Category Archives: Uncategorized

Awaiting Twenty-Ten

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I may not write much here anymore, especially with my rampant Twitter addiction for the past 18 months or so, but I always like to take some time to think about New Years, resolutions and the like. I’m feeling good about what 2010 has to offer so far. I’d like to make the following resolutions to either forget or genuinely make myself a better person:

First and rightfully so, I’d like to focus more on reading and writing. I currently have a nice selection of books on my desk at home that I’m reading through and fully intend to continue soaking up the written word. Conversely, I also would like to focus more on writing more, as intended with starting Clovis Pulse. The site has started off slow, but ideas between myself, David, and Crysti are continuing to brew and we plan on doing some fun stuff in the next year with the site. I also have many journals I’ve been given throughout the years and think it would be fun to pick up a pen every once and a while, even if it’s just to write something as simple as a haiku. Words inspire me to produce more words.

Fitness and nutrition will also be a priority in 2010. Almost three years ago, I was in the best shape of my life, eating right, and exercising heaps. I want to get back on that wagon, as I miss running. A big focus for 2010 is going to be regaining energy lost from laziness and eating poorly. That’s right, I’m talking about more vegetables, granola, and cooking my own meals. I plan on using Traineo.com to help me organize and motivate this effort.

Finally, 2009 was the year I started my own freelancing business. I was tasked with helping the Clovis Police Department develop a new website, along with a few other projects. In 2010, I aim to buckle down even more with a variety of clients, with my biggest goal being to help people develop websites and social networking awareness, and also to build and focus on my web design portfolio. The biggest challenge is juggling the two hats of print designer and web designer. I look forward to studying and practicing new skills, as well as sharpening old ones, in order to continue to pursue my second professional passion.

Cheers, to a happy and healthy Twenty-Ten!

Shooting Arrows in Business

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My wife and I were cooking dinner for our family last night and doing our usual exchange of, “So, how was your day?” I began telling my wife about running into a friend of mine who has his hands in many little startup companies and is really embodying the entrepreneur’s spirit. She shook her head, smiled, and gave a bit of a chuckle, implying that my friend has bitten off more than he could chew.

And then it occurred to me: doing business and coming up with (and executing) new ideas is a lot like archery. Now I haven’t picked up a bow in many years, but hear me out. Let’s say you have a quiver of arrows on your back, and in your lifetime you only take one arrow and shoot it down range, fully expecting a bulls eye. Slim chance unless you’re an expert archer and marksman. What’s wrong with being the type of archer who is grabbing multiple arrows and taking lots of different shots, sometimes at different targets? Which archer is going to have a better shot at the bulls eye. That bulls eye could be the next big thing.

Whether you apply this to business or even spending time doing something new with your family, I think we should shoot many arrows. Many will be a hit, some will be a complete bust, but at least you had the courage to try.

[This post is also published on SoulFoodRevolution.com, where I am going to begin doing a semi-regular guest column.]

Weather and Productivity

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I love a good overcast day, the gloomier the better. Why? There’s something about a gray sky that gets me up and moving, ready for anything, and ready for work. What about you? Take the poll below and let me know in the comments what kind of weather helps you be productive. I can make an educated guess that most of you would rather lounge on the couch with a book or movie during a rainy or snowy day!

 

March Madness

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The joys of freelancing are starting to bloom, as March is going to be a very busy month for me. I have a trip to Roswell planned to begin laying the groundwork for a major redesign for one of my clients. In addition, we also are aiming to launch a redesigned website for the Clovis Police Department this Spring, with loads of training to be done onsite and content to push!

Another project on my plate will be designing and launching Mitch Gray’s new website, SoulFoodRevolution.com. Mitch has some great ideas to help promote his books and seminars, and I’m excited to help him develop a site that will be rich in video content. Stay tuned for that one for sure.

January Summary

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If the rest of 2009 has me as busy as the first month, future posts are endangered here on Scottdot.

Freelancing has officially begun, with three clients currently on board for web design services. It should be lots of fun, but also pretty involved, as the biggest project is a more ambitious website for the Clovis Police Department.

Curry-Centennial-logoThis month I’ve also been doing a lot of miscellaneous work for the Curry County Centennial, making use of a logo I designed in mid-2008. I put together a DVD with many historic photos of Clovis and Curry County, and I’m debating putting a version of this on YouTube. I really think it needs to be seen by more people, but sadly the photos are not my own to do as I please with them. I’ll be posting a better downloadable version of the logo in February.

So what’s on the horizon for the rest of the year? I’ve met a few local people on Twitter who are involved in web design and developement, and I’m thinking about starting a local web group. Another excuse to get coffee and “talk shop!” On that note, I’m also hoping to get the ball rolling on LEMUG soon, and perhaps a Spring launch would be more realistic.