Wednesday, 25 April 2012
1 Year
So as of last Friday it was one year since I started at Neon.
It was a crazy year last year with some pretty serious life events taking place - finding out Jill and I were having a baby, getting married, starting a new job, having Kenzie and of course the hospital time, travel, and stress that came from having a child with cardiac issues.
Thankfully, Neon was incredibly flexible ( far beyond what we could have expected ) in allowing me to take 5 weeks to be in Edmonton without any kind of reductions to salary or pressure to get back to work. That combined with the jobs considerable lack of stress compared to what I left at the deadline driven SAIT / Xerox environment - it was truly a godsend. The stress on the homefront was difficult enough without any outside factors.
Its been a great work year, and overall a great year ( despite the tough times ) - the job is good, Kenzie is doing well and scheduled for her full repair in May, Jill and I are still strong together and although we still have things on our plate, going forward all you can do is stay optimistic and work to better our lives and do what we need to to give us the best chance at happiness - I do believe everything will turn out good in the end, I can see that vision for us its just the road to getting there has had detours and taken us down some paths that we didn't plan on, but I think thats part of life. Whats that saying, 'You can plan a picnic but not predict the weather' ? Is that a saying or just some lyrics I remember from an Outkast song? Either way, its true.
A good year. Except for the Canucks. But thats ... another story entirely - At least there weren't riots. Anyway, I had a couple beer bought for me last week so that was really cool. A great work environment that when I come home from a day at work I'm in a good mood, happy to see my wife and baby girl. Pretty awesome, what more can you ask for?
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
The Race Results
The St. Patrick's Day 10k was a huge success!
So to recap I had two goals I set prior to running the race which were to finish the race in 55 minutes and raise $1000 for the Children's Stollery Hospital Foundation. Both of which were not only reached, but pretty much blown out of the water.
My official run-time for the race was 50 minutes 31 seconds, finishing four and a half minutes ahead of my goal with a pace of 5:04 per km, and finishing 42 overall in the race. Those results I'm definitely happy with.
The goal of reaching $1000 was actually reached in February so I doubled the goal and ended up with a total amount of $1796 raised for the Children's Stollery Charity. I didn't have any idea of how much funds I could actually raise, but to raise that amount was surprising and inspiring. Its not too hard to get psyched for a run looking at the amount of donations received and all the kind words from family and friends.
So Thank You everyone for donating and for supporting us (Kenzie, Jill and Me too!) through Jill's pregnancy, Kenzie's birth & hospital stay, right through to the run. Your support made this charity run a BIG success.
I will be posting some pictures and an update to the charity section of the website shortly so do stay tuned!
So to recap I had two goals I set prior to running the race which were to finish the race in 55 minutes and raise $1000 for the Children's Stollery Hospital Foundation. Both of which were not only reached, but pretty much blown out of the water.
My official run-time for the race was 50 minutes 31 seconds, finishing four and a half minutes ahead of my goal with a pace of 5:04 per km, and finishing 42 overall in the race. Those results I'm definitely happy with.
The goal of reaching $1000 was actually reached in February so I doubled the goal and ended up with a total amount of $1796 raised for the Children's Stollery Charity. I didn't have any idea of how much funds I could actually raise, but to raise that amount was surprising and inspiring. Its not too hard to get psyched for a run looking at the amount of donations received and all the kind words from family and friends.
So Thank You everyone for donating and for supporting us (Kenzie, Jill and Me too!) through Jill's pregnancy, Kenzie's birth & hospital stay, right through to the run. Your support made this charity run a BIG success.
I will be posting some pictures and an update to the charity section of the website shortly so do stay tuned!
Friday, 17 February 2012
Freelancer
Freelancer.com is a site that hooks up content providers (freelance designers like me) with clients looking for cheaper solutions than a design studio etc. Its Great. It has a huge range of jobs available and its free to become a content provider. The screenshot below shows the wide range of categories available.
There are limitations to a free account - mostly the number of jobs you are able to bid for in a given time period, but aside from that it costs nothing. The best thing even with a free account on Freelancer is the option to view 'Contests' held online where a client or seller hosts an open contest, has options to upload funds so the winner is guaranteed to get PAID ( leading to better design submissions ) and is open to providers to upload their best designs. These contest are free to enter (doesn't require any bidding), is structured as far as what the seller is looking for, has an Public Clarification section where you can have an open dialog discussing job requirements with the Seller, and probably most importantly for me has a time limit to submit.
The time limit doesn't allow me to procrastinate, its a firm deadline and if I want to get my work in its got to be done on time. This is advantageous for a few reasons, 1) even though my job is super sweet I love what I'm doing, I rarely have any pressing deadlines. I know, boo hoo right? But it is important to challenge myself with deadlines to stay on top of things as far as producing quality work within a set timeframe. Its crazy now I actually need to take on extra work to get my 'deadline fix', quite the opposite of a print shop. 2) Whether or not my design wins, its still practice and experience that adds to my overall skill in design, pitting me against other designers and providing a little healthy competition. Seeing other designer's work can be inspirational, plus seeing what has already been submitted often forces you to think outside the box to come up with a fresh take on the request. 3) Once the contest is over, move onto the next challenge. There is such a diversity of jobs and having the ability to pick and choose what contests to enter really makes this fun. At the very least I aim to enter one contest a week to keep sharp & challenge myself with the deadline aspect, work on a range of concepts, medium, and job requirements. The key to this is keeping busy. The absolute hardest part of contributing regularly to iStock is there is no deadline - its too open and I really need to be 'forced' by the looming deadline to get my ass moving. I'm a procrastinator by nature, so Freelancer.com thanks for being a dick and making me work on the weekends. I appreciate it ( really I do! )
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| Listing of Available Job Categories |
The time limit doesn't allow me to procrastinate, its a firm deadline and if I want to get my work in its got to be done on time. This is advantageous for a few reasons, 1) even though my job is super sweet I love what I'm doing, I rarely have any pressing deadlines. I know, boo hoo right? But it is important to challenge myself with deadlines to stay on top of things as far as producing quality work within a set timeframe. Its crazy now I actually need to take on extra work to get my 'deadline fix', quite the opposite of a print shop. 2) Whether or not my design wins, its still practice and experience that adds to my overall skill in design, pitting me against other designers and providing a little healthy competition. Seeing other designer's work can be inspirational, plus seeing what has already been submitted often forces you to think outside the box to come up with a fresh take on the request. 3) Once the contest is over, move onto the next challenge. There is such a diversity of jobs and having the ability to pick and choose what contests to enter really makes this fun. At the very least I aim to enter one contest a week to keep sharp & challenge myself with the deadline aspect, work on a range of concepts, medium, and job requirements. The key to this is keeping busy. The absolute hardest part of contributing regularly to iStock is there is no deadline - its too open and I really need to be 'forced' by the looming deadline to get my ass moving. I'm a procrastinator by nature, so Freelancer.com thanks for being a dick and making me work on the weekends. I appreciate it ( really I do! )
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
The 2012 Bucket List
Welcome 2012!
2011 was a very big year and although it would be tough to top all the life events of the past year - getting married, having a baby girl & to a much lesser degree starting my 'true' career off with a new job - I have a lot of optimism for 2012, the things I am going to pursue and the things I am (hopefully) going to accomplish.
