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Contents

1. January Studio

2. Who Are You Now?

3. January Links

4. Wrap-Up

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Welcome to the new year! 2006 is in full swing, bringing its new year opportunities, charms, anxieties, and goals. Personally, thus far, nothing has gone as planned and I’m uncertain of where it’s going to go. For the first time in my life, I am truly flying by the seat of my pants and…really liking it! My friend, Carrie, and I were to make our move to St. John, USVI on January 3^rd. Two days before, I received word that our intended apartment wasn’t going to be vacant after all. Panic! Housing on the island is extremely scarce; finding a new place isn’t easy. Not having a place to sleep if we went ahead with our flight (even the two hotels were full for the week), we decided to postpone our trip one week until the vacancies opened. My future employer, off the island for the week, seems certain that an opportunity will pop up if we just come and look hard for it, especially with his help. Eating the cost of new plane tickets seemed wiser than waiting for him to return to the island and paying for a condo, transportation, and food for the week as we‘re waiting. Long story short, I’m still in WV but am set to leave in four days. Having extra time was disappointing at first, but turned into a blessing. Being able to take a breath, step back, spend extra time with friends and family is something I normally wouldn’t have done and wouldn’t have realized the importance of it. I’m grateful now and am even more excited about what the future holds. More in a month.

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January 1st makes many people evaluate what they’ve done with themselves in the past year and what they’d like to do in the coming year. Personally and professionally, many of us feel a mixture of regret, frustration, pride, hope, determination, and gratitude. Focused intently on the past and the future, it’s easy to forget where we are in the present. Where are you right now? What can you do with this moment before it’s wasted or forgotten? Who are you to others?

Who you are now--how you are presenting yourself to others and the world--shapes your whole perception of what your future can hold. If you’re being friendly and open-minded, for example, the future looks as friendly and open. Likewise, if you’re being insensitive and angry, your future probably seems negative and stagnant. Being aware of how you are being helps you to create a better experience for yourself.

As you are conscious of your feelings you can see how they affect your response to your whole day. With peers or colleagues, clients, friends and loved ones, mindfully choosing your presentation can prevent a lot of anxiety.

There are several qualities to keep in mind when you‘re with others:

1. Look for the strengths, not the limitations, in others. Make someone proud to be who they are--he’ll be more likely to tell you why YOU are special, too.

2. Trust others so that they feel compelled to meet your expectations. Consequently, they can make you feel like a better person than you usually are.

3. Respect others for what they have done and where they have come from.

4. Be authentic.

5. Live by your own rules and let others live by theirs.

6. Be at peace with yourself so that you don’t feel you have to prove yourself.

7. Be a good listener. Be sincerely interested in what someone is saying (or try really hard), so you can help her feel important.

8. Be prepared to be honest and tactful, so others can feel they can share themselves honestly.

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My choices for this month, since it’s a new year, offer sources for learning and expanding your design skills:

Tutorialized

Offering a sleugh of tutorials for all sorts of software, from Adobe Photoshop to Macromedia Flash to MS Word. Great message boards, too.

WebMonkey

This is a key resource for web designers. The How-tos and Quick Reference links make this one of my frequent stops.

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Good luck in the coming month, whether you’re into something new or not!

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