natalini 4/16/21 natalini 4/16/21

Weekend Design & Wellness Project

Photo by: Kristaps Ungurs @kristapsungurs

This weekend sketch ideas for that book you’ve been writing in your head for as long as you can remember. Then, try to write a rough draft of your biography or about the author. Look back over the posts from this week to use the exercises as guides. This is a creative activity to get your mind and body warmed up for taking action on your dreams and goals one sketchy doodle at a time. Enjoy!

natalini 4/15/21 natalini 4/15/21

Biographically Speaking

Do you find it challenging whenever you have to write your bio for a resume, your company’s website, your own website or even social media? Do you draw a blank when asked what you do or what you’re working on? You’re not alone. Who wants to sound like a robot anyway with a prepared script?

This exercise will be helpful in writing a bio infused with your own personality.

Write 3 professional skills in your area of expertise
Write 3 personal traits that make you great a great friend, family member, partner, citizen.
Write your 3 favorite comedies, this could be, movies, series or standup (This part is for carefully referencing the tone of your sense of humor to avoid sounding too corporate or robotic.)
Write a mixture of 3 things you’d like to improve about yourself professionally and/or personally. (This can be for your eyes only.)
Write three things you are proud of experiencing in your life. This can include awards, adventures or a life changing decision that made you better person.
Finally, put it all together in small paragraph. It doesn’t not have to be perfectly worded at this point.

This is exercise is a reference guide and it will take shape as you craft different versions of biographies you may need to write. Before you know it you will have this list memorized and will never be a deer in headlights when asked what you do and why or stare at a blank bio box at a loss for your own words.

Now feel some gratitude for your hard work throughout all of your experiences. Remember we are all constant works in progress. Take a deep breath and stay present in this moment.

natalini 4/14/21 natalini 4/14/21

Book Cover Design

Ever wonder what the cover of the book you’ve been writing in your head will look like? Does it make the process feel even more overwhelming? Well, it should. Every book is judged by its cover, so it better communicate fast. Here are a five step to get the book cover design process started.

Decide if you will be self-publishing (recommended for first time writers) or submitting your work to traditional publishing houses (better for writers with multiple books). There are pros and cons with both of these choices.
Write down the purpose of your book and collect images for inspiration that best describe how you want your readers to feel when they see your book. This will lead to layout ideas for your cover including text and colors. This is the fun part to explore and brainstorm many concepts. Take a look at your own book collection and separate the covers you find most attractive. Think about why you are attracted to those particular covers and then skim through the book to see if that cover best showcases the subject. Reverse engineer the thought process of the writer/publisher/designer to understand why that cover design was chosen. There are no wrong answers, this is a fun game of conceptual connect the dots.
Start to notice fonts that fit the subject of the book. It’s important to separate your personal preferences from the needs and persona of your book. The book may be about you, however, choosing your favorite color and your favorite font will lead to unfavorable results and some confused people. When in doubt, keep to simple fonts in serif (with “feet” like Times New Roman), a san serif (without “feet” like Helvetica) or consider using your own handwriting.
Sketch it out. It doesn’t matter how well you can draw, everyone can scribble sketch something. Start with a rectangle and begin arranging the text (in scribble) and an image if that will deliver the message of your subject. This is a long process and will change many times so keep an open mind. The best layout, colors, font combination will come together in the end. Trust the process.
Be patient. There are lots of small details and issues that will arise so decide early on that you will be committing to see your book through to completion.

Need More…

If you feel overwhelmed with your book cover design, you’re in luck. **natalini** offers **graphic design services** to help you through the creative process of designing your book cover. Send an email with your dilemma to **ciao@natalini.design** using “book cover” as the subject. Now, take a deep breath.

natalini 4/13/21 natalini 4/13/21

"The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron

My well-loved copy of “The Artist’s Way”

“The Artist’s Way,” is an important read for anyone considering making changes in their life. In twelve week pattern changes can occur including; learning a new skill, starting a business, changing careers or creating a wellness plan. “The Artist’s Way” is not exclusive to artists as we are all the creators of our life experiences. This book is a guide for uncovering true desires and creating a plan to use personal strengths for greatness. The questions and quotes throughout the book can be helpful motivators to stay on track with the process.

A popular exercise from “The Artist’s Way” is “morning pages,” which consists of at least three pages of free writing. This is writing without stopping and void of proper grammar and punctuation. These pages are not intended to be reread or edited. The purpose of morning pages is to clear the mental clutter to reduce distractions from the tasks of the day. Morning pages can actually help reduce stress and anxiety since random thoughts, worries and to-do lists can take up a lot of mental bandwidth. Taking a few minutes each morning can create a positive routine to get your problem solving, genius juices flowing to be highly productive throughout the day.

Here are some quotes form “The Artist’s Way;”

“I shut my eyes in order to see.” - Paul Gauguin

“Art? You just do it.” - Martin Ritt

“Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out your horn.” - Charlie Parker

natalini 4/12/21 natalini 4/12/21

Brainstorming

**“It is easier to tone down a wild idea than to think up a new one.”** - Alex Osborn

“Thinking up” was a concept by Alex Osborn of BBDO ad agency in 1942. That same year, Osborn released the book, “How to Think Up,” which covers the importance of generating as many ideas as possible. The practice of “thinking up” saved the agency by increasing their revenue to over $100 million by 1953. Osborn coined the term brainstorming in his next book “Applied Imagination.”

Here are Osborn’s Brainstorming Methods that can be applied to most decisions or quandaries that arise.

Focus on Quantity
Avoid Criticism
Encourage Wild Ideas
Combine and Improve Ideas

A pathetic side note confession: I saved my rejection letter from BBDO NY from twenty years ago. It was a long shot that I would have been hired so I was excited to simply have their letterhead.