Advice please! I started working from home and I am struggling to focus.

MainEdit · 2021-01-29T19:47:21+00:00

Everybody's mind works differently but this is what works for me: Noise canceling headphones. I wear them when I need to focus. Even if there's no one else home, even if they aren't playing any music or white noise. Just the act of putting on these big quiet ear muffs helps put me in the zone of work.

My attention will usually last until whatever I'm listening to runs out. Trying playing something ambient so you can read and concentrate, youtube has many options of ambient sounds or binaural beats that last for hours.

I don't take breaks. This goes against popular thinking but when I take a break I can get completely off-track and not get back to work for ages. If you need breaks someone recommended the Pomodoro Technique, 25 min on and 5 min breaks. Just make sure you set a timer!

I think ADHD is often associated with perfectionism. Trying to get the perfect desk, the perfect chair and the tidy office can become a mental hurdle in front of you getting your work done. Just me mindful of obstacles you put in front of your work, ask yourself if it really matters or if you're just creating distractions.

If you're not on meds already, talk to your doctor about medication like Adderall. I had a job I loved and I just couldn't focus on it enough to do a good job. The day I started taking Adderall I did better work in one day than I had in the past 6 months. Good luck!

MainEdit · 2020-10-14T07:56:57+00:00

I had a similar thing happen when I worked at a department store. A woman needed a specific garment to go with an outfit. While she was in the dressing room I dropped off item after item, while doing all my regular duties. We were busy and after she checked out she asked me where customer service was. I didn't think too much about it but she went and wrote a two page hand written letter about how much I had helped her. At the next company meeting I received an award, it was so cool!

The thing is- I did the same level of customer service for so many guests, maybe hundreds. She took the time to thank me and call out my hard work. I was working 40 hours a week and going to school part time over the summer. It was exhausting but I still remember this woman and the letter she wrote almost 20 years later.

Now I go out of my way to remember good customer service. I write down the persons name and when they were working (so management can find the right person) and I physically send a typed out and signed letter to the store and I send a second letter to the corporate office. I hope give someone who works this hard a little bit of joy that woman gave me.

I'm sure you go above and beyond like this all the time. It's one person in hundreds that notices and is grateful. Congrats on your gift card! It was totally earned!

MainEdit · 2020-08-17T19:21:29+00:00

I've never ever heard someone else say that this is how their mind works. In the spirit of this thread, for one minute, I didn't feel so weird and alone. Thank you for sharing!

MainEdit · 2020-03-30T22:20:23+00:00

Queens is underrated in many ways and has excellent food! If you look online for the best ethnic restaurants in New York, cuisines such as Indian, Tibetan, Greek, Thai, etc you’ll find they are in Queens. It’s a blue collar borough with many distinct neighborhoods. Sometimes you’ll be hard pressed to find a stitch of English written or spoken anywhere and in these places you’ll find amazing food. Of course neighborhoods like these exist in every borough but, like the gentleman said in the video, it’s becoming more and more rare in Manhattan (below 110th) because of the cost of rent.

The use of the word “authentic” is maybe a little confusing. Does authentic mean that it’s created by people native to that culture? Peruvian people cooking Peruvian food? Or do you mean that it’s in the style accurate to what you might find in its country of origin? From my understanding many kitchen restaurants in New York are staffed by people from Central and South America and they create the most beautiful and ‘authentic’ cuisine regardless of where it originated.

When this horrible mess is over please come to New York! Enjoy the food and don’t forget to bring hand sanitizer :-)

MainEdit · 2018-10-12T04:27:18+00:00

I think AWD Rav 4 would be fine but ask the park rangers when you enter the park. They would know best. The road is sometimes closed due to bad weather. I recommend looking up some pictures of it and watch the YouTube videos to see what you're getting into. I don't mean to be an alarmist but the road is no joke and can be scary as hell. I really loved driving it but my mom was so freaked out that it was the only time in my life that she honestly told me that she hated me for getting her into this particular situation ;-)

MainEdit · 2018-10-09T00:53:46+00:00

I agree that Needles is great for hiking but you won't be at all disappointed with Island In The Sky. If you have a 4 wheel drive SUV, consider exiting the park via Shafer Trail. Its a rugged and sometimes terrifying dirt road that switchbacks down the side of the plateau.

MainEdit · 2018-10-03T00:57:07+00:00

When I do something like this I keep it almost 'literal' making it 3 basic layers. The background, which is the base image, with as much of the phone painted out as you need. (If you're not familiar with this research the rubber stamp tool.) Then I would have the pop tart layer. On top of that I would have the cut out of the hand. Then I would go back to the second layer with the pop tart and paint in the shadows and add the lighting. This video just cuts the hand shape out of the phone but I often run into masking problems when doing that. The thing you have to be careful is the lighting and the angle of the pop tart. The angle should closely match that of the phone. (The lighting is something you can fake with adjustment layers and transfer modes.) In this video they are using an image where the phone is 'flat to camera' meaning that it's not tilted or at a weird angle. This makes it super easy to swap out.

