Lee Hom sees me

I think i inspired Leehom, muahahahha...

Prioritize your work and optimize your time, My Dear Colleague!

It's been the 4th day since I started my full time work. Oh ya, i am employed.
Everyone here is independent, but not everyone is efficient. hmm... how sad.

And I would like to dedicate the article below to my colleague:

Regardless of whether you are a student, work at home mom, a web designer, or a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, prioritizing your work is critical to your success. Failing to prioritize your work load usually results in being extremely inefficient and extremely stressed out. How many times have you thought to yourself “I have so much to do today, how am I ever going to get it all done?”

There is no exact science to prioritizing, but there are several tips that should help you become a more efficient, less stressed version of your current self:

* Make a list

* Consider time constraints

* Consider people constraints – all things equal, move things that other people are waiting on to the top of the list. If you know that your manager can’t finish his proposal without your part, that’s more important than the thing that you always do on Wednesday that could just as well be done on Thursday.

* Consider the consequences – are you going to get fired if you don’t do something? Is another task going to give you the inside track on that promotion? Those things should be more important than mildly inconveniencing the sales manager by responding to their email a day late.

* Re-prioritize as necessary

* Remove unimportant items

Not giving UP, but I'm giving IN!

A lil upset when my friend mocked at my uncertainty. Keep changing jobs. I shouldn't have concern of what other people say about me. This is a process. Process to know what suitable for you and what's not. The road of exploration needs time. Life's a journey, not a destination. How long you could really work for a company consider a stable job? 10 years? 20 years? The most important thing is that you found somewhere you belong!

Thanks to Gary, an award winning designer currently working in BBDO. Please keep winning =)
He reminds me of I used to dream to reinvent the world. I want to make a different.

I feel lucky that I found out which working way suitable for me in just a month. I've experienced freelancing, I've experienced working in a large firm and small agency. After the comparison, I am thankful that I now know that: I love to share; I have tons of ideas to be heard; I love to be inspired, by experts, people from other industry, or even ordinary people; I love to work with team; I love the interaction between people; I love having lunch together; I love spending nights working together; I love seeing my ideas create positive change in this world!

I am not giving up; giving in instead. =)
And you know what's next.

Freelance Apprentice

It's almost 3 weeks since I started my freelance life. Life is not organized. Haha... although has been setting myself working hours. I didn't follow, at all...

But I am enjoying the process of discovering. Finding out which way work the best for me. Most of the time you find me sitting at Asia One Cafe, Bandar Puteri Puchong. I travelled to Jalan Imbi to meet client, my programmer partner treated me Green Tea Latte at Starbucks, Uptown Damansara. But most of the time you find me shopping around boutiques at Puchong. My housemates said she wanted to have soup for dinner, then I went market to buy some ingredients. Sometimes I know I have tons of work to do, but myself is telling me that I want to have Wholemeal Bread with butter for breakfast, then I drove out. Hmmm... I spent alot without getting my first cheque from client. Well, what can I say. I need DISCIPLINE!

Being an freelance apprentice, there's alot I need to learn. I am pitching a project, I was finding my programmer friend to co-operate with me, it didn't work out quite well. And I need to repropose to client again. Well okay I admit, I cried. But I am truly grateful in heart, because I've learnt! I am learning the art of negociation, presentation skill, time management, commitment, setting goals, and the process of being a successful freelancer. My mom supported me, haha, when I said I was scared to talk about the price to client. She said: LEARN! I am thankful. I love you mom, and all the friendssss who supported me. I won't dissapoint you!

I should have working for now. Haha, but I'm still blogging. I want to practise blogging everyday because it really helps me to review my thinking, and my progression. I find out that I am more progressive and motivated during the night time. I've triend to work 9 to 5. It don't really feel right. Let's try working at night then. =)

Working at Asia One Cafe, Puchong

My workplace at Sungai Petani.

Daily Schedule

Okay, now that I’ve started my freelance work. But I’m a organized person. I need to schedule my daily activity, able to follow my planned schedule is a small achievement everyday.

Work: 9.30am – 1.30pm
Lunch: 1.30pm – 2.30pm
Work: 2.30pm – 5.30pm
Exercise: 5.45pm-7pm

*1 hour of learning time is allowed during working hours.
* Complete at least 1 case study(CSS/Design/Photoshop Skill/Javascipt) a week.
* Must remove sight from monitor every 15 mins.
* Must stand up and move around every hour.

Weekend: Tidy up research/references/resources

Creating an impressive online portfolio

The internet has make today’s communication much more easier. In the past, graphic designer always carry a big black file to keep all their works in. Now, with the convenience of multimedia, graphic designer can consider to create a website/blog for their online portfolio. Your chance of exposure will certainly increase. People can easily navigate your portfolio by just searching keywords at search engine.

