Why I forgave the Economy

Making a living as a design freelancer can be tough. There are plenty ups and downs, seasons when you’re slammed with work and seasons when you’ll browse endless wanted ads in Craigslist. This time around though, I’ve noticed the news and it has been evident around me that it has become hard to find a job. Who’s to blame? The economy.

Now, my heart goes out to folks who can’t make ends meet. Sometimes that has been me. Actually, a lot of times that has been me. And who’s to say I will be able to make ends meet tomorrow. But during the times where it seemed like the well of projects or work dried up, I noticed a pattern in my thinking. Every time I spoke with someone, somehow the economy came up. Whether it was because of gas prices, unemployment, taxes, etc. It didn’t matter what we were talking about. The economy came up for some weird reason. It didn’t help that I was watching the news.

This wave of negative news began to affect my life and downright depressed me. In a past post, I wrote about turning off the news because I couldn’t handle the negativity anymore. So what happened afterwards? I still held resentment towards how things weren’t going how I wanted. And it’s much easier to direct anger toward something so I labeled mentally…the economy.

Everyone has a right to be angry and upset that Wall Street did this or that and now it’s affecting everyone negatively. I know I was when I was hearing about the big bonuses given to the fat cats at the major banks. Just like everyone else, I was thinking: “Banks are getting bailed out with my money, how come I’m not getting bailed out with my money?”

Given these questions and thoughts, I was presented with some options. I could keep blaming the economy for everything that was happening to me or I can consider that the economy is affecting aspects of my life but I could somehow change my present. I chose the second option but for me I had to do more than just force myself to see it that way. I had to accept things as they were and forgive the economy. If the economy were a person, the forgiveness letter would have gone something like this:

“Economy, you have done it again. You’re being bad. And that’s affecting my finances and job stability. Why can’t you just be more level-headed? I got other things I gotta worry about you know? You’ve been affecting my mood. You have made me angry. And depressed. But I’m tired of being angry and depressed. So I’m going to forgive you and accept that things are the way they are and I cannot do anything about you and how you affect the whole world. So I’m going to do what I can to change my present and if I can’t change it, I’ll accept it. Because otherwise I’m going to go crazy. Alright economy, now that I have forgiven you, I’m going to do my thing.”

Anyway, I’m sure it sounds weird to forgive the economy. But I decided to change the things I could and accept the things I couldn’t and move on. That includes learning new industries, new programming languages, making myself more marketable by expanding my capabilities and networking my tail off.

After forgiving the economy, my attitude improved and peace came back to my life. I still get a little tense when gigs run their course and I have to find more work but I’m just taking it a day at a time and I have to believe that things somehow will work themselves out. At the end of the day, I have control of my attitude and outlook of life. And like a wise person once said: “Disappointments are inevitable, misery is optional.”

6 Essential Steps To Make Networking Events Work For You

Not too long ago, I went to a networking event in the city. I have been trying to expand my social circle and have found that networking events can be a great way to get started. As I made my round to survey potential people I can approach, I began to notice this gentleman doing the same. I went about my way and began to talk to someone and establish a conversation. We asked each other names, business information, background and all that fun stuff. Usually if things go well and make a good connection I stick around a little longer and gauge whether it would be mutually beneficial to meet at another time to further develop that connection. This is pretty standard to me.

After having met a few people, I noticed the gentleman that walked in at the same time as me, now standing alone. He must have been standing there for a long time. His body language communicated to the world: “Please someone talk to me.” My heart went out to him because I knew exactly how they felt.

You’re in a new city. You don’t know anyone. You make yourself go to a networking event in hopes to meet people. Then you go to an event to find that there are too many to talk to. Where do you begin? How do you strike a conversation? What can we learn from our friend who was standing by the bar with no one to talk to?

Here are some of the valuable lessons I have learned to make successful connections at networking events:

1) Survey the event and people. When you make your way to a networking event, go around the venue and familiarize yourself with the place so you know where the bathrooms, bar and food (if there is any) are located. This is handy in case you need to make a graceful exit. More on that tip a little later.

