What do you want to be when you grow up? When I was a kid, I was changing my answer every week. I wanted to be an astronaut (of course), a paleontologist, an archeologist, a medical doctor, an actor, a molecular biologist... After a while I've settled on the fact that I'll be working 'something with computers'. To learn more about how and why I got into art, read this post. Read more...
About a month ago I took part in a free CreativeLive workshop Build a Successful Creative Blog taught by April Bowles-Olin of Blacksburg Belle. Some of us who attended decided to create a blog tour, highlighting our biggest takeaways. If you want to learn how to improve your blog (or start a new one) definitely read this post, and the other posts in the series. Read more...
Fear of failure is probably the single biggest thing that stops people from doing what they love and achieving success. Why is fear of failure so prevalent? Why do we allow it to govern our lives and prevent us from having what we want? What is the difference between people who embrace failing often as a part of their success strategy, and those of us who don't (and hence don't succeed)? The answer is: to some of us, failure is not 'just failure'. Read more...
There was a time when I was concerned about what my art represents, and what it does to the viewers. I was concerned that I was spreading negativity through my art, that I was airing my dirty laundry, and that maybe it wasn't a smart decision. My family's concerns about them possibly looking bad in public cast doubt on my work as well. So there was a phase when I really wasn't sure whether I should publish such art at all. But after I examined this subject from all sides, I decided it's OK for me to publish my art, and that I will continue to do it as long as I feel the need to. Read more...
If you're not a visual creative yourself, and you find yourself in need of some design or illustration services for your project, there are two options: pay for them, or try to ask a friend to help you out for free (or cheap). If you opt for the second route, here is a short guide to help you approach your friend in a way that will not endanger your relationship and create resentment on either side. Read more...
What I'm about to write is probably very obvious to everyone, but since I've allowed myself to forget this time and time again, I decided to write about it anyway. As a reminder to myself. As a reminder to you. Read more...
On several occasions during the past few years, I've had a feeling like I've lost my mojo. I was overworked and stressed, and even the things I used to love lost their appeal. Getting up in the morning was a horrible experience in itself. A practice that has helped me to get out of this negative spiral was something I now call the mind detox retreat. In this post I reveal what exactly is that I do during this mind detox, the benefits I get from a media sabbatical, and why it might be a good idea to try it, even if you're not a tree-hugging hippy. Read more...
I periodically delete things from my gallery. I don't have a set time-frame, but let's say that once in 2 years I go over my entire gallery and remove everything I deem not 'good enough' for my current standards.In this post I explain the reasons why I do it. Read more...
When I started my website, I wrote about my branding and how it came to be. I wanted NelaDunato.com to embody all my creative work and hobbies, so that people may see the entirety of who I am, and not just one facet. However the homepage image was bugging me a bit. The image I wanted to portray was 'I do all these different things, and I'm managing it well! No reason to specialize, you can trust me even though I claim I can do the job that normally takes 3 people to accomplish!' I'm not sure if that's what came through. All I know is that I did some heavy soul-searching in the past 6 months... Read more...
They say even a kick in the rear is a step forward, and I tend to agree. As of September 1st I no longer have a day job, and it's just the kick in the right direction I needed. If you're wondering how this came to be, read on. I could potentially sum it up in a paragraph, but where's the fun in that? Read more...