caught between the urge of doing something and the fear of it failing. It can cause us to hate our colleagues when they are recognized for work that we consider “not perfect.”

Perfectionism is your spice rack, use it occasionally; but don’t forget the main course of any project is several imperfect, messy steps. What’s important is that you start taking the steps, else you risk starving your creativity.

Update: this post was translated into Spanish. Thanks Manuel Iglesias Brocos.

Collaborative thinking

2009-09-04T17:23:55Z

After working recently with Jetpack Dance-Off to launch a word game Phrays, I better understand that we (even as independents) can do the impossible through the simple act of sharing.

Everyone has ideas to offer, but few execute because taking the first step often feels like climbing a mountain. But one person’s mountain is another’s pebble in the path. In this way a complementary team lifts one another to places not reachable individually. So with the right people, you can walk anywhere. That’s collaborative thinking and freelancers need to do more of it.

Tips for effective collaboration

Be ready: write down every idea. Right now, open a document or take out a piece of paper and list every idea. Title each entry and summarize them with only one sentence. If the idea can’t be described easily with one sentence, then consider simplifying the concept.

Make creative but supportive friends. Seek out kindred creative minds in person or online. Be mad scientists together. Sit down (or type) over coffee or tea, wildly speculate about how horse auctions will be conducted fifty years from now. Discuss great ideas and terrible ideas with equal enthusiasm. Have humor and don’t force anything. Only pursue the ideas that really intrigue all collaborating parties.

Have a collaboration-friendly life. Make time to collaborate. If you work fifty hours a week and have three children, then collaboration will be really challenging (but still very doable). Be honest with yourself and your collaborators regarding your availability.

Carefully choose collaborative opportunities. All participants in the project should be necessary i.e. offer something that the collaboration really needs. Similarly, all collaborators should have a stake in the end product. A person that wants you to do all of the work without offering anything valuable (and not just a whip-cracker) isn’t a collaborator, he or she is a parasite.

Just do it already. This is most important. Plan generously but when the time is ripe get started and keep momentum strong on collaborative projects. Know that momentum exists only when visible progress is being made every week.

But careful

Not every idea calls for collaboration. Sometimes you can do something yourself. Sometimes an idea that sounds so awesome isn’t smelling as fresh a few weeks later. But if your idea is strong yet circumstances aren’t ripe for working together, consider outsourcing or pulling the concept off solo. What is important ultimately is that one acts on their ideas and keeps writing new ones down.

Logos sometimes

2009-07-30T12:04:23Z

Pretty thrilled to learn that a logo I designed for Rubidine (a Web application house) was featured on an awesome logo inspiration site. If you like, check out the interview over at LogoGala!

Blushing

2009-07-20T15:55:21Z

I noticed a bump in traffic, and did some googling. Apparently I’m on some CSS gallery sites. Here are some much-appreciated mentions.

http://cssmania.com/galleries/2009/07/16/story-pixel.php
http://www.csselite.com/showcase/designer/story-pixel.html
http://www.bestcssvault.com/story-pixel/
http://www.welovecss.net/?p=613
http://www.1024media.com/tools/gallery/

Determining domain

2009-06-30T12:50:46Z

A convenient way to determine your current loading path is an oldie but goodie—the domain property of LocalConnection.

var executingDomain:String = new LocalConnection().domain; if (executingDomain == ‘localhost’) { // If localhost, then we are running the flash in the IDE on our computer executingDomain = "" }else { // If online, then the executing domain will be the url, which we complete with 'http://' and '/' executingDomain = 'http://' + executingDomain + '/' }

Loading JSON data

2009-06-12T22:35:15Z

So let’s say you have a JSON file you’d like to load into Flash as a data source, something like this maybe:

{ "sitedata":{ "title":"School is in", "assets":{ "splashimage":{ "source":"images/interface/splash.png" } }, “sections”:{ "section":[ { "source":"swfs/slides/demo.swf", "title":"READING" }, { "source":"images/slides/write.jpg", "title":"WRITING" }, { "source":"images/slides/numbers.jpg", "title":"MATH" }, { "source":"images/slides/food.jpg", "title":"LUNCH" } ] } } }

In order to get to the data, we have to read in this data, and assign it to a variable. I used BulkLoader for to load in the JSON file here.