When you are offered for an interview for a job, the interviewer will certainly ask you to bring along your portfolio. Your chance of being offered an interview is only depends on your academic results. If you can attached the links together with your cover letter and resume, you will have bigger chance to impress the interviewer, hence even if you are not really good in academic marks, just impress him/her with your creative portfolio!

Therefore, I am planning to do an online portfolio.

These are some example of an good online portfolio:
http://www.attitudedesign.co.uk/
http://www.steveleggat.com/
http://designforfun.com/portfolio.php
http://www.lysergid.com/
http://www.ginoorlandi.com/
http://ilkeryoldas.com/
http://greghoustondesign.com/

Here are some guides to create a good portfolio (print/web):
http://www.veen.com/jeff/archives/000935.html
http://www.allgraphicdesign.com/graphicsblog/2007/10/01/how-to-create-a-traditional-graphic-design-portfolio-yes-with-an-actual-case/
http://www.allartschools.com/faqs/graphic-design-portfolio.php

The Marathon Begins

I resigned from my company as a so called Art Director. I knew it wouldn’t be my long term career but I had never thought it could be so short (lasted 2 months 2 weeks). I witnessed the greediness, lost, naïve of human-being. I cried for their ugliness. But I learnt to cherish the friendship. I am happy to have known a bunch of cute colleagues who care for each other so much. Farewell to another chapter of my life.

I finally have spare time to set up my blog as I have always wished for, and also revamp my portfolio website. “To do work you love and feel that it matters; how could anything be more fun? –Katherine Graham” I write on blog with the hope to inspire others, and also reminds me of what I have been always thinking. I believe it will motivate me during my climb towards whatever you may call it: goal, life, objective, and dream. It’s about the climb.

I bought a book by [Sam Horn – POP! Create the perfect pitch, title, and tagline for anything]. This is the most fascinating book that I’ve ever read in my life. It is a powerful tool for anyone who wants to break through the crowd, stay on top of mind, and make the maximum impact. I’ve got something out of it. Ladies and gentleman, please give a big round of applause to celebrate my new-born freelance agency – Athlete on the web. The book is so compact with inspirational quotes and techniques and I’ve pick those which inspired me to work on my agency pitch. I am not good in words. I quote others to express myself better.

- The goal is to break out, not blend in.

- It’s not enough to be the best at what you do; you must be perceived as the only one who does what you do. –Jerry Garcia

- Find something only you can say. –James Dickey

- If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else. –Yogi Berra

- Writing is not hard, just get paper and pencil, sit down, and write it as it occurs to you. The writing is easy; it’s the occurring that’s hard. –Steven Leacock

- When you can do the common things in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.

- Don’t fight forces; use them.

- All the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action.

- You’ve got to be original. If you’re like everybody else, what do they need you for? –Bernadette Peters

- Find what gave you emotion, what action gave you excitement. Then write it down, making it clear so the reader can see it too. –Ernest Hemingway

- A good conversationalist is not one who remembers what was said, but someone who says what people want to remember. –John Mason Brown

- I know that you believe that you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant. –Robert McCloskey

- Discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind. –Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

- You can sit there, tense and worried, freezing the creative energies, or you can start writing something, perhaps something silly. It doesn’t matter what. In five or ten minutes, the imagination will heat, the tightness will fade, and a certain spirit and rhythm will take over.

- Creativity is like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. You look at a set of elements, the same ones everyone else sees, but then reassemble those floating bits and pieces into an enticing new possibility. –Rosabeth Moss Kanter

- Turn assumptions upside down with ContraBrand. TV IS GOOD FOR YOUR KIDS. There are probably dozens of offerings similar to yours in the marketplace. How can you differentiate yourself so people have a compelling reason to pick you rather than your competitors? 3 upside down trees on its website, which touted their best attribute: Leaves more room on the floor for gifts!

- How can my business create a service that resolves or relieves a “secret pain” that is felt by many but rarely admitted? Write down all the norms that are accepted about your topic, industry, or profession. What do people believe to be true? Now ask yourself, how can I say the opposite of that? How can I introduce something that causes people to rethink their assumptions and question their current beliefs?

- Making the familiar fresh with meaningful metaphors. Instead of just talking about my subject/product, how can I share a personal example of hobby, accomplishment, or conquered challenge and then compare it to my issue or invention so people see it as if for the first time?

- The world is not made up of atoms; it’s made up of stories.

This action is good because it enables me to review whether my pitch resulted from the technique fits my objective. Anyone can come out with a pitch that POP! Haha, and I even thought of helping others to create pitch. The process is so fun and challenging! I started to fall in love practicing these mind exercise.

What I need next is an elevator introduction, and the design of the web. What do I do? How I break out? Why do people choose me? How to keep people coming back?