One thing I like about myself is the fact that I constantly try and learn new things: there lies a pleasure in pushing one’s boundaries that is unknown to those who never go beyond their comfort zone.
This is how I started taking pictures (I had written poems since I was 6, so it was not easy to leave words aside and begin to “think and feel in pictures”), repairing computers, creating websites, developing apps, cooking dishes and so on… the list is quite long, and in all of these activities I’m self-taught (and had no previous knowledge whatsoever). Most times I was pushed by need (not always my own!)… or Love.
But it really doesn’t matter what makes you learn something new, as long as you find the courage to forget the sentences “I can’t do it”, “I’m not good at it” or, worse, “other people are better at it” (there’ll always be someone better than you at doing something, this doesn’t have to be an excuse!).
We may not be good at first, I’m not ashamed to say I often go bananas when I take on these challenges, but there’s always room for improvement – especially if you believe in yourself.
A couple of days ago I felt like changing the looks of my logo a little bit. I still loved the one created by my talented friend Isabelle, but I was in the mood for a change, and really didn’t want to bother Isabelle during her holidays. I thought I was fortunate when I found a good designer willing to create a few logo concepts for me at a cool price (as well as make as many modifications as I needed), but I soon found out he was not able to understand what I needed or what my personality was like… and this made me even more conscious about how lucky I had been to have a good friend create my previous logo for me. So, what could I do? I had always told everyone I was not good at Photoshop (I use Photoshop Elements to slightly adjust my pictures, but I had never created graphics or tested my abilities, which I thought were completely inexistent). Then something happened, and that was introspection. I started writing down something for the designer to learn more about me, and asked myself how I would describe my personality, what my photography was like, what best suited my style etc.
Answering these simple questions (and acknowledging a few calligraphy tips from my bf) inspired me so much that, 20 minutes later, my new logo was finished. I still don’t know how it came out, it’s nothing innovative and most probably not an amazing job either, yet it totally represents me, and I wouldn’t change its clean design and simplicity for the most stylish and elaborated artwork.
I’m sharing it with you in hope someone will take on the challenge and start doing something completely new, maybe that same thing he/she has always said not to be good at… do it with an open mind and let your instinct guide you… you’ll be surprised. 😀
I look forward to reading about your accomplishments!
Love,
IMPORTANT: you may start creating, doing the gardening or cooking without any knowledge… but if you’ve always told yourself you can’t skydive, and have never taken any lessons nor bought professional gear, this post is not for you. I mean it. 😛
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