2) Time is of the essence. I’ve noticed that there seems to be a window of about 5 minutes from the time you get settled into the venue and the time you start your first connection. It’s like if you don’t talk to anyone after that small period, you begin to take a sideline and it makes it harder to enter a conversation circle. You might notice people already talking to others and you might be discouraged to start a conversation, then you go home, order a pizza with a few beers and watch reruns of “Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” (Not that it happened to me or anything.) Also, after that small window, it gets harder to find individuals to talk to, leaving you with the option of breaking into a group setting… which can be a little more intimidating.

3) Pick the person or small group of people to approach. Once you have surveyed the venue, find the one person or group of no more than 4 people and make your way to them. If it’s one person you are approaching, make eye contact and smile, offer your name and ask them for theirs. This was hard for me when I first started going to networking events because I thought people would think that I was creepy for smiling and making eye contact with them. However, this is not the case. You’re making a connection from the get-go and it allows for a fluid introduction. For shy people, it takes practice. For someone not so shy, it takes practice. I am not shy but it is something I have had to practice and put in use in these situations.

In a group situation, you can inch your way into the circle and begin listening in the conversation. You can either wait for someone to notice you and introduce themselves to you or wait until someone is done talking, offer your name and add into the conversational flow. Obviously, you have to be careful not be rude, check to see if it’s appropriate to join that particular circle and be aware of the timing so that you don’t interrupt in the wrong moment.

4) Come prepared. So you meet this person or meet a group of people. You must have icebreakers prepared. Things like: “Where are you from?”, “What keeps you occupied these days?” and “How did you hear about this event?” are pretty standard. Once the person is talking, you can gather clues from what they say to keep fueling the conversation. Ideally there needs to be a back and forth (aka: take turns in talking) to make it an effective connection. So if you come prepared with more questions after the initial ones, you will have plenty to talk about until the conversation runs its course.

Another important way to be prepared is to have plenty of business cards. You don’t want to go to a networking event and not have contact info readily available. In the worst case scenario, bring a small pad and a pen to take down info (let this be a worst case scenario solution though.)

5) Know when to move to the next connection and exit gracefully. Once you have exchanged pertinent information about one another, you need to decide whether to stay and converse some more with the intent to deepen that connection or move on and meet more people. After all, you’re at a networking event. You’re probably not going to be able to meet all 200 or 1000 people in the event. So quality is factor and not quantity. If your connection with that person or group is great, then you can stay in it a little longer. Again, you have to play this by ear. Observe body language. If you have run out of things to talk about or the other person is not being talkative then you make the graceful exit. Something like: “It was a pleasure to meet you. I’m going to meet some of the other folks at the event.” You shake the person’s hand, smile and make eye contact and then move on.

6) Repeat steps 1 through 5. Once you have talked to the one person or group, it becomes easier to start another conversation with someone else. Do the things listed above and have fun. Try to watch your body language so that it communicates a positive message. Relax and breathe if you are uncomfortable in social settings or when you first attend a networking events. I promise that it gets easier as you practice and meet people. You will gain confidence and if you “mess up,” learn from your mistakes and apply the lessons to your next social event.

There are a lot of hypothetical situations that would require different actions. Things like someone completely taking over a conversation or a group of people not being welcoming. There is the bathroom for when you need to regather (not that I’ve been there or anything) or the bar for a little breathing time.

These few lessons helped me understand the mechanics of these events and make great industry connections. Like our friend who was standing alone, I learned that it takes a little courage and a “you got nothing to lose” mentality. I actually approached our friend that I was telling you about earlier and began a conversation. He was quite a brilliant guy and had a lot of experience in his field. He confessed to me that the events made him freeze and very nervous. Luckily, I had been there before and in a casual manner, I shared my experience with him like I am now sharing with you.  We had a great conversation and keep in touch regularly.

