As we move into a new year, I’m pausing to reflect on the last 365 days of my life and realizing that they’ve been pretty good. Not only did this year see me reach new heights professionally, but I’ve also conquered many personal demons and found my life partner along the way. This time of year can be a crazy time for a lot of folks… Most of you are out there right now making bullshit resolutions that you’ll half-heartedly stick to for a day or two and then slip right back into your old ways. This year, I encourage you to buck that trend. Make 2012 one for the record books. Hey, if all those prophets out there are correct, what’ve you got to lose, right?
Combining Shapes in Photoshop
Recently I saw a tutorial where someone was showing how to combine shapes in Photoshop, but in fact they didn’t actually show that… Their suggestion was to group or combine the shapes into smart objects. Well, there is a way to actually combine shapes in Photoshop, so I thought I’d show you how to do it!
Turn Off the Noise… Unplug Yourself
Living the “online lifestyle” can be a rigorous and intense job (whether you know it or not). As a matter of fact, you’ll be shocked at how easy it is to burn yourself out on this glamorous thing we call the internet… Take me for example. Back in 2006/2007 I had one of the hottest shows on the internet with my Photoshop Quicktips Podcast. I was getting millions of downloads, thousands of hits on my website and countless emails, messages, and tweets. At first I was all about it. I ate, slept, and breathed that show and my “image” 24/7. I’d wake up in the middle of the night to answer emails. Hell, I’d even take my phone to the bathroom with me and tweet while I was… you know.
Consistency Promotes Awareness
During my recent CreativeLIVE workshop I introduced a theory on creating brand awareness. This wasn’t necessarily aimed at “big business” because they’ve been nailing down this concept for years. I was mainly talking to individuals or very small businesses that have any type of online presence. My theory, of course, is that consistency (in whatever you’re doing) promotes awareness. This is a big core concept in my Designing for the Social Web class that I teach frequently at conferences. Basically my school of thought is that by creating consistent packages of information (graphics, bios, taglines, etc.) you will begin to generate more awareness around you and your personal brand.
