strengths//not-so-strengths
photo source
so remember a few weeks ago when i wrote this post about blogs i love and i mentioned this awesome girl? well, a few days ago she did a post that as a creative, i thought was really great. she listed her strengths and not-so-strengths. i’m pretty sure every interview i’ve ever had, they’ve asked me what my greatest strength was and my greatest weakness, but to actually list them out was much harder…and a little gut wrenching. i think it’s important to know what your strengths are and what they aren’t, not just professionally, but personally as well. how else can you possibly have any growth? so, that said, here goes:
not-so-strengths:
- not taking business matters too personally.
- technical aspects of photography. i have an eye for it, but do i know the majority of the manual settings on my fancy camera? no.
- taking time for myself. i’m a wife, mama and between my contract design job and freelance, i usually work around 55 hours a week. that does not equal a lot of me time.
- saying no to creative projects (unless they are just really, really awful or something i’m morally opposed to)
- web coding. two semesters of multi-media class in design school ain’t cuttin it.
- negotiating — especially with money.
- moments of self-doubt. it’s the curse of being a creative.
strengths:
- my design process. i know exactly where i start (my sketchbook) and how to see my projects all the way through production.
- seeing the potential in a project. i think this is partly why i have a hard time saying no. i just know i can make it work.
- communication. so important in the creative field, especially as a freelancer.
- work ethic.
- problem solving. it’s one of my favorite things about being a designer. every project is a puzzle.
- organization of time, finances and resources.
- loving what i do. i think that’s pretty rare, so i consider myself very lucky.
- knowing that no design project/client/job is the most important thing in the world and it certainly does not make me who i am. my identity comes from much greater things.
i love//silhouettes
i have a complete and total love for silhouettes. historically, they have very humble beginnings, being paper cut-outs given away as party favors and in some cases, used as an affordable way of capturing the profile of a loved one when photographs weren’t so readily available and affordable. they are simple graphically, yet incredibly personal, and i just adore them.
here is one i made for eli about a year ago that now lives on our living room wall. note the crazy hair//
and this one i incorporated into a logo for a friend’s stationary line called temporal lobe//
this wall of silhouettes in mismatched frames all piled on top of each other looks effortless and so pretty. i love the teeny-tiny ones tucked in between some of the frames//
i don’t discriminate. i think animal silhouettes are great, too, like this print. it would be perfect for a kid’s room//
these mossy silhouettes from oh so beautiful paper are gorgeous. i can’t imagine that being an easy medium to work with//
and this pretty thing from le paper studio just landed a sweet spot on my wish list. i’d love to see it with eli’s crazy hair silhouette=)//
the combination of object, animal and people silhouettes makes this really fun. i especially love the one in the middle in the circle frame of the girl chasing the boy//
and i can’t decide if this is really sweet or a little weird. i could definitely see a teenager hiding that sucker when friends came over//
west elm always has great wall art. this is would look so much better hanging on an office wall than this. no offense, penguins.//
and last but not least, this beauty from three sisters—their handmade jewelry is amazing//