Networking is too important nowadays and we have to be equipped to successfully carry ourselves in these situations. Most of the networking events I have attended have bars or food and consequently people seem more relaxed. Whether the official social lubricant exists or not, these tips can help you make meaningful connections and further expand your social network.

Top 10 Dishes You Can Make Out of Ramen Noodles During These Hard Times

I have been in such a battle with myself for the last year or so. Ever since the economy took a big nose dive into the pool of funk, we have been inundated with bad news. I know that news networks thrive during bad times. They come up with news pieces like the “Top 5 ways you could be damaging your credit” or “Top 10 dishes you can make out of ramen noodles during these hard times.” Well, I’ve had it. I have been tuning out most of the news.

I noticed it was time to do so when I would turn the TV in the morning and it was nothing but bad news about the economy. So I would get ready and drive to work. I turn the radio on and it’s news about how low the Dow Jones started that day. So I listen to my “Earth Wind and Fire” CDs to keep me upbeat despite the nonstop flow of bad news. I am at work checking my email and checking my iGoogle site with feeds I’ve created. It usually has bits from Yahoo! news and MSN.com.

More bad news. I just couldn’t get away from it. I was beginning to feel down. And it wasn’t just one day. It was like this giant gloom over me. Now, I know the economy is bad. My credit lines have been cut big time. My interests have been jacked up. It’s harder to find a job. I look at shops like Starbucks and they are closing left and right. Circuit City completely went out of business. I know it’s bad. But it seems like the news are defining how bad it is. And it’s creating a panic in society.

Now, fear is only good when you are being chased by a bear. It’s a survival mechanism that incites you to act. But when fear begins to paralyze people and take over the minds of folks, I got a real problem with the source of that fear. In my case, it’s been the news.

In the past, I thought that if I didn’t read or watch the news, I wouldn’t be aware about important events like the starving children in Darfur or political tension that is brewing in South America. But can I honestly do anything about these things in a grand scale? I’m all about doing what we can to help others but that’s a lot of pressure for me to solve those problems, come home and solve the financial crisis here in the States and cook rice without it sticking to the pan.

Since I’m done with the bad news, I’ve limited greatly the incoming news feeds. Whether is changing the channel, subscribing only to Geek.com and sites that talk about cool gadgets and the occasional viral video of the week for a good laugh.

I’ve had to do this for my sanity. You and I deserve happiness. However you decide that looks like for you. I was letting news take away my happiness. You and I know that people deserve to work. The people that have worked hard for things in life deserve to reap those benefits. The people that fight for our freedom deserve to be treated with respect. Having said that, I think we don’t need news to constantly remind us that it’s bad. We know it’s bad. I have been getting in the mentality that I can and will do the things I have in mind. I have been visualizing myself reaching the goals that I have set for myself whether the economy is bad or good. Call it positive thinking, visualization or just plain determination to make it happen.

Notice how bad you feel after you watch the news. Notice that feeling inside of you of fear. You don’t know if your job is next. Or if you don’t have a job, where your next paycheck is coming from. I don’t like feeling like that. It makes me feel like I have no control whatsoever. And while there are things we can’t control, you have some control over your life. After all, I did write this and you are reading this.

I don’t ignore the bad news or the reality of it all. But I am choosing not to let it determine my future. For my sanity’s sake. For my peace’s sake. I am thankful for what I have. And I push to change the things that I can and accept the things that I cannot change. So bad news can pick a bridge near where I live and jump out of it. Long live rice that doesn’t stick to the pan!

How to get a job by being nice

Some time ago, I interviewed with an agency for a graphic design position. I got the job and I worked there for about 8 months. Since I was somewhat inexperienced, I got caught in the middle of office politics. This combined with some loss of clients I was let go.

This was my first full-time job after having graduated from school. I was in such a panic because I had just gotten an apartment and I had bills to pay. So on and forth. The reason why I was fired was highly unjust. But there was nothing I could have done or do about it afterwards. I left that building in shock but tried to remain as friendly as possible. I was not feeling friendly inside and in my mind I had a few choice of words I wanted to call the head honcho.