import flash.events.Event; import com.adobe.serialization.json.JSON; import com.stimuli.loading.BulkLoader; var dataloader:BulkLoader; var jsondata:Object; /* * Load the json data */ public function load() : void { dataloader = BulkLoader.createUniqueNamedLoader(); dataloader.logLevel = BulkLoader.LOG_ERRORS; dataloader.add("somedata.json", {priority:30, id:"config-json"}); dataloader.addEventListener(BulkLoader.COMPLETE, onConfigLoadComplete); dataloader.start(); }; /* * When the json has loaded, assign it to a variable. */ function onConfigLoadComplete(event : Event) : void { dataloader.removeEventListener(BulkLoader.COMPLETE, onConfigLoadComplete); // 'sitedata' will be whatever you decide ... see 'sitedata' in my json file above jsondata = JSON.decode(dataloader.getText("config-json")).sitedata; trace (jsondata.title) // "School is in" }

So that’s it. Although I’ve given this example not in a class, it was written originally inside a class. If there are issues leave me a message, I will compile the code to verify it’s without snafus.

Creative Harvest

2009-05-14T20:30:18Z

I’ve put together a photo set of some of the sketches I used in this site here.

The first several years of my life were spent on this farm in Bon Ayr, Kentucky. It was a beautiful place and each season crops (primarily corn) would grow and then would be harvested.

I drew (literally) from these and other experiences when plotting out the new look for the site.

Why I like coworking

2009-04-30T14:06:06Z

The decision to go independent is one I made in 2005 and one I’d recommend to anyone whose circumstances can counterbalance the associated risks. It’s rewarding and interesting in many ways, however it comes with many challenges.

Not all distractions are bad

Working alone for years can get boring. I eventually admitted to myself that a little social distraction in my day would be healthy. So when Steven Hayes and Todd Willey began discussing an idea that would eventually become Collexion, I wanted to be a part. I was also skeptical that such a thing could work in my smallish city of Lexington, Kentucky.

If Lexington can do it…

Coworking can and is working in my city thanks to a lot of determined and cool people. I’ve been coworking for about 3 weeks now and love it so far. The case for coworking is enveloped within its Wikipedia description:

Coworking is an emerging trend for a new pattern for working. Typically work-at-home professionals or independent contractors or people who travel frequently end up working in relative isolation. Coworking is the social gathering of a group of people, who are still working independently, but who share values and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with talented people in the same space.

And that’s the essence of coworking. It’s really wonderful to see it working. It’s definitely a cure for that “man I’m the only one doing what I do for miles around” vibe you get when you don’t work for an agency or within a corporate department.

Get to it

Here are some resources which help you to learn more about coworking.

By the way, I serendipitously met Alex Hillman during an Austin taxi commute to SXSW 2009. You can read his story of how he helped found Independents Hall to see why it’s becoming a trend among freelancers.

Breaking good habits

2008-10-18T17:30:57Z

When Quint Tatro asked me to create what would eventually be Tickerville, it didn’t sound like a good project for me. Quint was a friend and doing friend projects can have a predatory dynamic. Also I felt like taking this project would be taking me a few steps away from my focus zone.

Stylesheets not my thing

I told myself that I worked best with Flash and I was taking my portfolio in the wrong direction by doing non-Flash work. Additionally, CSS made me uncomfortable because it wasn’t really my thing. Having this CSS piece in my portfolio could even confuse my target client audience by tempting them to wonder why I was doing work outside my specialty.

Comfortable sucks

Something intrigued me though about this project—most financial sites had a certain safe, almost too comfortable feel to them. I had a chance to do something different. A chance to make “them” as well as myself uncomfortable.

Screw it

Having this “screw it” attitude was the right approach to take. because I wasn’t catering to either the CSS market or to financial persons, I wasn’t worried about my reputation. And because I wasn’t worried about my rep, I felt empowered to do something appropriate but also a little risky.

Great results all around

The result of my leaving my comfort zone was inspiration. The site received tons of awards and listings which I discuss on my work page. The site has been a wild success for the client, and paired with his expertise, has helped to open a series of very heavy doors for him. I left the project feeling reinvigorated and very proud of what I was able to give the client.

Defy comfort

Sometimes it’s good to do something that at first feels like a departure from this healthy focus around your thing. Don’t get me wrong, being streamlined and having a niche are great and can help you maximize yourself (especially as an independent). However getting too comfortable in something is one shade away from being in a rut. And when you feel like that, don’t be afraid to get a little crazy with your project selection.