This could be looked at as my New Year's Resolution, although that's not what inspired this post. But since I didn't make a resolution this year come midnight - and not because I don't think I need to make any changes, its just I didn't give it any thought prior to so the midnight resolution thing just went out the window, so I will need to call it something else. Besides, it doesn't really matter when the desire to change occurs (New Years or not), just so long as we feel the drive to change. So I will call this my 2012 Bucket List - without the whole terminally ill dying part. And limited to 2012. And I can add to it if I want. Alright, now that that's established, here we go.
First things first, with Kenzie being in the hospital and Jill and I staying at the Ronald McDonald House for as long as we did, I really feel the need to give back to RMH and the Children's Stollery in whatever way that I can. But we have a baby now and we're not rich, so we have to find other ways to contribute. Over the last couple of years I've wanted to supplement training with competitive/organized running and just didn't get motivated or take the steps needed to make it happen. So with my desire to give back to those that so kindly helped us out in our time of need ( and we will be back there for the second surgery ) coupled with my ambitions of running a race I have decided to run my first 10k Run on March 14, 2012 for the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation - I am signed up, committed, and counting it down. The race itself is for Diakonos, which is another very good cause - The Diakonos Retreat Society is a non profit charity that helps the individuals' & families of Peace Officers, Firefighters, Emergency & Military Personnel cope with the challenges / risks of their profession. I think this is a great charity and I am eternally grateful that these people choose to enter these fields and do what they do on a daily basis because I can't even imagine the risks, stress, challenges and residual effects that these type of jobs would entail. I mean shit, I'm a graphic designer that had to get out of the print industry because it sucked balls and was stressful enough to the point of me hating my career choices and being majorly bummed out about having to go to work everyday. And that was dealing with paper, a far cry from life and death situations among many other things that these people deal with. My charity of choice, although not giving directly to the Diakonos Retreat Society, does overlap into this charitable field with Emergency Responders who are included in this bracket of remarkable individuals that endure the extreme risks, stress & challenges daily on the job.
So I will post a link to my Runningroom.com page where donations can be made (tax receipt available) and will be plugging the event over then next couple of months in hopes of raising ... as much money as possible. I don't have any idea of how much that could be at this point but I do hope its a bit of change because being in the hospital the amount of time that we were and the challenges my little girl Kenzie faced I was every bit appreciative of the facility, equipment, knowledge and expertise that was employed to see her safely to where she is now ( safe at home in her Mom's arms ). For sport, I am going to set myself a time goal that I want to finish the race - 10k in 55 minutes. Its a good challenge, not impossible but also not exactly a walk in the park. I would like to do a couple of races this year - its hard to say how many at this point but I hope for a second because I absolutely want to donate to the Ronald McDonald House because without that charity I have no idea what we would have done while in Edmonton. The whole setup is a godsend by providing very affordable housing, close proximity to the hospital, having volunteers stopping by to cook for families staying there ( very much appreciated after a long day at the hospital ) and being in a house with families facing similar challenges builds friendships and solid support groups. So this one is actually a two-parter ... giving back and getting off my ass (running a race).
This isn't part of the Bucket List right now, although its something that falls into the charity / giving back category. Donating our time at the RMH is also something that this family is going to do as a part of Kenzie's upbringing, although somewhat further down the road. Its important to Jill and I that we tell Kenzie how valuable the volunteers were to us when we were staying at the house, and then follow it up by giving our time, making a meal, etc and allowing her to see this value firsthand - Plus you just feel good when you do good for others. We will forever be tied to RMH and we plan to be active volunteers for a long time to show our thanks and gratitude for those who give selflessly for the benefit of other people. It really makes a difference.
Second, get on iStock and be a contributor. All this will require is, like above, is 'getting off my ass'. Setting aside time everyday or at the least every second day and work on something for an hour or two in the evenings. Balance my leisure time (what is that again?) with entrepreneurial work. Now I should also say that work in this case really isn't work, but more like honing my skills, being creative and playing on Illustrator. Not all that tough, although I like chillin' out some evenings and blasting some Xbox, watching a movie or something on the tube, or reading ... it's about discipline, Discipline, Discipline! This method of creating, enjoying what I'm doing, and earning extra income is better than applying and winning bids on freelance jobs, which is more like actual work. iStock first, if that is proving to be difficult then apply myself to freelancing and win some jobs the other way. Income is income and beggars can't be choosers. Although, if I get things rolling and up to par, I won't be the one begging! Thats the goal.
Third, I want to join a boxing / kickboxing class. There is a freebie class included in my Gold's membership at Northgate, but at a distance from what I've seen it might not be quite what I'm looking for. At the same time, it might be a good starting point just to get in there and try it out. Its not the technical instruction that I want, but it's probably pretty fun and a challenging workout, so I should try it for a week or two as a training supplement and see how things go. If it satisfies the craving maybe that will be that and I can jump into one or two of the classes a week and punch / kick things, maybe a person but probably not very hard because I'm sure they would be better skilled than I, and payback can be a bitch ( especially when its a fist to the noggin' ).
So I think thats it, hopefully get in two races and raise some funds for my favourite charities ( plus keep me in shape ), create create create some graphics for iStock and get selling, and join boxing / kickboxing or any martial art and learn a new skill-set.
2011 was a very big year and although it would be tough to top all the life events of the past year - getting married, having a baby girl & to a much lesser degree starting my 'true' career off with a new job - I have a lot of optimism for 2012, the things I am going to pursue and the things I am (hopefully) going to accomplish.
This could be looked at as my New Year's Resolution, although that's not what inspired this post. But since I didn't make a resolution this year come midnight - and not because I don't think I need to make any changes, its just I didn't give it any thought prior to so the midnight resolution thing just went out the window, so I will need to call it something else. Besides, it doesn't really matter when the desire to change occurs (New Years or not), just so long as we feel the drive to change. So I will call this my 2012 Bucket List - without the whole terminally ill dying part. And limited to 2012. And I can add to it if I want. Alright, now that that's established, here we go.
First things first, with Kenzie being in the hospital and Jill and I staying at the Ronald McDonald House for as long as we did, I really feel the need to give back to RMH and the Children's Stollery in whatever way that I can. But we have a baby now and we're not rich, so we have to find other ways to contribute. Over the last couple of years I've wanted to supplement training with competitive/organized running and just didn't get motivated or take the steps needed to make it happen. So with my desire to give back to those that so kindly helped us out in our time of need ( and we will be back there for the second surgery ) coupled with my ambitions of running a race I have decided to run my first 10k Run on March 14, 2012 for the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation - I am signed up, committed, and counting it down. The race itself is for Diakonos, which is another very good cause - The Diakonos Retreat Society is a non profit charity that helps the individuals' & families of Peace Officers, Firefighters, Emergency & Military Personnel cope with the challenges / risks of their profession. I think this is a great charity and I am eternally grateful that these people choose to enter these fields and do what they do on a daily basis because I can't even imagine the risks, stress, challenges and residual effects that these type of jobs would entail. I mean shit, I'm a graphic designer that had to get out of the print industry because it sucked balls and was stressful enough to the point of me hating my career choices and being majorly bummed out about having to go to work everyday. And that was dealing with paper, a far cry from life and death situations among many other things that these people deal with. My charity of choice, although not giving directly to the Diakonos Retreat Society, does overlap into this charitable field with Emergency Responders who are included in this bracket of remarkable individuals that endure the extreme risks, stress & challenges daily on the job.
