Digital Craft

It all started with a PowerPoint slide. It contained a key point shared by the pastor. I was in full awe, as each little detail of that slide formed to make something visually appealing. I said to myself, "I want to make one like that." Just then, I felt an impression in my heart. It said, "You'll be making one in the future."

And a decade later, I heeded the call. It’s the call of being a multimedia artist. I make use of different forms of media to communicate with an intended audience. I make use of tools to create posters, message presentations, and videos to make this possible. 

I honestly never imagined myself in my life to do things like these. In fact, I’m not an artistic type of person. But looking at those designs at church made me want to learn something new and challenge myself with it. The course I studied in college had a subject of graphic design. And since this is given to me, why not I use all I learned to give back and work on my contributions for a greater good of service? So I took this great opportunity.

I’ve been into this for a few years now, and I’m more than thankful and blessed to work with teammates who are kind, friendly, approachable, patient, understanding, teachable, committed, and passionate in what they do. Their enthusiasm inspired me to do my best and give my all to do the work.

It was a slow but sure process in learning the fundamentals, but it was all worth the effort. I learned to take inspiration as key in the creation. I also learned to take time to evolve into the kind of artist I want to be.

If there are lessons I’ve learned in the years so far, here are these:

1.  If you want to perfect the craft, it depends on how far you go.

It’s like mastering a musical instrument. To become a full-fledged pro, you need lots of time to practice and perfect it. It goes the same with a skill like editing a photo or a video. The big question is: Are you willing to go the distance?

One thing I'm fearful of is remaining stagnant. If I'm unwilling to learn something, I choose to stick to what I know. I would then lose my edge over time. It's where the importance of growth comes in.

2. The love for your craft will take you to greater heights.
When you love what you do, you start to appreciate every single thing about it. Say, for example, you're benchmarking a design. You study it, check every element of it, and try to recreate it on your own. And when you know what to do, you start working. And once you have your final output, you'll be amazed by what you've made.

Not only do you develop your skill, but also your artistry. You have a sense of your creative direction. And when you're fueled to work on making that path, this is where the magic starts.

I can imagine the wonders when creativity is fully maximized. With great collaboration and communication, there's going to be outstanding outputs that can be delivered.

3. Every work of art comes from the heart.
I don't think there's any masterpiece done with haste. It takes lots of time to ensure everything there is perfect. And a great artist does works like these out of love. Your labor of love will spring fruit. Sometimes, you may find yourself surprised using a technique outside your knowledge. The mind may not realize it, but the heart does.

I don't mind if what I consider my best work will lead me to more work. No matter how tough it's to be done, I know I can still keep my fire to bring out art's purpose. 

This may be part-time and voluntary work. But I'm thankful for it.

• It helped me recalibrate how I do my work.
• It helped me know how I can excel.
• It helped me see my need for a growth mindset.
• I learned to find a balance between my technical and creative side.
• I learned to be adaptable to the things around me.
• I learned to be flexible in whatever situation.
• I learned to give my best in my outputs.
• I take pride in my work behind the development of each output.
• I can apply all I've learned in needful situations.

   

And I still have a long way to go. I have a lot to learn. I'm thankful for the opportunity to serve on this platform so far. I'm glad to be part of a team that encourages constant growth. 

 

I'm glad for every opportunity I can work with impact. I'm thankful for what I've learned and what I'll learn. And I hope to keep this up as I continue on.