Have you ever stopped to analyze your brand objectively? And if so, what have you found?
Most business owners have no idea what their brand actually means for their bottom line. Nobody told them how people respond to design, and about the power of the first impression. In this article I wrote what I want business owners to know, and hope that with this knowledge, you will be equipped to make a decision that's best for you and your business (whether that means working with a brand designer or not). Read more...
This is the part two of the post “When your passion becomes a chore” - the practical part on what to do if you feel like you've lost your passion. I believe there are certain conditions that our work has to meet so it can give us creative fulfillment. Here are these 5 key conditions, and what each of them means for a creative professional. Read more...
My path hasn't been very straightforward, and I don’t see any signs of that changing... But one thing remained a constant for the past 15 years, and I wanted to write about it today – graphic design.
In this post I share the story of how I became a designer, what my first enthusiastic years were like, and how getting a job woke me up to a different reality. Good thing is, this story does have a happy end. Read more...
There is a term in the online business worlds called “website shame”. Many of us are very familiar with it. Perhaps you too have felt ashamed over how woefully inadequate your website was. Perhaps you cringed every time you gave the link to a potential client, because you were afraid it will ruin the great first impression they just had with you.
You wouldn’t believe it, but designers can feel the same way. I certainly felt like my website was not doing a good enough job of presenting my work for a loooong time.
Here’s an overview of my redesign process and the reasoning behind it. Read more...
Logo redesign is something most business owners would like to avoid, because it means having to change all your graphics and documents, and let's face it – it's a headache.
In this post I share my own experience of going through this process, and 6 very compelling reasons why you might want to consider it as well. Read more...
I thought it would be fun to share some of my sketchbook explorations here more often, just like I did with my sketchbook flip video. Today I want to share a peek into my lettering practice. This post is very photo heavy and contains lettering from a couple different sketchbooks. Read more...
Six months ago, I could not have even fathomed that I would ever feel this good again. Six months ago I wasn’t able to imagine a brighter future or what would it take for me to reach it. Six months ago I was at my lowest of lows since 2008, and the years in between weren’t exactly Disneyland.
Six months ago I was wondering, “what if this is the real me, and what if the happy, content me was a fake? What if there’s no way for me to ever feel better because that’s just my melancholic nature?”
You may be wondering why I feel so compelled to write about depression, on my art and business blog no less? Read more...
Do you feel like you spend so much time on social media, and it's giving you little to no results? Are you feeling overwhelmed with all the choices and advice, and you have no idea who to listen to and what will actually work for you? If so, I have an important message for you: Stop wasting your time online and share your work where it really matters Read more...
If I were to choose one secret weapon that helps my productivity more than any other, I'd have to say it's meditation. I know, it sounds weird to associate meditation – the epitome of non-doing – with productivity, which is all about doing, but if you think about it a little, it actually makes perfect sense. Meditation and action are polar opposites, but as with any opposites, one cannot exist without the other. We need the state of non-doing in order to be able to define doing, and vice versa. Meditation acts like a reset button on those thoughts, and enables me to get the most out of my time. Here are 5 ways meditation can boost your productivity. Read more...
This Saturday, June the 20th, was the opening reception to a group art show called "Visions from the Fairy Realm" featuring art by me and a fellow fantasy illustrator Karin Bogdanic. Here are some photos from the show opening. Read more...