So I will post a link to my Runningroom.com page where donations can be made (tax receipt available) and will be plugging the event over then next couple of months in hopes of raising ... as much money as possible. I don't have any idea of how much that could be at this point but I do hope its a bit of change because being in the hospital the amount of time that we were and the challenges my little girl Kenzie faced I was every bit appreciative of the facility, equipment, knowledge and expertise that was employed to see her safely to where she is now ( safe at home in her Mom's arms ). For sport, I am going to set myself a time goal that I want to finish the race - 10k in 55 minutes. Its a good challenge, not impossible but also not exactly a walk in the park. I would like to do a couple of races this year - its hard to say how many at this point but I hope for a second because I absolutely want to donate to the Ronald McDonald House because without that charity I have no idea what we would have done while in Edmonton. The whole setup is a godsend by providing very affordable housing, close proximity to the hospital, having volunteers stopping by to cook for families staying there ( very much appreciated after a long day at the hospital ) and being in a house with families facing similar challenges builds friendships and solid support groups. So this one is actually a two-parter ... giving back and getting off my ass (running a race).
This isn't part of the Bucket List right now, although its something that falls into the charity / giving back category. Donating our time at the RMH is also something that this family is going to do as a part of Kenzie's upbringing, although somewhat further down the road. Its important to Jill and I that we tell Kenzie how valuable the volunteers were to us when we were staying at the house, and then follow it up by giving our time, making a meal, etc and allowing her to see this value firsthand - Plus you just feel good when you do good for others. We will forever be tied to RMH and we plan to be active volunteers for a long time to show our thanks and gratitude for those who give selflessly for the benefit of other people. It really makes a difference.
Second, get on iStock and be a contributor. All this will require is, like above, is 'getting off my ass'. Setting aside time everyday or at the least every second day and work on something for an hour or two in the evenings. Balance my leisure time (what is that again?) with entrepreneurial work. Now I should also say that work in this case really isn't work, but more like honing my skills, being creative and playing on Illustrator. Not all that tough, although I like chillin' out some evenings and blasting some Xbox, watching a movie or something on the tube, or reading ... it's about discipline, Discipline, Discipline! This method of creating, enjoying what I'm doing, and earning extra income is better than applying and winning bids on freelance jobs, which is more like actual work. iStock first, if that is proving to be difficult then apply myself to freelancing and win some jobs the other way. Income is income and beggars can't be choosers. Although, if I get things rolling and up to par, I won't be the one begging! Thats the goal.
Third, I want to join a boxing / kickboxing class. There is a freebie class included in my Gold's membership at Northgate, but at a distance from what I've seen it might not be quite what I'm looking for. At the same time, it might be a good starting point just to get in there and try it out. Its not the technical instruction that I want, but it's probably pretty fun and a challenging workout, so I should try it for a week or two as a training supplement and see how things go. If it satisfies the craving maybe that will be that and I can jump into one or two of the classes a week and punch / kick things, maybe a person but probably not very hard because I'm sure they would be better skilled than I, and payback can be a bitch ( especially when its a fist to the noggin' ).
So I think thats it, hopefully get in two races and raise some funds for my favourite charities ( plus keep me in shape ), create create create some graphics for iStock and get selling, and join boxing / kickboxing or any martial art and learn a new skill-set.
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Kind People
Some people are fucking stupid - ignorant of others, what they are doing and how it might affect people around them or maybe they are aware and just honestly don't care (which is worse in my opinion because then you are just an asshole and worthy of a slap in the face). Attention Self-Centered Pricks! Breaking News!! You are not the only person on the planet!! There are more GOOD people than there are dickheads its just the wankers make more of a splash because they .. are .. well, loud obnoxious dickheads.
But not everyone.
In this difficult time over the last few months with everything that's happened with our daughter Kenzie I have encountered all kinds of people, some aforementioned above but I've also had the privilege of encountering others that act with such kindness and compassion that I can feel it reaching out to my soul. Their actions, sometimes their attitude or outlook on situations is inspiring - I can actually feel it nudging me in the direction of compassion, understanding and empathy for other people driving me to be a better person.
I want to thank everyone who has helped us through this time with Kenzie. This includes a long list of people that have supported us and in a variety of ways. Family - both my and Jill's parents - her brother Jason, my cousins Krista & Dave, Jill's Auntie Sue & husband Kerry to name a few and lots of support coming from friends and acquaintances. (Thanks Dennis, I think another case of beer is an order.) We've gotten prayers, support, and positive energy from people close to us, people from work, friends from all walks of life, new 'friends' in people we've met as a result of being in the situation at the hospital, doctors and nurses as well as complete strangers. Two shout outs here - the force of people in the Creston Valley adding their prayer support - lots of whom I probably don't know. Also, I got an email the other day from a former co-worker from the SAIT Xerox site that sat and prayed with a Tibetan monk specifically for our daughter Kenzie. That blew me away, (thank you Tsering) the support that we've got has been incredible. Thank you everyone for everything.
I also have to recognize the amazing company that I now work for. They have completely giving me the time and space to take care of the personal affairs going on, be it here in Calgary or in Edmonton. They genuinely care, the people at Neon Contractors are some of the best people I have ever had the privilege of working with and count myself extremely lucky to have found this new career path. I love the job, its a great mix of challenge, precision, & creativity and the finished product is something that I am proud of and love seeing around town. Its a great job combined with great people. I enjoy going to work everyday and have a fraction of the stress that I had in my previous job - it has truly been a godsend. The fact that I don't bring stress from work home into an already emotionally stressful situation with Kenzie has really been a key to survival through these hard times. Taking the "Work-Stress" factor out of the equation has literally helped me keep my sanity ( which at times is still questionable - so imagine where I'd be tacking that extra shit onto the top of the load ).
So thank you again everyone for your support, your kindness has inspired this post and is continuing to inspire me - hope can be as powerful as anything you are up against if you really believe that something good will come out of it - be it in a day, month, year or years - don't let any 'trial' be for naught.
But not everyone.
In this difficult time over the last few months with everything that's happened with our daughter Kenzie I have encountered all kinds of people, some aforementioned above but I've also had the privilege of encountering others that act with such kindness and compassion that I can feel it reaching out to my soul. Their actions, sometimes their attitude or outlook on situations is inspiring - I can actually feel it nudging me in the direction of compassion, understanding and empathy for other people driving me to be a better person.
I want to thank everyone who has helped us through this time with Kenzie. This includes a long list of people that have supported us and in a variety of ways. Family - both my and Jill's parents - her brother Jason, my cousins Krista & Dave, Jill's Auntie Sue & husband Kerry to name a few and lots of support coming from friends and acquaintances. (Thanks Dennis, I think another case of beer is an order.) We've gotten prayers, support, and positive energy from people close to us, people from work, friends from all walks of life, new 'friends' in people we've met as a result of being in the situation at the hospital, doctors and nurses as well as complete strangers. Two shout outs here - the force of people in the Creston Valley adding their prayer support - lots of whom I probably don't know. Also, I got an email the other day from a former co-worker from the SAIT Xerox site that sat and prayed with a Tibetan monk specifically for our daughter Kenzie. That blew me away, (thank you Tsering) the support that we've got has been incredible. Thank you everyone for everything.
I also have to recognize the amazing company that I now work for. They have completely giving me the time and space to take care of the personal affairs going on, be it here in Calgary or in Edmonton. They genuinely care, the people at Neon Contractors are some of the best people I have ever had the privilege of working with and count myself extremely lucky to have found this new career path. I love the job, its a great mix of challenge, precision, & creativity and the finished product is something that I am proud of and love seeing around town. Its a great job combined with great people. I enjoy going to work everyday and have a fraction of the stress that I had in my previous job - it has truly been a godsend. The fact that I don't bring stress from work home into an already emotionally stressful situation with Kenzie has really been a key to survival through these hard times. Taking the "Work-Stress" factor out of the equation has literally helped me keep my sanity ( which at times is still questionable - so imagine where I'd be tacking that extra shit onto the top of the load ).
