Forgiveness

I have been absent for a while. I couldn’t get my shit together. But I’m here today, trying to get the ball rolling. Plus, I can feel Michelle’s cute little face peering at me from NYC. Kisses!

So I wanted to write about the last Creative Morning I attended here in Atlanta. The next one is this Friday March 30. SIGN UP!

The speaker, whose name I can’t find anywhere on the site (forgivenessssss said with clinched teeth), was a photographer who talked about being honest about what you do for a living. As creatives we have our dreams and goals of where we would like to be and tend to fudge where we are currently in an attempt to impress friends, family members and of course other designers.

The ultimate take-away was to first acknowledge where you are…

“Hi, my name is Tiffanni and I am a designer. My main client is Church’s Chicken. I create window clings, menu board graphics and sometimes yes, price stickers. Currently, I’m trying to create an eye catching logo for a new product called Flamin’ Chicken Tenders, emphasis on the flamin’. I accept it.”

Second, accept it and keep it moving. Don’t let your ego get in the way. It can prevent you from taking advantage of all opportunities big and small. It may not go in your portfolio, it may not be something you can brag about at the next Creative Mornings or use to justify not calling your grandmother because you have a hectic life, but it’s work. It’s up to you to see what you can get out of it. Sometimes, it’s just doing shit you don’t want to do and still keep a good attitude about it…ie; mother grabbin’ price stickers.

And finally, we aren’t curing cancer. People who cure cancer have jobs that cure cancer. So don’t take your life so serious that you have to talk up that photo shoot last week…of chicken tenders, in order to feel good about your job. Remember to look at what you do have. That photo shoot of chicken tenders gives me an awesome free lunch and interns that make latte’s on command. Those chicken tenders allow me to fly to NYC every so often where I really get treated like royalty, I stay in cute boutique hotels that are waaay cuter than my apartment, AND I saw Tina Fey!

Look for the positive, always. You owe it to yourself.

His name is Zack Arias. Thank you Zack for giving me perspective.