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On perfectionism, fear and paralysis
I’ve been on a two-month (plus) information binge. I bought e-courses. E-books. Regular books. Had conversations with colleagues. And with clients. And my mom. I learned a LOT. During the process, I realized that there are a lot of things I know I “should” be doing … but I’m not. It’s not the first time…
Read MoreLending support, over and over again
My birthday was last week. I decided to pay a gift forward, and I donated it to Kiva. Kiva’s mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty. I donated to the Femmes Commerèantes N°6 Group (pictured above) in Thies, Senegal. Their goal is to fight family poverty. My donation allowed…
Read More“What you don’t do doesn’t matter” – my new mantra
I’ve been reading and thinking a lot about intent and follow through. It’s a theme that seems to popping up all over the place for the last few months. For me, it began with Chris Guillebeau’s article, “What you don’t do doesn’t matter.”
Read MoreSEO week: #4 – Improve your search rankings, without spending a dime
This week, I’m trying something new. Each day, I’ll write about a topic that I’ve been studying. This week’s topic: search engine optimization (or SEO, for short). Check back each day for a new post, or why not just subscribe to the RSS feed? Many of the factors relating to page rank rely on the…
Read MoreSEO week: #2 – Where do you rank?
This week, I’m trying something new. Each day, I’ll write about a topic that I’ve been studying. This week’s topic: search engine optimization (or SEO, for short). Check back each day for a new post, or why not just subscribe to the RSS feed? Page ranking is complicated. It can vary from search engine to…
Read MoreSEO week: #1 – What is SEO?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” or un-paid search results. The basic benefits of SEO are…
Read More“If our clients only knew…” (the messy side of graphic design)
I think it’s fair to say that most designers have at least a little touch of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). I like my pages neat, clean, and with plenty of white space. I can tell if the leading (line spacing) is off by a point or two. It drives me insane, even if I know…
Read MoreThe value of “bullshit”
“It follows that every design presentation is inevitably, at least in part, an exercise in bullshit. The design process always combines the pursuit of functional goals with countless intuitive, even irrational decisions. The functional requirements—the house needs a bathroom, the headlines have to be legible, the toothbrush has to fit in your mouth—are concrete and…
Read MoreThe most selfish thing you can do – write someone else a recommendation
Feeling kind of cranky? Maybe even a little bitter? Yeah, I was too. It’s Monday, it’s cold and dreary in Chicago, I have jet lag from my trip to LA and I didn’t have any caffeine today. And then I did this one quick thing, and I felt a lot better. Stop whatever you’re doing…
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