CREATED-Magazine-FirstEdition-2021-PnutD

CREATED

THE JOURNEY
BUT WILL NO
YOUR DESK
Over 10 years in from finishing uni and
getting that degree and I am still none
the wiser about what that course actually
taught me other than design was then
and still is to this day, something I am
passionate about.
No one every told me that I could possibly
end up in a job that I don’t like, with
“designer” in the title but very little design
actually taking place.
Don’t be alarmed; it gets better!
That horrid 9-5 desk job was not exactly
what you had in mind and you are praying
for those lunch breaks to take your
notebook and pen and go and see the
outdoors, read your favourite design blog,
troll social media for inspiration and just
get out from behind that DESK.
Here’s the truth! Your job is as good as you
make it and my first desk job gave me one
of the best connections I have ever had
and still have to this day...
Working with someone who is passionate
about the things you are passionate about
is a gift. Working freelance for over 10 years
has given me opportunities and put me in
front of incredible people all around the
world. BUT without that 9-5 desk job none
of that would have happened.
SOMETIMES YOU NEED YOUR BREAD
AND BUTTER.
Are you that creative that is behind a desk
and longing to get out? Well my friend, I
hear you. Be encouraged. You’re not going
to be here forever. Hone your skills, explore
your craft, don’t neglect the things you
Photo by Remy_Loz on Unsplash

STARTS
T END AT
love the most because you think you don’t
have time - make time! Never let anyone tell
you you can’t do something. If everyone else
is doing it, great, but they aren’t you and
you have something to say and something
to give.
NEVER GIVE
UP ON YOUR
DREAMS
Never give up on your dreams. Start today.
Even if it is little and often or even every now
and then. Losing your passion is the worst
thing you can do. Your journey might be
behind a desk now, but it won’t stay there
forever!

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
a job we

ll done

IF MUSIC
BE
THE
FOOD
OF LOVE
PLAY ON
Photo by John Matychuk on Unsplash

Music can boost your
productivity and your
creativity.
Listening to music can help people
manage anxiety, become motivated and
stay productive.
Our homes use to be places of sanctuary
but now they have become schools, offices,
playgrounds and weekend entertainment
all in one.
Music can be the source to take us on a
journey of rememberance, of freshness,
of exploration of emotions and enjoyment
- these keys are vital to sustaining
productivity.
As creatives, we need passion to be at the
forefront of everything we do. If we lose
our LOVE for our work then we can feel
like we are wandering and lost.
Stuck in a rut? Research found an increase
in both mood and quality of work while
listening to music.
So if you’re feeling low then find some
music that can boost you. Maybe, like me,
you have a go to playlist or artist that just
sets you up for the day and gives you your
smile back. Then get that one.
One of the greatest upsides to working
from home is that for some it can mean
that you can control your atmosphere. So
get hold of that remote, grab that speaker,
connect your phone and play that music
loud and proud.
Disclaimer: this may not work for everyone
and exploring different music genres is
critical. Have fun finding out what works
for you!

“The thing about exploring is
that you have to know whether
the thing you’ve found is
worth finding. Some things
are just sitting there, minding
their own business, waiting to
be discovered.”
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Photo by Loverna Journey on Unsplash

A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES AND
FLASH FICTION SET IN A WORLD OF TECH,
CORPORATIONS AND ROGUES.
You shouldn’t trust me. But you will.
It’s inevitable. And I only need a few minutes
carelessly spent. Don’t think about it too hard;
follow my instruction. A click here, a password there.
Nobody needs to know.
Some days I’m a foreign prince with a ‘gift’, misspelt
to see if you’re careless enough to join me. Other
days I’m that reassuring voice on the end of a call,
or a website pop up with a free prize. “You’ve won!”
Perhaps today I caught you off guard or maybe you
were feeling lucky. But in reality, you’re greedy. You
lust for success without work, so you suspend your
better judgement for the sake of your own fantasy.
You’ll trick yourself long enough to give me what I
need.
You shouldn’t trust me. But you will.
And even if you don’t, it doesn’t matter. Your data
is already out there, somewhere, sitting on a server
waiting for a raider.
Let me introduce myself. I’m Judas Crook, and I’m a
Data Pirate.

