The Simplest Way to Accomplish your Daily Goals

One of the best tools I use for my business is also the simplest. It's cheap, lightweight, uses no electricity or special software. It's widely available and isn't language or region specific. I can even set my coffee cup on this piece of equipment without fear of damage.

It's a spiral notebook. You may have heard about them.

I use my notebook every day for a very special purpose. I make My List. Many people have their various lists; the laundry list, grocery list, task list, the honey-do. You've probably used some of these lists at one time or another. My List isn't so crazily different from these, but I have a certain way I've been utilizing My List for years and I swear by it. Some times I swear over it, but that's for another day.

Every morning, I create a list of the things I need to accomplish that day. Simple, right? Sure, it's a task list, but it's much more than that. As simple as it sounds, it's something very powerful that guides my actions and helps me accomplish my longer-term goals, one day at a time. In addition to guiding my daily actions, it's a wonderful tool for looking back and feeling you're actually doing something constructive with your days. This is especially important for the self-employed, who often have no one to pat them on the back.

The daily items for My List are culled from the collection of things I want to accomplish in the year, month, and week. It's absolutely essential that I've decided what those broader tasks and goals are before creating My List. Deciding what goes on the list is a highly individual process. It could be an errand like, “Pick up laundry” or a goal such as, “Make forty-five sales calls.”

Here's how to go about it:

1. Start with a fresh, clean page. Hey, it's a new day, why not start fresh?
2. Write the day and date on the top. This helps down the road when you want to look back at your old lists to look for information or just review past accomplishments. Pat, pat.
3. Write each item on a new line. I usually leave an empty line between each, in case I want to take notes later.
4. As you complete an item, draw a line through it. Don't scribble it out, because you may need the information later. I know people who use The List and mark each item with a check. Hey, whatever makes you happy and works.

I also have three personal set-in-stone, no-break-um rules for My List:

1. It should be challenging, yet realistic. I need to push myself, but I don't need to stress myself out unnecessarily.
2. Cross off each item as it's completed and not before. Hey, no cheating!
3. If one of the items is to call someone, I write the person's full name and phone number on the list. That keeps me from procrastinating because I have to hunt for a number.

At the end of the day, there are sometimes list items that didn't get completed (gasp!). Rather than beat myself up over those items, I use the opportunity to take stock in my goals and accomplishments. It's possible that I over-listed myself for the day, perhaps I was unrealistic given my time. Maybe a client meeting went over, pushing everything out an hour. It happens. It's important to stay flexible. Learn from it!

So, if there are items I haven't been able to cross off, I flip the page and start my next day's list with those items. Simple. Again, it's a highly individual process. Some people write their lists in order of priority and others as things occur to them. I usually do the latter, because if I try to organize my list by priorities it will take way too long for me to actually get going.

Another thing I've found is that if I try to work My List in a computer it's not as effective. I'm not always in front of my computer. Also, I can throw my spiral notebook under my arm and still carry my coffee and bagel to a meeting. Very important. Somehow the tangibility of a handwritten list in a notebook helps me stay on track.

It's also great for doodling.

I've found that using My List on a consistent basis significantly increases my productivity. I know what I need to accomplish throughout the day and I'm not easily steered off track. As a freelancer, it's a crucial part of my business. Working alone and at home I am solely responsible for structuring my day and making sure it's about building my business. My List helps me do that.

Speaking of which.... Write List Article. Check.

Just Like Everyone Else

I've had the latest Adobe Magazine PDF sitting on my desktop all week and just cracked it open today. It's got some cool stuff in it, but one thing that stood out was in the back; the Adobe Exchange. I forget this is out there sometimes. It's a free exchange of add-ons for your Adobe apps. There's some great stuff submitted by good people, very useful time-saving templates, scripts, and pre-drawn paths.

The feature I saw today was for a Swirl brush for Illustrator (see below).


The brush helps you create that trendy swirl look seen in many popular designs at the moment. It's a nice look, sure. I enjoy it. It's cool, Baby. Rockin' and Rollin' and whatnot.

Let's think about this for a second, though.

Here we have a brush that helps make it easier to create a design style just like everyone else is doing. Does anyone wonder along with me why an artist would want to do this? Is the sum of your talents as an artist there to simply parrot someone else's creativity? How rewarding is that?

The brush itself has its uses. I consider it part of an artist's job to learn how to use tools in new and different ways. Edward Hopper and Auguste Renoir both used oil paint and brush, but they each used them differently to accomplish their personal vision. Andy Warhol created something new and different using the same old screenprinting equipment in use everywhere.

So, rather than copy the way the Swirl brush is used in the trendiest ads and web sites of 2008, I hope that other artists picking up (downloading) this new brush create something that no one has seen before.

I have to go now. I'm hard at work on a window graphic of Calvin peeing on a Chevy. I wish there was a shortcut for this. I get so many clients that want it nowadays and I just can't turn down the easy cash.

Getting Emotional with Your Images

In business it's often said that it's better to be unemotional and detached. I subscribe to this philosophy when it comes to negotiating contracts, doing my taxes, or flossing after lunch. However, in marketing and advertising it's all about creating an image that sells, and successful creatives can't afford to be detached and analytical in the process.

To be sure, there are certain steps to be followed when creating a successful ad or marketing design. Sometimes these steps are repetitive, more science than art. Sometimes they need to be a little chaotic and weird. It's the difference between prepping vegetables and creating a melt-in-your-mouth ratatouille. Think for minute about why a well-prepared meal inflames your senses. Is it a simple order of steps that you can punch up in a computer? If you can program your computer to say “Bam!” does it become Emeril Lagasse?