So thank you again everyone for your support, your kindness has inspired this post and is continuing to inspire me - hope can be as powerful as anything you are up against if you really believe that something good will come out of it - be it in a day, month, year or years - don't let any 'trial' be for naught.
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
Leap of Faith
It has been a while since I've posted anything new and I need to stay 'in touch' with everything in my design world and that might require a little more effort on my part.
But to fill in a bit of the backstory, my wife and I recently had our baby girl and although she is beautiful and doing really well, she has a congenital heart defect ( which we found out about from around the 18 week mark of the pregnancy) and as a result of that we have to be in Edmonton for not only the birth, but subsequent surgery she will need on her heart. So temporarily relocating from Calgary to Edmonton is not the most desirable thing to do, but necessity rules and in the moment ( I find myself acting and really living in the moment a lot these days ) you really do what you need to do to get by. My wife is on her maternity leave from work so on that front we are covered, but as far as my work goes it left a bit of a problem. Which leads me to the point of this particular entry.
Taking a chance on the unfamiliar.
What has impressed me most about my employers, Neon Contractors, is the level of support, encouragement, and the lengths they have gone to accommodate me in this time of need. Sure, I recognize probably every company ( except if your employer was Ebenezer Scrooge would give their employee the time off that they need in a situation like this as a personal leave or leave of absence ) it is the fact that they feel confident enough in me and support me in allowing me to tele-commute or work from my temporary home at the Ronald McDonald house in Edmonton. This means no drop in pay, I am continuing to make my same rate of pay working from Edmonton, giving me the freedom to spend as much time as I need with my family and continue to work at my own pace, on whatever time schedule works for me, from wherever I can when I have the time ( say the cafeteria at the hospital, the 'Healing Garden' or anywhere else I can find a quiet spot ).
I know a lot of companies do things like this all the time, but for the 'family' of employees that work at Neon something like this hasn't been done before. They are pretty old school; the founder Cliff Thomas Sr. founded the company in 1955, cheques are issued and signed by the current GM Craig Thomas ( Cliff Sr.'s son ) and physically handed out on payday ( what is this 'direct deposit' you speak of? ), and there are three people currently on staff with over 30 years with the company. So to take a big step out of their comfort zone and show me the level of trust and support that they have, I am going to take every opportunity to show them that they are putting their faith in the right place.
I am extremely grateful for this opportunity as my family and I are well out of our comfort zone by being in another city, staying in a shared living environment, living the 'No Routine' routine that is the hospital life on a daily basis, being new parents, but thankfully not having to stress about finances like so many in similar situations.
This is far from an easy situation requiring a great level of dedication and perseverance to push out designs in a timely manner, but the flip side of this is that it is still a creative outlet and can help take my mind off the stressful situation that my wife and I find ourselves navigating daily, as best we can. This is an opportunity to prove that I am a reliable employee and the faith that is invested in me now may provide greater opportunity for myself in the future with Neon in terms of the odd days of tele-commuting once we have our baby girl back at home in Calgary.
But to fill in a bit of the backstory, my wife and I recently had our baby girl and although she is beautiful and doing really well, she has a congenital heart defect ( which we found out about from around the 18 week mark of the pregnancy) and as a result of that we have to be in Edmonton for not only the birth, but subsequent surgery she will need on her heart. So temporarily relocating from Calgary to Edmonton is not the most desirable thing to do, but necessity rules and in the moment ( I find myself acting and really living in the moment a lot these days ) you really do what you need to do to get by. My wife is on her maternity leave from work so on that front we are covered, but as far as my work goes it left a bit of a problem. Which leads me to the point of this particular entry.
Taking a chance on the unfamiliar.
What has impressed me most about my employers, Neon Contractors, is the level of support, encouragement, and the lengths they have gone to accommodate me in this time of need. Sure, I recognize probably every company ( except if your employer was Ebenezer Scrooge would give their employee the time off that they need in a situation like this as a personal leave or leave of absence ) it is the fact that they feel confident enough in me and support me in allowing me to tele-commute or work from my temporary home at the Ronald McDonald house in Edmonton. This means no drop in pay, I am continuing to make my same rate of pay working from Edmonton, giving me the freedom to spend as much time as I need with my family and continue to work at my own pace, on whatever time schedule works for me, from wherever I can when I have the time ( say the cafeteria at the hospital, the 'Healing Garden' or anywhere else I can find a quiet spot ).
I know a lot of companies do things like this all the time, but for the 'family' of employees that work at Neon something like this hasn't been done before. They are pretty old school; the founder Cliff Thomas Sr. founded the company in 1955, cheques are issued and signed by the current GM Craig Thomas ( Cliff Sr.'s son ) and physically handed out on payday ( what is this 'direct deposit' you speak of? ), and there are three people currently on staff with over 30 years with the company. So to take a big step out of their comfort zone and show me the level of trust and support that they have, I am going to take every opportunity to show them that they are putting their faith in the right place.
I am extremely grateful for this opportunity as my family and I are well out of our comfort zone by being in another city, staying in a shared living environment, living the 'No Routine' routine that is the hospital life on a daily basis, being new parents, but thankfully not having to stress about finances like so many in similar situations.
This is far from an easy situation requiring a great level of dedication and perseverance to push out designs in a timely manner, but the flip side of this is that it is still a creative outlet and can help take my mind off the stressful situation that my wife and I find ourselves navigating daily, as best we can. This is an opportunity to prove that I am a reliable employee and the faith that is invested in me now may provide greater opportunity for myself in the future with Neon in terms of the odd days of tele-commuting once we have our baby girl back at home in Calgary.
Thursday, 28 July 2011
3 Months with the New
So three months with the 'New' job and all is well.
In fact, it's absolutely the best move I could have made. The three month mark was kind of my probationary period - they were testing me out and I was getting used to the job and all that it entails - after which time I had my review. Which went something like this: My boss to me "Wow, three months already. We'll talk to Craig and bump your pay up as we talked about, I have no complaints, you've caught onto this pretty well. Just small things, attention to details - reading over prints one last time and that's it. We're happy to have you onboard and are pleased with your work."
Sweet.
It was a nice change to have the employer being aware of your start date and rate of pay increase (negotiated upon my hiring) and not having to track them down and twist any arms to get things rolling as I've had the experience of in the past.
It was also good to have the feedback, I have been a bit self-conscious on some of the projects I have worked on as far as me thinking that I am taking too long on it. Which isn't really a concern to them as much as it is to me - I need to slow myself down and not worry about how long something takes to do, just take my time and be meticulous in the details - which is definitely something I am capable of doing. I know that the "Get it done and get it out" attitude comes from the last few years working in the print industry where things were almost always a rush. Thinking back, over the last three months I've had two or three rush jobs (end of day deadlines) compared to the average of say ten-to-fifteen a day working in the print shop. Juxtaposed, its like night and day, the stress level at my job now is easily a quarter of what it used to be.
Although that might go up a bit over the next couple of weeks - my direct supervisor in the Art Department (which there are only two of us) is going on holidays for two weeks after the August long weekend - so that leaves Ol' Grindle holding down the art requests for the duration. Might get a bit interesting, but I handle that sort of thing well - and I've had plenty of 'training' in my last job. I actually like the opportunity to demonstrate my ability and prove my worth in situations like this.