I
AM
A
UNIQUE
DESIGNER
wear it

You are a master craftsman.
You have blueprints on the inside of you.
You are a skilled artisan. Weaving words,
ideas, and creative design into the fabric of
society and family.
Your experiences will not defeat you but
instead help you invent new inroads into
unchartered realms.
A treasure map will open like a scroll within
you to reveal the richness of glory and wonder
for your future!
Your life on this earth will be a continued
journey of discovering joy and contentment.
DECLARE: Declarations of Hope for the Modern Soul by Roma Waterman
Buy your copy here

DESIGN-
ER DI-
VULGE

INSIGHT
FROM
A
DESIGNER
1.
Never try to be like someone else. That isn’t you and the world needs you.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Hone your craft. Never be too big headed that you can’t learn from others.
Sharpen your skills, keep learning and seek out advice.
Believe in yourself. Quit the comparisons.
Connect with others. Whether that be connecting with likeminded people or
connecting with people who inspire you, never lose touch with the outside
world.
Take breaks. Get out into nature. Don’t sit at your desk all day long and watch
the world go by. Your inspiration is not on this screen.

b u i l d y o u r o w n w o r l d
Calling all dreamers.
All fantasy lovers.
Calling the ones who sit and doodle;
The ones who write.
Calling all who build their own worlds;
Who imagine stories, And the ones who
picture a multiverse of opportunity.
This is your time.
Not only now,
But also in the years to come.
So don’t stress.
Don’t fret if life doesn’t happen
as you imagine,
Or the story feels too big
and hides from the page you’re writing.

It’ll come.
There is a time for eaverything.
It’ll come.
Keep dreaming.
Keep doodling.
Keep writing.
Be the master of your own world.
Create races.
Plan cities.
Draw maps.
Build a place you don’t just belong;
You rule.
Welcome to the Worldbuilding School.
b u i l d y o u r m a p
excerpt from vancano.com

During 2020, we all went through a
turbulent year; so much uncertainty
and for many so much loss. People lost
jobs, lost homes, lost loved ones and
lost themselves in the chaos; so when
schools closed and my then 2 year old
and 5 year old were both at home all
day every day; my world was on the
edge of taking a nose dive.
What home use to look like
In previous years, having young children, I have
spent most of my days and weeks focused on
them, looking after them, entertaining and
feeding them; my freelance design business was
always a secondary thought and I worked adhock
with no fixed hours, no plan – I just worked when
the jobs came in.
HOW
A
WORKING
AT
HOME
MUM
SURVIVED
A
PANDEMIC
At the start of 2018, I had started to build a structure
that on the day when I was child free (childcare!) I
would work in-house for one of my highest clients
who required more regular work which lead me to
being their sole designer. This meant I could really
focus in on the branding of this client; building
their identity and themes across all their events
and promotion.
Sept 2019 brought about FULL TIME school and
boy, that began a great adventure. New routine,
more free time to focus on work with a 2 year old
in toe…UNTIL 2020 and the world-wide pandemic
and everything I had started to build went to
pot. The structure went out of the window as I
became full-time Mum, Part-time primary school
teacher and part-time designer. The balance was
definitely NOT in balance and the hours were all
over the place.
And like many people around the world, a “new
normal” began.
What home looked like in 2020
I spent late night hours catching up with work
when the little people slept, staring into a glowing
screen, praying the internet wouldn’t cut out
because we were using 4 times as much now two
little people needed digital entertainment and
mummy & daddy needed to zoom endlessly.
The little people often appeared on screen during
my work video calls asking for snacks, trying to
show people they know the pictures they’d drawn,
the things they had made from duplo bricks and
lego and also to tell mummy that the other one
had done something they shouldn’t have, or that
they had spilt cereal all over the floor or that they
had a dump on their head; all whilst trying to take
in all the information I needed in order to do my
job.
My job! This once part-time role which involved
about 4 to 6 new clients a year; regular logo
designs and event promotion doing flyers,
brochures, posters, and social media design and
scheduling collided with a sudden need to take

