Tag Archives: Print

Tooth Fairy

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The Dutch have a saying that goes: ‘Hij weet van voren niet dat hij van achteren leeft‘ which literally translates to, ‘His front does not know that his back is alive‘. Yes I know… we have some odd sayings *hehe* It means: ‘He doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going ‘ in simple words: one is extremely busy… I have felt like this ever since I had the interview with the recruitment agency Friday the 22nd of February. I have been busy all week designing a print portfolio and a web portfolio both in pdf format. So I’m sorry I’ve neglected you out there!

I thought I could do things the easy way, which was in Photoshop, but of course I found out that the easy way never ever works. [Note to self: girl, you should know by now… tut tut!] When I had the files ready to export to pdf, it wouldn’t change into that crispy pdf format, it was blurred and probably caused by a compression issue. No matter what I did, I couldn’t solve the problem not even with my 18 years of experience, yes that is kind of embarrassing. So after three days of trying, I had to do it my way; the complicated way and rebuild everything in InDesign this time. Thursday afternoon it was ready and online.

Over the weekend I have been busy finishing the web design version. I’m almost done, all it takes is a few more tiny adjustments and then I can put that one online as well. Ready to be send out to potential clients by the recruitment agency. I must say my recruiter is one impressive woman, we’re the same age and she’s got a drive that makes your head spin! I’ve had to call her several times last week to discuss roles so hopefully this will bear some fruit. I might have an interview this week so I need to stay focused on important things like seeing the dentist tomorrow *hehe*

I’ve broken a tiny piece of my tooth over night, don’t ask me how but it happened… I even woke up the moment it happened. So I immediately called this morning and arranged an appointment tomorrow to have it fixed, the dentist fixed it last year but it broke off again. And since I’m very aware of it and constantly ‘playing’ with it, with my tongue -which will be raw by the end of the day- I need to have it done asap. How am I gonna smile my toothpaste commercial smile during an interview if I’m too aware of a dental problem [although tiny…]?

Call it vanity… I call it ‘anything to change my future for the best and get out of my current situation asap‘… After all £45,- is only half the price of the cheapest Botox injection but at least my tooth won’t cause any facial paralysis or a droopy lip. For those who are not aware of things: Botox is something 14 year old girls give each other for their birthday in this country… Yes twisted! But I guess that’s a whole different post one day. I don’t have any wrinkles and I don’t look my age [so I’m told many times] but even if I would, I would embrace it and age gracefully, instead of trying to hide. Who are you fooling after all?

:mrgreen:

The Letter

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I’ve received a really cool letter from the Lowlands yesterday! Awesome! It came from my ex colleague [Gerrit Rietveld Academy] and friend Christiaan. I can’t explain what it means to me because some of you out there reading these lines probably won’t have a clue what I’m talking about but let me give it a try and let me explain my sentiment… If you still don’t understand then leave a comment for me to answer…
I’m a graphic designer [and multimedia designer] for 18 years already. When I started to learn how to produce camera ready artwork at some advertising agency 18 years ago, there was no such thing as a computer for design, print work or digital printing etc. I had to produce each and every brochure, leaflet, business card, poster, annual report-layout [etc.] manually: spending time in the darkroom producing raster images and at the drawing board, waxing and cutting text on paper output, placing all the elements on the layout, using registration and crop marks. Office automation had only just started and I was the first to learn at that advertising agency, on one of the first Apple Macs…
Typesetting [presentation of textual material in graphic form on paper or some other medium] was still a proper profession at print shops. This was all, way before desktop publishing became more popular for publishing than typesetting and the olden days things started to vanish… Anyway, the envelope that I got from Christiaan is one that he printed himself in 1976. 1976! I was still a girl drawing pictures and gazing out of windows catching a glimpse of some bug flying about. Living in my own little world not knowing what I would become later… [I actually wanted to become a nurse *I hear you think*]
So it has value to me because it’s old, it’s Christiaan’s and he designed and printed it himself, typesetting and not using some fancy CPU. Getting his fingers dirty with ink, the real deal! It’s only a vague memory to me since I found myself on the edge of transformation back then when I started my career. I have done the manual stuff but for two years or so before agencies slowly started to convert to computers. But the smell of ink and the sound of a Heidelberg is something you’ll never forget!
Thanks Christiaan for sending me something truly special!!! What a lovely surprise… emoticons/biggrin.gif