The last three months have been good (with a stellar company bbq in there with beer o' plenty), the work is actually something I enjoy (95% of the time, every time), and I get to create designs I am proud to put my name on and enjoy seeing the finished product (post-production) throughout the city. This transition into the next 'phase' of my career has truly enhanced my (and Jill's too) quality of life and I am looking forward to continuing on with Neon and the everyday opportunities to grow as a designer.
In fact, it's absolutely the best move I could have made. The three month mark was kind of my probationary period - they were testing me out and I was getting used to the job and all that it entails - after which time I had my review. Which went something like this: My boss to me "Wow, three months already. We'll talk to Craig and bump your pay up as we talked about, I have no complaints, you've caught onto this pretty well. Just small things, attention to details - reading over prints one last time and that's it. We're happy to have you onboard and are pleased with your work."
Sweet.
It was a nice change to have the employer being aware of your start date and rate of pay increase (negotiated upon my hiring) and not having to track them down and twist any arms to get things rolling as I've had the experience of in the past.
It was also good to have the feedback, I have been a bit self-conscious on some of the projects I have worked on as far as me thinking that I am taking too long on it. Which isn't really a concern to them as much as it is to me - I need to slow myself down and not worry about how long something takes to do, just take my time and be meticulous in the details - which is definitely something I am capable of doing. I know that the "Get it done and get it out" attitude comes from the last few years working in the print industry where things were almost always a rush. Thinking back, over the last three months I've had two or three rush jobs (end of day deadlines) compared to the average of say ten-to-fifteen a day working in the print shop. Juxtaposed, its like night and day, the stress level at my job now is easily a quarter of what it used to be.
Although that might go up a bit over the next couple of weeks - my direct supervisor in the Art Department (which there are only two of us) is going on holidays for two weeks after the August long weekend - so that leaves Ol' Grindle holding down the art requests for the duration. Might get a bit interesting, but I handle that sort of thing well - and I've had plenty of 'training' in my last job. I actually like the opportunity to demonstrate my ability and prove my worth in situations like this.
The last three months have been good (with a stellar company bbq in there with beer o' plenty), the work is actually something I enjoy (95% of the time, every time), and I get to create designs I am proud to put my name on and enjoy seeing the finished product (post-production) throughout the city. This transition into the next 'phase' of my career has truly enhanced my (and Jill's too) quality of life and I am looking forward to continuing on with Neon and the everyday opportunities to grow as a designer.
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Blogging as part of a Healthy Lifestyle
My motivations for first starting a blog were a bit shallow - to sum it up in a couple words "monetary gain". I knew I needed to "connect" or to allow others to connect to me and as a designer and blogging about what I do is a great way for a potential client or even just a random web traveller to get an idea of who I am, what I do, my attitude and aptitude etc etc. What I didn't expect to find was a real value in the process of Blogging. Its a kind of exercise for the brain. Have you seen the Seinfeld episode where George and Elaine both stop having sex - George becomes a genius and Elaine gets a little slow? Its kind of like that - except with blogging. Yes, I know I just compared blogging to sex deprivation (wtf..), but hang on a minute and let me explain this.
In todays world dominated by social media I think blogging is a healthy outlet. It's the other side of the coin as far as social media is concerned because it's forcing the blogger to write about themselves, experiences they've had, their feelings and opinions which is where it differs from the goliath that is Facebook. FB is far more interactive between users and can be used in a very wide variety of ways from micro-blogging with 'Status Updates', business and casual social connectivity and networking, instant messaging, games, groups to probably a hundred other applications (some of them that I'm sure I'm completely unaware of). Blogs can be social, political, business related, satirical, almost anything you can think of and any combination to boot, but personal blogs are introspective, generally based on the past experiences, structured (assuming it's well constructed) and projects an idea or emotion that the writer conveying to the audience.
The value that I've unexpectedly found in it is it being the perfect medium to let your thoughts loose, get it all down on "paper" and sort out what I'm feeling. It can be beneficial with any problem or situation going on and can add structure to the normally free-flowing thoughts and emotions which in my case has lead me to a better understand of my situation and myself. Making sense of the thoughts and emotional reactions that we feel as a result of what is happening around us is no easy task, but it is crucial in better understanding who we are and may shed some light on 'flaws' of character that we may want to work on to make us a more well-rounded mature adult. Thats honestly not my first choice of fun activities on a Saturday night ... but it's insightful nonetheless.
I've found that my communication and my ability to share my feelings with all people in my life has improved as a result of blogging. An example of this is the way Jill (my wife) and I communicate. The two of us have, even before my blogging, built a solid foundation of trust, respect, and closeness that wouldn't be possible without sharing our thoughts and being open to one another. This skill is the opposite of my nature (probably most guys too) and requires effort as well as trust in the person you confide in, but being open, honest, and talking things out can create a more full and fulfilling relationship with whomever you share these things with. Even then it was a relatively new process and by adding blogging into the mix I can now better organize my thoughts and understand my feelings which results in more confidence in myself to speak openly, honestly, and convey these feelings to another and (hopefully!) not be ruled by impulse and emotion.
In regards to my career and designing it has proven itself useful in seeing my strengths and weaknesses - and has done what I had originally set out for it to do. Which is letting my voice be heard to any who have the patience to read (shout out to my readers!) and letting potential and current clients read about what I'm up to, get a feeling for who I am as well as open the door for future conversations, comments and feedback.
Blogging turned out to be more than me digitally voicing myself and to get back to the 90's Seinfeld reference from earlier - it is like taking out the trash (as in Elaine's case) and can help keep ones train-of-thought on track and not be derailed by something shiny or some spinning tires. Btw, if you haven't seen that particular episode I do recommend it, and Seinfeld in general. As my title entry on this one implies, blogging can be part of a healthy modern lifestyle - Blogging does for the Mind what Jogging does for the Body. It lets you flex those synapses, gets things off your chest/mind, and helps you come to some realizations about what's going on around you (and within you) that you may not necessarily be aware of and helps you be in better control of yourself and your reactions to the people in your life and whatever the world around you might toss your way.
Monday, 6 June 2011
Lesson Learned!
Research. Research. Research.
It's a simple and obvious concept but before you commit to something - especially a design or project with a firm deadline, RESEARCH.
This past weekend I took a simple job and made it a two day affair. I knew the size and scope of the job that I committed to, this wasn't the oversight, it was the fact I missed my window of opportunity to make it "quick and easy" by accepting it past the hours of operation of the business I had to take it to without any backup plan. The old adage of "putting all my eggs in one omelette" comes to mind, but that never really made much sense until now. (I do know its actually basket, not omelette).
Here's a quick timeline outlining my "activites" -
So after all the running around, the setup and design took less than an hour - with the manual bindery etc that was required to finish the job - approximately 2 hours. A two hour project from start to finish took closer to 11 hours of my time between Saturday and Sunday.
That's a good chunk of my "free time" because I didn't do my research or have a backup plan once my original idea was out the window. Despite that, it's always important to look to the positives in any case, which is if I undertake this or a project similar again, to get the info/documents/files etc I need beforehand to make it a one hour project or if required take into account that extra hour or two to complete any additional manual processes without sweating the deadline. I also now know what print shops do what and what limitations they have, and knowing that can save me some time in the future.
All things considered, this project was not worth my time in monetary terms but as a freelance lesson in doing my research, it was a goldmine - IF - I do not let this would-be "history" lesson repeat itself.
