Ah, hermes bags …simple, uncomplicated, stylish. Three words which flood my brain pretty much any time I walk down a high-street. Honestly, I don’t know how my boyfriend copes with me…
But anyway, thinking once again about how I love hand bags made me wonder: what is it about special and uncomplicated things that is so attractive? It’s odd, don’t you think? The more complex something is, the better it is supposed to be, for example. There are a few other anomalies, such as follows…
1) If a girl has a plain face then it’s not really a good thing. Yet I adore plain hand bags. Why is this?
2) Simple people are considered dumb, while every single one of Apple’s products are plain and minimal.
3) Speaking of things minimal, the world is full of minimal design that is much loved. Yet when I used to wear my Dunlop trainers at school, which are exceedingly simple, everyone laughed at me!
This means that you get all the familiarity of a product but with the knowledge that each and every one is entirely unique…
Now I lift weights on a regular basis and one of the many things I know is that protein is certainly a crucial nutrient for bodybuilders to build muscles. That being said too many bodybuilders tend to believe that it is all they need. It is important to realize that fat is also significant in the diet of bodybuilders. For the body to absorb vitamins and release hormones that have to do with muscle building and energy synthesis, fat must be present. The key here is to consume the right type and amount of dietary fat.
Healthy fats are the best choice for bodybuilders and these include polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. The inclusion of these fats to the diet of bodybuilders can lead to favorable outcomes. Fat gives an enhanced nitrogen retention and anabolic effect in the muscles to boost muscle gains. Consumption of these fats can yield a good energy source for the body especially during intense workout sessions.
According to the Mayo Clinic, around 20 to 35 percent of daily calories from fats are consumed by most people. Many bodybuilding websites suggest 30 percent of total daily calorie intake. There is not set figure carved in stone so the bodybuilder will have to be smart and base his decision on his particular needs. So it’s like buying Chess sets uk, trial and error, for example, bodybuilders who take in 3000 calories every day should target obtaining about 900 calories from fat. Since every gram of fat has 9 calories, this is equal to 100 grams of healthy fats every day.
Monounsaturated fats can be had from avocados, olive oil, chicken and nuts while polyunsaturated fat can be gotten from seeds, nuts, vegetable oil and cold-water fish.
Fats are a very important part of bodybuilding nutrition and must not be excluded nor limited too much.
Very often I’ll be talking to someone about designing a web page and they’ll say they know someone who needs one doing and can I help? I usually say no. Not because I wouldn’t like to – I love that stuff, I can be a right dork – but because I simply don’t have the time. This is often the way. Web design is a growing industry and to be honest 99% of the time I have enough to do without taking on extra-curricular work!
What I can do, however, since I feel like writing today, is to blog about how you can hire a graphic designer and how to get the best out of them. It goes something like this:
you are paying for this, so don’t accept second best! If you do accept second best then chances are you’ll regret it at a later date
Hunt one down. This could be on Gumtree or another kind of forum where graphic designers regularly peruse. Look for someone who knows about what you need done. There’s no point hiring someone to work on the job, after all, and you are not a charity case.
Tell them what you need and be specific: if you need a site for a wedding suit business, for example, be sure to include everything that is essential. Remember that they may know a lot about web-pages but they will probably know nothing about the business you are in. For this reason, you need to instruct them. Also, never assume anything because as far as a designer knows, they are starting from a totally blank canvas.
Feel free to snail-mail drawings to them, or email designs you have done. No good designer will be offended. In fact they will be impressed, as 90% of people just leave it up to them and then complain afterwards.
Don’t be annoyed if it takes a few weeks. These kinds of things don’t happen overnight and so require your patience. Also, it may take a few tries to get right.
This point should, really, have been made earlier, but never-mind: always agree on a price from the outset, rather than an open budget. Unless the window of opening is specified. Otherwise you could be in for an expensive shock come the day of delivery.
Speak your mind: you are paying for this, so don’t accept second best! If you do accept second best then chances are you’ll regret it at a later date. This is a terrible idea and it’ll effectively make you feel like you wasted all that money the first time around…never a good thing!
Freelancing is magnificent. And I don’t use that word for everything, I can tell you. I do not bandy it around! So what’s good about being a freelancer? Well, everything, in short. But for a lengthier description of the pros and cons, please read on.
1) The good stuff: you get to be your own boss, and you can be a nice boss at that. You wake up when you say you wake up, and you crawl into bed whenever you wish to…
Freelancing is magnificent. And I don’t use that word for everything, I can tell you. I do not bandy it around! So what’s good about being a freelancer? Well, everything, in short. But for a lengthier description of the pros and cons, please read on.
1) The good stuff: you get to be your own boss, and you can be a nice boss at that. You wake up when you say you wake up, and you crawl into bed whenever you wish to. In between that you get to decide when work needs to be done, how much work you wish to do, and how long to spend having a social life and combining that with work. In short, everything is up to you. Now, that means you get to set your own holidays as well, and take that much deserved day off when you want to. You don’t have to ask anyone!
2) The bad stuff: because it’s all up to you…you’re going to find that sometimes things get on top of you. And I mean very much on top of you. I mean the kind where you’re stressed, running around not knowing what to do, and nobody can help you out. It can be a nightmare at times…
3) Another big issue with freelancing – it doesn’t matter if you’re writing for laser hair removal bournemouth or graphic designing for the local newsletter – is that sometimes there is no work. I mean none. A week might go by when you have no emails coming in, and everyone you phone about work says they don’t want to use you. How do you get through the dark days? You just…have to is all. I wish there was an easier way to say it than that, but there really truly isn’t!