During that following week, I decided that I would write a thank you note to my old boss expressing my gratitude for allowing me the pleasure of working in their agency and mentioned what a great learning experience it was. I took the high road. I thought, “Who doesn’t like a thank you note?” Even more when the job termination was not fair. So I mailed it.

Later, I found out from some of my ex-coworkers who were my friends that my former boss was raving about how gracious and nice I was. So I knew this was part of personal public relations. I just didn’t know how it worked or even if it did.

I moved on and found another job as a graphic designer. Lucky for me, this boss’ ego was the size of a football stadium filled with teens auditioning for American Idol. This was one of those cases where the boss might not have a clue about the world but somehow got into that position. I remained confidently quiet and never talked back when he would demand I paint the wall of the office. As a graphic designer I’ve done odd jobs but this was just weird. No Photoshop. No Illustrator. No drawing. He said, “I’m going to need you to paint that wall. Bring some clothes and get started tomorrow.” So I said ok.

This may seem like I was getting stepped on and it probably was. But my father always told me this wise saying: “You must concede to win.” One must pick the right battles at the right time and in the end, one will achieve what they set out to achieve no matter who is above you.

More bad luck at the time, I grew weary of this boss’ weird remarks and demands. He sensed it and so he let me go. This time I wasn’t shocked or afraid about my job loss. He had let go another colleague of mine for similar reasons. I actually laughed when he said he was letting me go. I didn’t mean to laugh but I think it’s my defense mechanism. I can’t help it.

I got let go on a Friday. Saturday I drove to see my family 15 hours away from where I resided. I flew back that following Tuesday. That Tuesday I got a phone call from my former boss at agency I had first worked. He left me a message wondering if I wanted to return to the company. He needed a graphic designer. I told him I would if he let me pick my hourly rate. And he did. And we both agreed.

I returned and pretended like nothing happened because in the end, I got what I wanted. I wanted a job on my terms. I wanted a job at that particular time since I had just gotten let go. I wanted respect. And I wanted flexibility. I got all of those things.

I’m convinced that the thank you note I sent him earlier was my ticket to my job back. I mean, who wouldn’t want to hire a guy who just sent you a thank you note after you fired him?

I’ve had similar experiences with thank you notes. They can do wonders. I sent a thank you note to one of the staffing agencies I was working with. My agent got married and changed her name. I hadn’t spoken with her or kept in touch. She’s now the head person in this agency. And when I went back for more work, one of the agents called her. And she remembered me. She mentioned how nice I was and how the quality of my work was outstanding. It’s that thank you note again.

Back to the job I got back. Eventually I saved my money and I found the opportunity of a lifetime that I couldn’t refuse. So I left on my own terms. Ultimately, the thank you note allows you to sow the seeds so you can have the way paved for you for bigger and better opportunities. And that’s the story of how a young guy got, gets and will get jobs for the rest of his life.

How to become an expert on Microsoft Word

I have been designing some forms on Microsoft word lately. I won’t go in details or into the compelling reasons why PDF is more efficient, streamlined and effective than Word for forms.

However, I have been assigned to successfully implement a brand for an organization with whom I work. Since Microsoft Word is a word processor and not a page layout tool, it is a challenge to design anything in it. I am so used to Adobe InDesign that going into Word makes me cringe with every click, command and menu. I began to become somewhat frustrated at the program since I only know how to use it for word processing and not for design. I also have noticed job postings where corporations are looking for designers who can design in Microsoft Word. Two things come to mind: either corporations are really ahead in times figuring out ways to effectively “design” in Word (whether it would be charts, brochures or presentations) without the use of tools like “wordart” or they do not want to move forward with new technology like PDFs. I understand that using PDFs takes some learning but in my humble opinion, the curve is not steep at all.