I do fancy myself a reasonably smart individual - to some extent - and would hope this lesson isn't lost on me, although there are also other things to consider here. Mainly, the attitude of being a "Yes" man and the tendency to take on all projects no questions asked and just find a way to complete the job, whatever it takes. With the resources I now have, which are considerably less now after not having an XGS site at my disposal, the second part of this lesson is to understand my strengths, weaknesses, and most importantly my limitations in terms of product delivery. A key component when required to deliver a physical product like posters, cards, cds or dvds - which may require an outside company or process that is out of my control and subject to workflow restrictions and business hours. This is unlike simply creating a digital file which relies solely only on software and software knowledge as is the case with most of the jobs I have done.
For future jobs if I can have a solid confirmation of the resources I will need to access (maybe a backup plan or three if physical product delivery is required) and combine that with an honest assessment of what I am capable of delivering - I should be able to avoid a future opportunity of "easy" employment going awry, which may from time to time require me to turn down some jobs. In such cases it's important to not look at this not as a failure, just as this past weekend was important in realizing the value of planning, but see it as a win - freeing up time and not taking on needless stress when a particular job may be too much to take on - as well as the opportunity to learn something useful when challenges do arise as they undoubtedly will.
It's a simple and obvious concept but before you commit to something - especially a design or project with a firm deadline, RESEARCH.
This past weekend I took a simple job and made it a two day affair. I knew the size and scope of the job that I committed to, this wasn't the oversight, it was the fact I missed my window of opportunity to make it "quick and easy" by accepting it past the hours of operation of the business I had to take it to without any backup plan. The old adage of "putting all my eggs in one omelette" comes to mind, but that never really made much sense until now. (I do know its actually basket, not omelette).
Here's a quick timeline outlining my "activites" -
That's a good chunk of my "free time" because I didn't do my research or have a backup plan once my original idea was out the window. Despite that, it's always important to look to the positives in any case, which is if I undertake this or a project similar again, to get the info/documents/files etc I need beforehand to make it a one hour project or if required take into account that extra hour or two to complete any additional manual processes without sweating the deadline. I also now know what print shops do what and what limitations they have, and knowing that can save me some time in the future.
All things considered, this project was not worth my time in monetary terms but as a freelance lesson in doing my research, it was a goldmine - IF - I do not let this would-be "history" lesson repeat itself.
I do fancy myself a reasonably smart individual - to some extent - and would hope this lesson isn't lost on me, although there are also other things to consider here. Mainly, the attitude of being a "Yes" man and the tendency to take on all projects no questions asked and just find a way to complete the job, whatever it takes. With the resources I now have, which are considerably less now after not having an XGS site at my disposal, the second part of this lesson is to understand my strengths, weaknesses, and most importantly my limitations in terms of product delivery. A key component when required to deliver a physical product like posters, cards, cds or dvds - which may require an outside company or process that is out of my control and subject to workflow restrictions and business hours. This is unlike simply creating a digital file which relies solely only on software and software knowledge as is the case with most of the jobs I have done.
For future jobs if I can have a solid confirmation of the resources I will need to access (maybe a backup plan or three if physical product delivery is required) and combine that with an honest assessment of what I am capable of delivering - I should be able to avoid a future opportunity of "easy" employment going awry, which may from time to time require me to turn down some jobs. In such cases it's important to not look at this not as a failure, just as this past weekend was important in realizing the value of planning, but see it as a win - freeing up time and not taking on needless stress when a particular job may be too much to take on - as well as the opportunity to learn something useful when challenges do arise as they undoubtedly will.
Monday, 30 May 2011
The Advanced Illustrator
Just when I start to think I know quite a bit about working with vectors, bezier curves, shapes and generally know my way around Illustrator pretty well - I am quick to discover I don't.
After accepting the new job and having a pretty decent understanding of what the job would entail - I thought I knew what my challenges would be - initially it was drawing to scale. This turned out to be something that was not as difficult as I thought, caught onto it quickly and didn't have much trouble adjusting and was working confidently quite quickly.
Next was learning the product, materials, and how best to layout the designs so they (the production team) can use the specs that we (the design team) were drawing up. This is still ongoing and each project is unique in its own way - the challenge with this is understanding the strengths and limitations of the materials and from that knowledge applying the "best fit" for that particular job. Its not a cookie cutter solution most of the time, which I enjoy working through to bring concept of what the client wants through design to an end product that's practical, eye-catching and gets the most bang for your buck.
The design aspect varies - some projects are open to creativity, some not. Both have pros and cons, after two or three "creativity required" its kind of nice to sit back and just put something together that doesn't require much thought - especially say .. Friday afternoon. But space is usually something of premium so juggling the design - ideas, attractiveness and space - usually has its challenges and coming up with something "fresh" can be difficult. This can be said for design in general and all things considered would exactly what I was expecting in terms of a job challenge even though I was unfamiliar with this particular medium. So no big shocker here, but it is a constant and requires thought and effort on each design.
What I didn't expect was to learn as much as I have already about the software I was using - which I thought I knew pretty well. Turns out I'm not as advanced as I might have thought. Working with basic shapes and tracing contour lines to create a realistic looking object is something I have worked with on some past projects and have met with some success - unbeknownst to me the skills and experience I was gaining from it outweighed the project(s) themselves. Being the replacement for the last designer who worked here for about three years - it's always good to hear positive reinforcement in terms of the skills I bring to the table, such as "I didn't know you could do that!" when the last designer couldn't. So I am relevant and from here I have a good starting point in terms of knowledge and experience to step into the role at Neon - but its all about progression.
Working with the senior designer (30+ years at Neon/design experience) has been a very valuable experience thus far allowing me to sponge all kinds of useful methods and information. This includes things like: strategies for attacking certain designs, utilizing tools and methods in Illustrator I hadn't used before (advanced features of pathfinder, cutting and reshaping lines, and of course some tips creating smooth arcing curves), knowledge of production materials and processes (which allows me to put forth a better design that go straight to production without redrawing or resizing for machine limitations) - to name the most common.
The Illustrator program has advanced options and capabilities that I still haven't used to their full potential - which made me realize that investing some time to develop some knowledge and skill with these various tools would undoubtedly be a good move - creating stronger designs, cutting down time designing, and the satisfaction of adding a few more weapons to my arsenal. Whether its learning from someone else, researching things myself through tutorials or forums, or even a new book here and there -spending some time investing in my skills to aid myself in my new job will without a doubt be time well spent.
After accepting the new job and having a pretty decent understanding of what the job would entail - I thought I knew what my challenges would be - initially it was drawing to scale. This turned out to be something that was not as difficult as I thought, caught onto it quickly and didn't have much trouble adjusting and was working confidently quite quickly.
Next was learning the product, materials, and how best to layout the designs so they (the production team) can use the specs that we (the design team) were drawing up. This is still ongoing and each project is unique in its own way - the challenge with this is understanding the strengths and limitations of the materials and from that knowledge applying the "best fit" for that particular job. Its not a cookie cutter solution most of the time, which I enjoy working through to bring concept of what the client wants through design to an end product that's practical, eye-catching and gets the most bang for your buck.
The design aspect varies - some projects are open to creativity, some not. Both have pros and cons, after two or three "creativity required" its kind of nice to sit back and just put something together that doesn't require much thought - especially say .. Friday afternoon. But space is usually something of premium so juggling the design - ideas, attractiveness and space - usually has its challenges and coming up with something "fresh" can be difficult. This can be said for design in general and all things considered would exactly what I was expecting in terms of a job challenge even though I was unfamiliar with this particular medium. So no big shocker here, but it is a constant and requires thought and effort on each design.