4) The in-between times: there are times, more often than not, when your days will be a mixture of both good and bad. You’ll have a great morning and a slow afternoon. It’s at times like this when you’ll really start to wonder what the hell is going on…and whether or not you’re truly cut out for this kind of a life. The answer? Only you really know the answer. But one thing is for sure…everyone has these times. There isn’t a freelancer on the planet who wakes up to an easy day, five days a week. Even when you’re busy it can be very tough indeed, because then you’re too busy to check your emails!
But I still think: I love freelancing. I wouldn’t change my life for the world.
How do you get through the dark days? You just…have to is all.
One of the things that many freelancers forget is how much they rely on the internet. If my connection were to go down suddenly I would be quite literally up the creek without a paddle. Having fast, effective and – most importantly – reliable broadband is an essential for any freelancer. If I didn’t have the ability to access the internet then I wouldn’t be able to function. Think about it, email, Google, social networking, general research, chat, and video…without a good connection you can kiss potential success as a freelancer goodbye.
Good broadband will make you more reliable to your clients.
When I first decided to go freelance, it was quite terrifying. I didn’t know how to organise myself at all and had to get a lot of help and advice from friends and family who had gone through similar experiences. The best piece of advice I received though was from my friend Paula who before I had even opened my mouth to ask a question, shoved a search list of results on the best broadband providers in my area. She knew before I did that for me to really have a chance of being successful; I would have to have fast access to the internet. She also knew that as I would be on the move a lot then there was a good chance I would need a provider who could do both roaming and site specific broadband work. I now use abroadband. They give me fast broadband access both at home on my laptop and roaming access when I’m travelling around a lot. I haven’t had any issues with them and it has become very cost effective for my work. Next I had to understand what my status was.
Another thing you will need to look into if you decide to start freelancing is hiring yourself a good accountant. At the start you may not be earning enough money for HMRC to even concern themselves with you, but if you keep plugging away over the months and the money starts to role in on a more regular basis then you will need to register yourself with HMRC and complete a self assessment form once a year. There is a great article on the BBC website on how to do this. Everything must be transparent to the tax office and failure to comply with the law could result in a severe penalty and even prison time. I’m making it sound scarier then it is, but it is important to understand the rules you have to follow so you can fully enjoy the benefits of working for yourself. You can do your accounts yourself, but it can take time; time which could be better spent working with your clients and trying to attract new clients. Having an accountant whilst costing you a portion of your earnings, could save you an absolute fortune at the end of the year as they will know what expenses is tax deductable.
Freelancing is challenging, but it is ultimately rewarding. It makes you a more responsible person whilst simultaneously allowing you the freedom to work with who you want to work with…most of the time!
Hands up everyone: how much do you hate drawing a circle by hand? Answer: a lot I should think. Ever since I was young I have noticed how difficult some people find it to draw cirecles by hand. But you know what the really weird thing is? For me it’s always been really easy. I don’t mean to boast, it’s just like that. Want to know my secret? Great! You’ve come to the right place my friend, now here we go…
Drawing a circle by hand is all about keeping yourarm steady, but loose enough in the wrist that youcan make a flowing motion
I won’t lie to you. I won’t say that I have always found drawing with a circle really easy. In fact, I vividly remember being about 5 and really struggling. It was all plain sailing after that, however.
But no, seriously, I know I am a bit of a freak. I know that most people find it really tricky. Well don’t worry anymore because here are my secrets unravelled for the whole world to see. After this you should only need a few goes and things will be so much easier.
1) No cheating! I’ve included a video for those who want to draw a circle the really easy way. For everyone else follow me now…
2) One of the main reasons why people find circles so hard is simple: not enough practice. Do you think I got where I am today by just staring at a blank sheet of paper? Exactly. I had to work at it. Now, when I am drawing a circle it is usually so I can put a logo in it, something for a pop up display stands company or whatever. It doesn’t matter what, the key is to learn to draw circles big. That way the small ones will be nothing by comparison.
3) Speed is the key. Don’t draw circles slowly to begin with. It’ll mess you up! Start by keeping your hand and wrist loose and swooping round as fast as you are able. It also helps to hold the pen in such a way that it can swivel on its own in your fingers. Stiffness is the enemy!
4) Start again and again, but makes sure you complete the circle, even if it is a total failure. Completing it means you are learning. You can’t learn how to draw the perfect circle if you don’t do a few terrible circles in between, can you?
5) Use a soft pencil. This will allow the nib to glide round. You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is if you’ve been using something like a 2H all this time!
People are always asking me what being a freelancer is actually like. For those people, I have written a post which describes the average day. Still want to freelance for a living? Then you really should read on…
1) I wake up around 9am. Okay, so it’s not as early as you, but remember that when you are finishing work I will still be sending emails, applying for jobs, reading emails, getting work done that had to wait because I More
My friends tell me I am terrible with food. I either scoff loads of it at once, or I get really engrossed in what I am doing and forget that there is anything but emails, research, HTML and quotes.
Here are my top tips – actually they’re my friends'top tips – on how to survive while freelancing.
1) Put “eat food at lunch” on your to-do list. This may sound really obvious but trust me, it works brilliantly.
When I first started designing based on what people had told me to design, I, like many people got it a bit wrong. I saw the idea and I ran with it…came up with something that I thought was really good. Although I was very happy with the end result, my client – who didn’t pay for the job, but still – wasn’t quite as impressed. More
Most things, if they sound too good to be true, ARE too good to be true. We all know that. Yet every single day people who should know better get ripped off by money-making schemes that offer nothing but a headache and a hole in the pocket in return.
Well, today think yourself lucky because we’re going to discuss – or I’m going to rant at you – about a way to make money that is legitimate, easy and can More