As with everything that has been presented in my path, I decided to look at the challenge and
learn from it. I decided that by the end of this assignment, I would become an expert on Microsoft Word. One would think this is easy. It is not so when you come from the world of page layout, design and tight typographic controls. My solution had to go beyond hunting and pecking. Or even further than the Microsoft Word help section. It needed to be broken down further. I mentioned before about a the wonderful service lynda.com provides. It’s a website to learn software packages, programming languages and creative principles. It even includes Microsoft Office. I’m putting the $375 annual subscription to use. And it will pay for itself. It has to. It has no other options. The way I preach about this service must make the reader of the blog think I have a deal with them. And I think I should. But I don’t. I’m simply sharing my experience in solutions to become a more effective designer and communicator and push the envelope in excellence. Plus the knowledge you attain now could make the difference between being stale or landing that job designing forms in Word successfully and then a promotion having the opportunity to design or even direct with “real” design tools.

I’d like to think of learning as the prep work for the next big game… whatever and whenever that might be. It feels and I know the next big game could and will happen soon! In the mean time, I will show Microsoft Word who’s the boss.

Upcoming Projects & A Thought on Networking

My friend, Jennifer, has written some children stories. Two of these stories stood out and I am in the conceptual stages. This is going to be a really interesting project because of its intended audience. I have never designed for children. It’s interesting but when I was in school, I remember my professor mentioning how much harder it is to design toys, packaging and ads for children. They have an even shorten attention span than adults do.

I am also working on some design briefs to get my thoughts together. I do know what I don’t want. I would like to explore different media instead of sticking with straight illustrations. Jennifer was mentioning to me that usually publishers want to the stories without the artwork. Then, they find artists that carry their vision of how the story should be presented. Jennifer and I are going to go the other route and pitch these story books with the artwork already included. I think this is going to be a fun project.

I just finished moving in and now I’m settling in. I’m very happy where I am. I have so many opportunities to seek out or explore that I almost don’t know where to start. Chicago is and will always be my favorite city in the US. Now that I have a place and a freelance gig for the next month or two, I not only am seeking for full time but exploring other projects like the children story book. Another friend of mine and I are talking about a campaign to raise awareness about cancer in the Latino community. It is great to team up with extremely talented people.

This brings me to a fine point about networking. As I discover and explore the world of social media, I get inspired by the different ways I can connect with people. In the last month, I have made really good contacts, friends and connections. This is my third time in Chicago. My contacts dissolved the first two times I lived here. Events ocurred, people changed, I changed. Life went on. This time around, I’m beginning to meet more people. A childhood friend of mine and somewhat else not related to him both commented in separate times about “piggybacking” on friends. It’s a practical view on networking. Basically it is the notion that if you meet one person, that contact can become a springboard for other contacts. Those contacts will do same job. This is one effective way to break into social circles which can be especially difficult in larger cities. This has been my experience and I report that it works. I believe I also read about this in a book I read called “The Fine Art of Small Talk” by Debra Fine.

This book looks into the beginning stages of social interaction: small talk. Debra talks about how people tend to hate small talk and often think it is meaningless. She challenges people to look at small talk as a tool to pave the way for more meaningful dialogue and establishing solid relationships. She also gives openings that can be used to strike up conversations in different settings. It is a book I highly recommend even for people comfortable with diverse social settings. It has helped me avoid the ackward silence that can occur with people that might not feel comfortable in social settings and help them along. For a meaningful conversation to occur, the socially adept have a responsibility to help others feel comfortable. Good book. Quick read. Practical. So invest in this and any book that might help you further develop your skills, invest in relationships and expect connections to take you places you couldn’t have gone all on your own.

Constant Learning

I am currently on my holiday break and I am very excited to work on my skills and personal development goals. I am currently working through the tutorials from lynda.com. What a great resource it is. I bit the bullet for $375 for the annual subscription. I know that there are thousands of tutorials everywhere that I could have used instead of paying this. My thought process though was the following. We are in a deep recession. This is the time to invest in expanding my knowledge and expertise to make myself more marketable. I am a print guy and I think it will always be my first love. But I have to adjust to the times and polish my web design skills. And to quote one of my favorite little books “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Dr. Spencer Johnson, “If you do not change, you can become extinct.”