What I didn't expect was to learn as much as I have already about the software I was using - which I thought I knew pretty well. Turns out I'm not as advanced as I might have thought. Working with basic shapes and tracing contour lines to create a realistic looking object is something I have worked with on some past projects and have met with some success - unbeknownst to me the skills and experience I was gaining from it outweighed the project(s) themselves. Being the replacement for the last designer who worked here for about three years - it's always good to hear positive reinforcement in terms of the skills I bring to the table, such as "I didn't know you could do that!" when the last designer couldn't. So I am relevant and from here I have a good starting point in terms of knowledge and experience to step into the role at Neon - but its all about progression.
Working with the senior designer (30+ years at Neon/design experience) has been a very valuable experience thus far allowing me to sponge all kinds of useful methods and information. This includes things like: strategies for attacking certain designs, utilizing tools and methods in Illustrator I hadn't used before (advanced features of pathfinder, cutting and reshaping lines, and of course some tips creating smooth arcing curves), knowledge of production materials and processes (which allows me to put forth a better design that go straight to production without redrawing or resizing for machine limitations) - to name the most common.
The Illustrator program has advanced options and capabilities that I still haven't used to their full potential - which made me realize that investing some time to develop some knowledge and skill with these various tools would undoubtedly be a good move - creating stronger designs, cutting down time designing, and the satisfaction of adding a few more weapons to my arsenal. Whether its learning from someone else, researching things myself through tutorials or forums, or even a new book here and there -spending some time investing in my skills to aid myself in my new job will without a doubt be time well spent.
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Dedication
As my first official post - I was never a diary kind of guy and this being my first blog and my first blog post - I would like to share some thoughts on dedication.
I am choosing this subject as a result of my recent career change, the experience of the last couple years and various "events" I had to go through to get to where I am now. I will do my best not to ramble, draw conclusions based on what I perceive as solid facts, and keep things as positive as I can even though I will undoubtedly have to reference some less than great times.
So to start I will look at what I know of dedication as well as creating a basis for later comparison. I have been dedicated to exercise (health and fitness) since I was about fifteen years old. Needless to say, my fitness level and workout regimen have drastically changed from an eager fifteen year old to where I am now, setting goals and tailoring my routines to accomplish goals. Even from the beginning, this has always been something I enjoy and it requires me to challenge myself to reach goals and dedication is absolutely imperative to see any results. For me personally, even with a strenuous exercise routine I wasn't achieving my goals - I recognized my diet needed to change so I made the appropriate changes. This change was not just for a day or a week, but took place over a period of many months until it became a habit, giving adequate time for my actions to take affect within my body and ultimately seeing the results due to the changes I had made. So to achieve my goals in this case, both my workout routine and my eating habits evolved and strict dedication was required to achieve these results over time.
When I was attending university there was dedication required in order to actually learn the skills required to graduate - even with a less than stellar attendance record. However, since graduating a secondary level of dedication - more like responsibility - was required to go to work everyday (four legit sick days in three years) especially when working in an environment that didn't equally share day-to-day responsibilities or hold anyone accountable for their actions/lack of regular attendance. That is definitely another story and *deep breath* won't get drawn into any negativity here regarding that issue. So to define responsibility here I am referring to working weekends, sometimes working up to fourteen days in a row during some events, fifteen hour shifts (rare and unwelcomed), dragging four or five boxes of paper through downtown Edmonton on a broken trolly in heat, rain, and snow (but not all three at once and not uphill both ways!), multiple trips to St. Albert when our print devices were on the fritz, and basic understaffing on a regular basis. These experiences served to strengthen my desire to design full time and take on a more challenging creative role on a daily basis. Although I may not have particularly liked what I was doing in terms of work, these experiences helped me in three key areas:
1) I learned how to run a variety of print devices and learned the ins and outs of working in a print shop, bindery, and mail.
2) As a designer I got my feet wet and learned firsthand the best practices in designing for print media.
3) I also grew individually, becoming a more reliable and responsible person and employee - which can be a somewhat rare attribute to find nowadays in employees.
I truly believed that my actions within a large organization would be recognized and rewarded. Which they were on a small scale - thank you's from the local manager's when I went above and beyond, but no steps were taken to make improvements to serious issues as the modus operandi became, "Oh don't worry, Grindle will take care of it", which I did for a long time over the course of my employment. I was the safety net. In the midst of this, there was the economic downturn which also played a big role in terms of reward. We were given job security over a raise - that was the deal, it held for two years with no layoffs which was very reasonable. However, despite the economy the company saw profits and into year three profits continued to rise as a result our day-to-day actions which required the "foot-soldiers" to take on more work, more tasks, more responsibilities without any kind of additional compensation. In the third year the company was on solid ground, unable to hide under the umbrella of economic instability but yet nothing had changed. It was time to recognize the work and sacrifices the employees made to create the profit the company was enjoying and finally it was announced there would be base pay increases company wide - the perverbeale light at the end of the tunnel - my faith restored. After a couple personal employee evaluations with managers and positive reviews, a tentative date was set for the pay raise. But it just wasn't to be, and two weeks before the raise was instated, it was bumped four months (non-retroactive) so second quarter numbers would be more attractive to shareholders. Unfortunately this was the point that I lost respect for the way that business was being done and the way employees were being treated - the straw that broke this camel's back. I wont say anything more negative in regards to this, but it stung.
It is important to remember that at the end of the day, an employer is just that - no more and no less - they pay you to do your job and don't owe you anything above that. It is a fine line here being a dedicated employee and being used - at this point I felt the latter. My wife ( I'm lucky not only to have found my lovely wife but also for the support she has in me) had some words of wisdom for me on this matter, she reminded me "You're in the business of you, do what is best for you", which is great great advice. A change was in order. I had reached my apex with what I was doing, taken it as far as I could without abandoning my personal goals as a designer, and recognized I needed to be treated with greater respect. My previous employer had become my metaphorical bad diet.
Queue job search. A job search is very much like a job within itself - and although in the digital age it is easier to seek out employers and find these jobs online - it is both good and bad for individuals looking to find employment. Employers seeking online may receive anywhere from a handful (five-ten) up to two hundred resumes many of which could be absolute garbage that they have to sort through to find suitable candidates for the position. Who's to say if this is good or bad, but it's the reality in our digital age. So designers of all levels, let me say in my experience the presentation of your resume may be THE MOST important thing on your resume equal to the skills you bring to the table. Make it clean, attractive, and your skill obvious.
So after two interviews in the city, I found a good match in terms of what I was looking for - a smaller family-owned company with solid roots in the city as opposed to a large, global company - an increase in salary with potential for increase based on company profits addressed yearly - potential for bonuses based on revenue - and quality people. An offer of employment was made and I accepted. Initially I experienced a mix of emotions; I was excited that the skills and work I put into my skills as a designer had payed off and my goal of a graphic design position was becoming a reality, I was getting paid more! (always a good thing) and the senior art director of thirty years saw the potential in my skill and wanted to hire me above the other applicants. A good feeling. That was the high, the low looked like this: I had been with my previous company three years and had made some friends and very good contacts over that time, so I did feel some - not necessarily guilt over leaving - but more like some hesitation and disappointment that in order to achieve my career goals I had to do it with another company. I felt that they had let me down. But, business is business and I left on good terms with everyone and without any "hard feelings" in regards to the company and paths that led me to that decision.