ALL events, ALL promotion and ALL social media online at
an accelerated rate and video editing, live streaming and
weekly studio set up and take down in my living room was
the NEW normal.
On a regular basis I would put the 2 year old down 30
minutes before the hubby needed to do his video recording;
and then keep the 5 year old busy with school work and
craft in the conservatory in order to create the most silent
working environment. And as the weather improved and
the 5 year old learned to ride his bike without stabilisers,
we would vacate the house completely and head to the
park….
So evenings would then become my working time and
I hate working in evenings; my kids get up anywhere
between 5am – 6am, so having already been up for 12
hours by tea time, and then working – editing video after
video after video; keeping up with more regular jobs…this
new normal was taking it’s toll!
How home changed
BUT after all this chaos and all this uncertainty, the pleasure
of working from home surrounded by mess, toys, noise
and boys; what got me through it was the reality check
that we were, are and continue to survive this thing. We
survived each day without killing each other, we survived
the mess and in fact we packed up the chaos and the
mess and moved house. We survived the late nights and
the homeschool hardships and even made things to post
to family and friends. We survived loneliness and missing
people. AND WE THRIVED.
My business didn’t necessarily grow numerically in
client number but my skills grew, my knowledge grew,
my desire to learn more about what I want to do in the
future grew and my strategies started to take shape. I
worked more hours during 2020 than I would have if I
had just had a regular 9-5 office job; most days I worked
from 5am til 10pm but this work included being Mum,
being a Wife, being the cook, the cleaner, the Primary
school teacher AND the creative designer, trying to earn
a small living so that the kids could get treats when we
did our daily walk and discovered a new local shop or
that we could get more paper and ink when we ran out,
saving for bigger treats to see us through not being with
family and cherishing the moments of being together in
a year where the diary said we should have spent most
of it apart.
What working from home looks like now
2021 rolled in and lockdown no.3 could have seriously
hindered the plans I had and am making for the year
ahead; but if surviving 2020 has taught me anything it
is to embrace the moments, look back with fondness
and not sadness, thriving is not always financial and that
things that can wait must wait. Some things are not as
important as they once were. Perspective is everything
as as a WAHM who survived 2020, my perspective is to
keep learning, push when the door appears, live in each
moment, enjoy the spontaneous, cherish family and only
do what you love because life is too short to be bored!

IN JANUARY 2021, I SAT IN A THINK TANK SESSION AND
THESE WORDS CHANGED MY YEAR “IS THIS GOING TO
BE YOUR BEST YEAR YET?”
I DECIDED THAT 2021 WAS GOING TO BE MY BEST
YEAR YET. I DECIDED THAT I WAS GOING TO PUSH
ON DOORS, SEEK NEW OPPORTUNITES AND LAUNCH
IDEAS I HAVE LEFT ON THE BACK BURNER. SO FAR IT’S
GOING WELL...HOW ABOUT YOU?

YOUR
BEST
YEAR
YET

merch*
available www.pnutd.co.uk

WE
NEED
TO FALL
IN LOVE
WITH
LIGHT
Photograpy Article from Max D Boyes

I’m often asked ‘what’s the best camera?’
And my standard answer is ‘the one I have
in my hand’! We get tangled in the drive
for ‘better’ equipment or ‘upgrading’,
when what we really need is to make the
most of the equipment we already have.
Very few photographers ever reach the full
potential or capacity of their existing gear.
Unfortunately this does not satisfy the ‘retail
therapy monster’!
So if I don’t need more gear to take better
photos, what do I need? The obvious answer
is to firstly ‘get to know the gear you already
have’. A good understanding of how it all
works and how each element relates to each,
will reduce mistakes. But we need more
than just technical knowledge and more
expensive gear.
So, here’s a few tips to wet your appetite.
‘The Golden Hour’. That first hour after
sunrise and that last hour before sunset
will give a beautiful soft light. When a
light source is a long way off it produces
harsh shadows - and 93 million miles to
the sun is a long way off. When sunlight
passes through more atmosphere it
will defuse into a very complimentary
soft light.
Do you want to show off your partners
great looks with nasty shadows or dark,
underexposed features? Make sure the
light source in in front and 45 degrees to
one side. This will produce an attractive
‘Rembrant Light’ - you might have to
Google that one!
WE NEED TO FALL IN LOVE WITH LIGHT!
So what do we do with light? Apart from light
being the foundation of all photography
there some basic ‘rules’ that help us create
stunning images with even the most basic
photographic equipment - or even a phone
camera dare I say!
But I’ll start with a warning - as well as being
our friend, light can also be our enemy.
Ever taken a photo of your lovely partner,
framed by a stunning sunset, only to find
their face has disappeared into darkness -
and not everyone is adept at Photoshop!
So, remember, your camera is attracted
to light and, if left to its own devices, will
automatically expose to the dominant light
source.
But sometimes you just get lucky. I once
went out early one morning to catch
that ‘Golden Hour’ to try for an image
I’d had in mind for a while. And I’m glad
to say it worked - a full length portrait
in a rapeseed field. But it was while
walking home I snapped one of my all
time favourite shots. Quickly pulled my
camera back out of its back and ‘snap’!
No Photoshop required - the morning
light had done all the work for me.
HAPPY SNAPPING.
~ MAX D BOYES

NEXT RE
IN NOV
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

LEASE
EMBER

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