mirage design

As someone who works predominantly alone, it's easy to find that you've moved into a comfort zone and are now stuck there.

You know the deal...new versions of the software (or products) you use come out and whilst you may have purchased the new version you still mainly use the old tools. "If it ain't broke, why fix it?' you say..."because someone else is already doing it faster/easier than you (and will get chosen for that next job over you)" is the universal answer.

You promised yourself you'd go through that tutorial that came with the package but when you loaded the software you were too impatient to get going and now you just never seem to get around to it.

There are many ways out of this sort of situation. The first and most important thing to recognise that you've fallen behind and are prepared to do something about it.

You can enrol in a course or seminar with an expert and get a big hit of information all in one go with some professional advice to go with it, but if you're a small operator the budget often doesn't extend beyond one or two of these events per year.

You can trawl the internet for all the information you need...heaven knows it's all there...somewhere!! Once you sort the wheat from the chaff and find a couple of useful sites, bookmark them for future reference. Forums are also a good place to ask questions if you can't find the information you're looking for. This works well if you have a clear objective in mind that you need to achieve.

Or you can look at what others in your industry or related industries are doing. Join an industry group...go on, they're not going to bite! Or track down one or two others from your industry and invite them out for coffee. Most likely you'll find people facing exactly the same kinds of problems that you are - some of them may even have found a solution! Too often we let professional pride or jealousy stand in the way of a good learning experience.

Lately I feel like I've been on a huge learning curve with digital manipulation. Doing the IT Screen Goddess Calendar reminded me how much I love manipulation but few clients have the budget for such time consuming practices. As such I've decided to pursue this in a non-commercial format for the time being. Having joined an online art community (deviantart.com) I find I'm learning a huge amount just by watching others and asking questions. "Ooh, I like that, how did they do it?", "Oh, I never thought of doing it that way". Most people are flattered by any enquiry and are happy to answer questions or refer you to sites where you can learn more. Already I feel that there has been a marked improvement in my work. (Shameless self-promotion: http://jane-mirage.deviantart.com). :)

So if you really want to give your business some new life next year, ask yourself what you'll be doing in your downtime on the holidays? Dumbing down or brushing up?

© mirage design. You may reproduce this article as long as you include the following information including the link:

By Jane Long of mirage design. Please visit www.miragedesign.com.au for additional articles and resources on marketing and design for small business.

Labels: training