Exploring why it's OK to be proud of your earlier Photoshop projects,
no matter how bad they are!
My gallery of ugly!
Last night, I took a trip down memory lane while organizing some files on my laptop. As I was going through each file, I came across a few Photoshop projects from 6 years ago and for a good laugh, I wanted to share them with you.
If you asked me what I was thinking when I created these things, I couldn't tell you. At the time, I was just excited to get my first copy of Photoshop. For better or for worse, I experimented with all the filters and tools that Photoshop had to offer. I created birthday cards for my parents by stitching together random photos and applying filters. Even though they were disastrously bad, I didn't care. To me, it was all about having fun and learning my new software.
As I was going through each project, I became very humbled. I've come a long way as a graphic designer. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once stated, "Every artist was first an amateur."
If you are new to graphic design, then don't get discourage if you mess up or even create a Photoshop monstrosity like I did. In design school, you are expected to make mistakes and learn from them. I sometimes look back at my old school projects and question why I made that font or layout choice. I learned from those mistakes and moved on to create better work. It takes time to perfect your craft. This involves countless hours of practice and keeping up-to-date on the latest design techniques, trends, and most importantly, knowledge. Even when you are done with school, never stop learning. Read design books, blogs, magazines, or watch video tutorials on YouTube. You will create better work
that way.
So don't be ashamed of your earlier projects. See it as a testament to how far you have come as a designer.
If you asked me what I was thinking when I created these things, I couldn't tell you. At the time, I was just excited to get my first copy of Photoshop. For better or for worse, I experimented with all the filters and tools that Photoshop had to offer. I created birthday cards for my parents by stitching together random photos and applying filters. Even though they were disastrously bad, I didn't care. To me, it was all about having fun and learning my new software.
As I was going through each project, I became very humbled. I've come a long way as a graphic designer. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once stated, "Every artist was first an amateur."
If you are new to graphic design, then don't get discourage if you mess up or even create a Photoshop monstrosity like I did. In design school, you are expected to make mistakes and learn from them. I sometimes look back at my old school projects and question why I made that font or layout choice. I learned from those mistakes and moved on to create better work. It takes time to perfect your craft. This involves countless hours of practice and keeping up-to-date on the latest design techniques, trends, and most importantly, knowledge. Even when you are done with school, never stop learning. Read design books, blogs, magazines, or watch video tutorials on YouTube. You will create better work
that way.
So don't be ashamed of your earlier projects. See it as a testament to how far you have come as a designer.
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