This seems somewhat of a fatalistic perspective but its essence speaks truth to everyone’s reality. Competition is becoming increasingly tougher. People are getting laid off. It’s survival of the fittest. And it’s not necessarily who has the most degrees. Instead it seems more about who is better able to cope, adjust and embrace change. If you can quickly find direction after getting knocked down, you will be in a good position to take advantage of opportunities. I speak about this from personal experience. I have in the past been opposed to change. As human beings, we like comfort. I have had to reexamine why I had been opposed to change and other than the fact that it is a natural tendency, I have simply been paralyzed by the fear that arises in me due to it.

Change, though, is part of life. And since there is so much of it, we should not oppose it and maybe even learn to expect it. We should strive to break the platform of the status quo. Our president-elect Barack Obama ran on the premise of change. And whether you agree or not with his election, it is worth to note that the way he developed his discourse about change stroke a chord and appealed to the majority. People are ready for better times. That requires change and so change can be good.

Personally, I am applying this in my life by embracing the web 2.0 era. Social media is now a way to market yourself, network, find jobs and freelance gigs and help others. I am now blogging. Last time I blogged was on a Xanga account I had. It was more for the sake of having a blog than for the love of it. This time around, I chronicle my quest for excellence in what I do. I invested another $100 dollars on 10 books from Amazon.com that expand on the idea of concept development. This particular area is of high interest to me. I also read a blog by Dan Schawbel at personalbrandingblog.wordpress.com. It is very interesting and informative. Dan pushes the idea about personal branding as the shaping of people’s perception of your persona and the services you provide. I highly recommend reading his interviews, articles and posts.

Also, I’m learning flash and html through lynda.com. That site is so rich with content that it even has tutorials on smaller software packages like Pages, Keynote and iWeb. It basically has any piece of software anyone might need to know. I have been telling my friends about it and they understand my reasoning. How much is a class for one course at a community college? $500, $1000? For one class only. This is $375 and you can learn all the software you need at your own pace and from the comfort of your laptop, home or office.

Change. For me it is turning out to be an opportunity to expand my knowledge. Times are tough. Therefore I’m taking the time to invest in my brand. I expect that only good things will come out of it. I encourage you to do the same. What news things are you learning?

Rafael 2.0

I was taking a train back home from a job interview when a guy inside the train started talking to some strangers. He was being really loud and was rapping, trying to rhyme words with freestyle lyrics, and basically showing off his shoes, “skills” and other pieces of knowledge to a small crowd of teens. From what I gathered, it looked as if he was simply trying to be seen by everybody. After half hour of going back and forth with the teenagers, most of which was them making fun of him, they got off the train and another guy dressed in punk rock clothes said to him: “I know what you’re doing, man.”

This guy who looked like he was trying to show off explained to the other guy that he was on his way to LA to pitch a new idea to some producers. He said he belonged on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Friendster, Blogger and other websites that promote social networking. He further explained that if you want to become marketable and find the dream job or gig, you have to expose yourself to the different media and platforms that make communication and interaction possible nowadays.

For some reason this really stuck in my mind as a piece of wisdom. I’m currently freelancing for a non-profit organization through a staffing agency and I’m beginning to tap into resources like LinkedIn, VisualCV and Facebook to sell myself. It’s as if this guy was not crazy (which he made it hard for anyone not to think that with his loud rapping and “game spitting”) but he simply stated something I already knew but was not actively engaged in. Right now, I am opening this blog as way to promote my work, write about what’s going on in my professional life and explore writing as a new interest that is becoming an advantage for designers. So I named this blog entry Rafael 2.0 as an obvious play off the web 2.0 phenomenon but also to signify my constant quest for excellence and improvement over the yesterday’s me. I could have done Rafael: Reloaded but somehow it reminded me a little too much of Keanu Reeves. “Whoa.”