What does all this have to do with dedication? Well, the time I put into what is now my previous company was not wasted time but preparation for the next chapter of my career; the most important thing I did over this period (besides some personal growth) was remain dedicated to my goal of full time graphic design and work through the challenges at hand without losing sight of the long term goal. This was at times pretty difficult, easy to feel trapped but again I credit my wife for helping me keep things in sight and my spirits up. The three + years was simply the period of time my actions - learning the trade, print devices, etc, and becoming a reliable employee - needed to see me grow into a suitable candidate for achieving my career goal and set the stage for future growth. Another thing I take away from this is that the hard work and dedication put into the job might not always have an evident payoff, just as earlier mentioned with fitness - a lesson I had learned in that regard but had yet to see the results in my career - but given the proper amount of time the results did show and the goal became my reality.
Dedication isn't easy, but when a goal is achieved due to hard work, it is a great feeling.
I am choosing this subject as a result of my recent career change, the experience of the last couple years and various "events" I had to go through to get to where I am now. I will do my best not to ramble, draw conclusions based on what I perceive as solid facts, and keep things as positive as I can even though I will undoubtedly have to reference some less than great times.
So to start I will look at what I know of dedication as well as creating a basis for later comparison. I have been dedicated to exercise (health and fitness) since I was about fifteen years old. Needless to say, my fitness level and workout regimen have drastically changed from an eager fifteen year old to where I am now, setting goals and tailoring my routines to accomplish goals. Even from the beginning, this has always been something I enjoy and it requires me to challenge myself to reach goals and dedication is absolutely imperative to see any results. For me personally, even with a strenuous exercise routine I wasn't achieving my goals - I recognized my diet needed to change so I made the appropriate changes. This change was not just for a day or a week, but took place over a period of many months until it became a habit, giving adequate time for my actions to take affect within my body and ultimately seeing the results due to the changes I had made. So to achieve my goals in this case, both my workout routine and my eating habits evolved and strict dedication was required to achieve these results over time.
When I was attending university there was dedication required in order to actually learn the skills required to graduate - even with a less than stellar attendance record. However, since graduating a secondary level of dedication - more like responsibility - was required to go to work everyday (four legit sick days in three years) especially when working in an environment that didn't equally share day-to-day responsibilities or hold anyone accountable for their actions/lack of regular attendance. That is definitely another story and *deep breath* won't get drawn into any negativity here regarding that issue. So to define responsibility here I am referring to working weekends, sometimes working up to fourteen days in a row during some events, fifteen hour shifts (rare and unwelcomed), dragging four or five boxes of paper through downtown Edmonton on a broken trolly in heat, rain, and snow (but not all three at once and not uphill both ways!), multiple trips to St. Albert when our print devices were on the fritz, and basic understaffing on a regular basis. These experiences served to strengthen my desire to design full time and take on a more challenging creative role on a daily basis. Although I may not have particularly liked what I was doing in terms of work, these experiences helped me in three key areas:
1) I learned how to run a variety of print devices and learned the ins and outs of working in a print shop, bindery, and mail.
2) As a designer I got my feet wet and learned firsthand the best practices in designing for print media.
3) I also grew individually, becoming a more reliable and responsible person and employee - which can be a somewhat rare attribute to find nowadays in employees.
I truly believed that my actions within a large organization would be recognized and rewarded. Which they were on a small scale - thank you's from the local manager's when I went above and beyond, but no steps were taken to make improvements to serious issues as the modus operandi became, "Oh don't worry, Grindle will take care of it", which I did for a long time over the course of my employment. I was the safety net. In the midst of this, there was the economic downturn which also played a big role in terms of reward. We were given job security over a raise - that was the deal, it held for two years with no layoffs which was very reasonable. However, despite the economy the company saw profits and into year three profits continued to rise as a result our day-to-day actions which required the "foot-soldiers" to take on more work, more tasks, more responsibilities without any kind of additional compensation. In the third year the company was on solid ground, unable to hide under the umbrella of economic instability but yet nothing had changed. It was time to recognize the work and sacrifices the employees made to create the profit the company was enjoying and finally it was announced there would be base pay increases company wide - the perverbeale light at the end of the tunnel - my faith restored. After a couple personal employee evaluations with managers and positive reviews, a tentative date was set for the pay raise. But it just wasn't to be, and two weeks before the raise was instated, it was bumped four months (non-retroactive) so second quarter numbers would be more attractive to shareholders. Unfortunately this was the point that I lost respect for the way that business was being done and the way employees were being treated - the straw that broke this camel's back. I wont say anything more negative in regards to this, but it stung.
It is important to remember that at the end of the day, an employer is just that - no more and no less - they pay you to do your job and don't owe you anything above that. It is a fine line here being a dedicated employee and being used - at this point I felt the latter. My wife ( I'm lucky not only to have found my lovely wife but also for the support she has in me) had some words of wisdom for me on this matter, she reminded me "You're in the business of you, do what is best for you", which is great great advice. A change was in order. I had reached my apex with what I was doing, taken it as far as I could without abandoning my personal goals as a designer, and recognized I needed to be treated with greater respect. My previous employer had become my metaphorical bad diet.
Queue job search. A job search is very much like a job within itself - and although in the digital age it is easier to seek out employers and find these jobs online - it is both good and bad for individuals looking to find employment. Employers seeking online may receive anywhere from a handful (five-ten) up to two hundred resumes many of which could be absolute garbage that they have to sort through to find suitable candidates for the position. Who's to say if this is good or bad, but it's the reality in our digital age. So designers of all levels, let me say in my experience the presentation of your resume may be THE MOST important thing on your resume equal to the skills you bring to the table. Make it clean, attractive, and your skill obvious.
So after two interviews in the city, I found a good match in terms of what I was looking for - a smaller family-owned company with solid roots in the city as opposed to a large, global company - an increase in salary with potential for increase based on company profits addressed yearly - potential for bonuses based on revenue - and quality people. An offer of employment was made and I accepted. Initially I experienced a mix of emotions; I was excited that the skills and work I put into my skills as a designer had payed off and my goal of a graphic design position was becoming a reality, I was getting paid more! (always a good thing) and the senior art director of thirty years saw the potential in my skill and wanted to hire me above the other applicants. A good feeling. That was the high, the low looked like this: I had been with my previous company three years and had made some friends and very good contacts over that time, so I did feel some - not necessarily guilt over leaving - but more like some hesitation and disappointment that in order to achieve my career goals I had to do it with another company. I felt that they had let me down. But, business is business and I left on good terms with everyone and without any "hard feelings" in regards to the company and paths that led me to that decision.
What does all this have to do with dedication? Well, the time I put into what is now my previous company was not wasted time but preparation for the next chapter of my career; the most important thing I did over this period (besides some personal growth) was remain dedicated to my goal of full time graphic design and work through the challenges at hand without losing sight of the long term goal. This was at times pretty difficult, easy to feel trapped but again I credit my wife for helping me keep things in sight and my spirits up. The three + years was simply the period of time my actions - learning the trade, print devices, etc, and becoming a reliable employee - needed to see me grow into a suitable candidate for achieving my career goal and set the stage for future growth. Another thing I take away from this is that the hard work and dedication put into the job might not always have an evident payoff, just as earlier mentioned with fitness - a lesson I had learned in that regard but had yet to see the results in my career - but given the proper amount of time the results did show and the goal became my reality.
Dedication isn't easy, but when a goal is achieved due to hard work, it is a great feeling.
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