as a new member of the clamorate family, i have been reading the sweet spot ebook by ben kadel. one of the first quotes i have to share is funny and sad to me because of how true we have been programmed to think it is. the quote is:

Most of us are still stuck in the old model - we think work is supposed to suck

the author takes us through why happiness is important for the work you do, not only as a creative, but in all career types. he then explains the seven characteristics that help to lead us to that sweet spot in our chose profession. i love another quote from this section it reads:

sheer determination and will power may keep you going for awhile, but if you can't actually sense progress and growth, you are on a fast track to burnout.

the author then takes us to a point where we can find balance and then finishes of this 30 page ebook with a two part section on "when things go wrong." being a small business owner and feeling like i am in this alone sometimes this ebook was a real encouragement to me. I look forward to reading, learning and engaging more with this new website that seems to be catered directly to me.

Update: you can either join like i did, or you can pick up this ebook for only $5. is your happiness and career worth $5?

New eBook Now Available

Take your Black & White photography to new levels and explore new ways of expressing yourself in this elegant medium! The Magic of Black & White - Part III, Nine Photos, Andrew S. Gibson’s latest in his Black & White series, will take you through nine of his gorgeous black & white images with the goal of teaching more advanced techniques to give your images more subtlety and power. Clearly taught in Photoshop, and 5 of the lessons in Photoshop Elements, Andrew walks through Toning, Split Toning, Exposure Blending, Textures, and the creation of Diptyches and Triptyches, all without losing sight of the idea that one's work should be driven by vision. Andrew teaches his techniques with the goal of creating photographs that honour both the Artist’s need for expression and the Geek’s need for excellence of craft. And all that without getting mired down – the examples and the illustrations Andrew provides compliment his clear teaching style and make this book a pleasure to read.

The Magic of Black and White, Part Three is 34 spreads jam packed with inspiring, action-oriented tips to help you hone your craft. The downloadable PDF is just $5USD.

Special Offer on PDFs

For the first four days only, if you use the promotional code  WHITE4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of The Magic of Black & White - Part III for only $4 OR use the code  WHITE20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST August 22, 2010.

i admit i am guilty of this most of the time. i quickly rush to the computer and as Chad Engle puts it:

 

 

 

We’ve all done it. We rush right to the computer. We don’t even think, we just blindly move shapes around hoping to come up with something creative. We do eventually, but what if that first “warm-up” period could be faster. What if we could get right to the good designs? You can.

check out the rest of the article about going more organic with your logo, your tee-shirt designs, your photograph idea, whatever.

Sketch out your idea first.

this is posted at the end of the article above, but i really think it is worth posting here too, be sure to check this article out too!

to sketch or not to sketch, that is the question.