Think about creating a design for a national ad campaign. Is creating a successful image just a matter of choosing the right RGB values in Photoshop? Do pretty colors and 3D effects equal attention-grabbing images or is there something deeper than fonts and color wheels?

Those “Think Different” Apple ads from a few years ago should tell you that pretty colors aren't always the answer. Those ads were black and white and darn successful, too. “I want to be like Albert Einstein and think different, too.” Deep down I know that a new macbook won't make me Einstein, but the ad made me pause and think about Apple.

It's true that people are initially drawn to an ad, a book cover, or a piece of artwork because the bold color (or lack of) calls to them. In a way, we're like moths to a flame and we can't help but be attracted by the light. Unlike moths, we need something to keep us there, to hook us. It's something moths don't have. It's called emotion.

Think about one of the most successful ad campaigns ever, the Nike “Just do it” ads created by Wieden+Kennedy. At this moment I can't recall any particular advertisement from the campaign, but the image of the Nike swoosh and the words “Just do it” are emblazoned on my brain forever. No, it's not pain from the aforementioned emblazoning, it's the feelings of anticipation, power and belonging to a group of like-minded athletes that hooked me. To me, it said “Get up off your bum, you lazy moron and go run.” That was powerful and it made me pay attention.

How about the Keebler Elves? There's a powerful image in cookiedom, thanks to Leo Burnett. Years before I saw the Nike ad I was probably hooked by the cartoon image of an elf who baked in a tree. Together, Nike and Keebler could keep my emotions out of balance for a long time. Do I run or do I snack? That's the power of an image that sticks with you long after the campaign is over.

Have you ever been assaulted by a piece of direct mail? Ow, that hurts. Your eyes, I mean. You might know what I'm talking about, there's one at the bottom of your recycle bin. It's the one with lots of spheres and gradients, maybe a REALLY BIG SENTENCE IN CAPITALS, and a nice... 3D explosion in the background. Does something like that draw you in by appealing to your emotions or is it merely an attack on the senses? It's a good bet that you wouldn't throw away something you were emotionally attached to.

Graphically speaking, it could even be technically correct. The design books say that red is a warning color and grabs attention fast. Cool graphics like 3D spheres and explosions will definitely draw reflexive attention. What lingers in the audience's mind long after the image is gone is where you want to have the most impact. It's easy to get attention, but holding attention requires more thought.

If you really want to reach people, you've got to do it on an emotional level. It's not so important what emotion(s) you're appealing to, as long as it reaches your intended audience in the way you meant it to. If you want to get people to revolutionize a small country, you might appeal to their anger. If you want someone to pay your company to do their taxes, you might try a little fear. Are you going to hit everyone the same way? No, because everyone is wired differently. Fortunately, it's not as simple as pressing buttons on an emotion machine. If it were that easy it wouldn't be very rewarding. That's the art part of the business, a new creative solution every time.

Sometimes when I work with a client to develop an image, they'll start by telling me what colors they want, rattle off a few fonts, and point me to a web site that's sort of like what they want. Slow down Buckaroo, I say (yep, I will say Buckaroo if the situation calls for it). Those things are going to be important in the final design or illustration. Before we get there, I try to explain that I need to understand something about their vision, goals, and who their intended audience is. Otherwise it's like trying to design a new home by picking out a paint color first.

Creating art or an image that stirs emotion isn't a scientific process. To some people, that can be a frustrating concept and difficult to accept. “Aren't there rules, didn't you go to school and read books about this stuff?” the most frustrated clients ask. The answer is that rules and guidelines for creating images that sell aren't set in stone. If they were, all advertising would look like a Moscow pep rally circa 1951. What works for one person turns another one off completely. To some people, the “Just do it” campaign made them frustrated enough to pop open that box of Keebler crackers. Thankfully in the creative business there's never one answer that applies to everything. Um, think different, to coin a phrase.

So, more importantly than picking the right font or a piece of 3D clipart (don't even get me started, Buckaroo) is understanding what emotions you're trying to stir. That's where your audience lives and that's where you achieve long term impact from your images.

I wrote this article on a mac, while wearing Nikes and eating a box of graham crackers. I think I'm going to Starbucks now. I hear “there's a lot going on inside.”

This is the first of many articles and essays to come. Steady, people.

IF - Choose

Heh heh.

100 Artists Project is Up!

I love this project; it's such a great idea and Ben Rollman has put a lot into the effort. Do yourself a favor and read all about it.

The first stage that I participated in is a "single mailer" where you send in a 9 x 12 drawing (of almost anything) and Ben assembles it into a bound book. Then the book goes up for auction on eBay. The proceeds go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and The Hero Initiative.

Better still, go to the eBay auction and bid on this exciting book. You will get an amazing book with artwork by some incredible artists. The auction is here.

Here's the little sketchy piece I did:


So, thanks to Ben for creating the project and allowing me to participate in creating the book. I'm humbled by the amazing talent in the book. Mostly it was just fun.

Art Music

http://www.shift.jp.org

I thieved this from the W+K Tokyo blog:

http://www.wktokyo.jp

If you click on the links it will ease my guilt.

Actually, do whatever you want. I'm gonna eat something.

Little Lines

I love the design and feel of this site:

http://www.littlelines.com/home

That's pretty.