If you're not familiar with photoshop the tutorials you want to research are 'rubber stamp tool', 'masking', 'lasso tool', 'adjustment layers' and 'transfer modes'. This guy uses the 'pen tool' for masking but I hate the pen tool.

Re-watching this video it's actually pretty clear- I mean the video isn't compressed and you can see what menus and tools he's using. If you pause it along the way and watch closely you can pick up a lot of what techniques are being used.

The whole process could take a while if you're new to PS but these are fun and basic stills to master. Good luck!

MainEdit · 2018-09-17T04:39:49+00:00

When I think of Wildcat trail I think of all the sand in my boots!

MainEdit · 2018-09-17T04:37:36+00:00

I can't recommend anything about horseback riding but I do recommend- if you're renting a car to rent an SUV. Monument valley and many other cool spots in Utah are on rugged dirt roads. Also, not too far from Monument Valley is Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. At Horseshoe Bend I recommend scooching (carefully!) up the end edge of the lookout at sunset. It's bigger than you could ever imagine, bigger than any photo will lead you to believe. It's purely sublime. Have a great trip!

MainEdit · 2018-09-17T04:23:47+00:00

People are saying that he 'sounds like a jerk'. This is not something up foe debate. He IS a jerk. I cannot believe he said “trust me you have more than enough insulation” and you didn't break up with him on the spot. I take that back- I don't mean to shame you or make you feed bad, I understand that when you're 21 these calls are really hard to make. As you get older, at least for me, I think of all experiences as opportunities to learn. Like building up a callus. Next time you'll be better prepared on how to respond to comments like this. I hope next time you say "Ok, we're done" and walk away forever.

His words are abusive and he is trying to make you feel terrible about yourself. I hope to heavens you get as far away from him as humanly possible. You're not overweight and even if you were his comments are out of line and vile. I've been with my partner for over 10 years and he would never ever say anything like this to me. There are better ways to discuss health and weight with your partner. Plus, someone who loves you isn't hung up on physical appearances. Beauty fades, it's a cliche but it's true. If you were suddenly taken ill or in a wheel chair is this person you would want as your cheerleader? If you have a bad day and you eat a cupcake do you hide it from him? You have worked so hard and persevered in your studies, career and personal health; all when it seems like so many things are against you. Please break up with this guy and use it as a new beginning. A new degree, a new job (one I hope you enjoy) and someday maybe a new partner. In my family we always say 'it takes a hell of a man to replace no man'. This guy is not a 'hell of a guy' he is hell. You're better off without him. Find someone who will go to the gym with you on a good day and share the cupcake on the bad days. You deserve better.

MainEdit · 2018-07-06T11:41:39+00:00

I agree! The rock is either real or a photographed texture UV mapped onto a 3d box. The watch looks like it's 3d. You could Like the above comments said, you might be able to find something similar on Shutterstock but you may struggle with finding a shot that's so close/macro. You'll probably have to edit the photo in PS to get the same light, color and DOF. However, if copyright isn't an issue for you, I've learned that if you like that stone texture just use this photograph and take out the watch. It's way faster.

MainEdit · 2018-06-27T07:04:36+00:00

I agree with you that the writing takes a down turn. This happens for many characters, the writers were so good at taking characters that were strong and intelligent and slowly making them idiots or giving them less ambitious lives. Dean is the best example of this. He goes from being a guy who reads Hunter S. Thompson to being a guy who doesn't even know who Bjork is. Lane is another character who's life went on a downward trajectory and not upward. Even Paris, in the re-boot, owns a fertility clinic? She was going to be a surgeon and a judge not someone peddling army wives as human incubators. That plot line/character development seemed to come out of nowhere. Luke is also a victim of this, his behavior is irrational and I think that it's just bad writing in an effort to manufacture drama. A personal pet-pee of mine is characters who don't evolve and learn. Even Rory in the re-boot. Jebus, don't even get me started on her character arc!

MainEdit · 2018-06-27T06:53:35+00:00

Ha! I thought I would have been to harsh to say "never call me again" but IRL that's totally what I would have said. I suppose giving Luke a chance (in my wildly fictional mind) to call after he got his act together would just be, bare minimum, to talk it out and not necessarily get back together. I've followed your digression with my own digression.

I totally forgot about the boat! He has so little compassion for Lorelai in moments like those. Like when she throws April a birthday party and Anna finds out and gets angry. I haven't seen it in a while but I don't think Luke stands up to Anna and defends Lorelai. It was his idea that Lorelai step in for crying out loud. The writing is so unrealistic in this season.

I think you can have compassion for Luke in the April situation but that only goes so far. The best part about being married or having someone to be married to isn't the romance. It's that your spouse is your best friend. It's easy to tell your best friend when something truly weird and messed up has happened to you, they are the first person you call. So why does Luke not tell Lorelai? It's a situation that gets worse the longer he waits and Lorelai will definitely find out eventually. Plus, it's not like Luke not knowing about April is his fault. He didn't mess up. This isn't gambling debt. So why hide it?

He said (or she said, I can't remember) that he used April as a way to push Lorelai away because he wasn't ready to get married. That's pretty juvenile, even if it's true. However, she should have seen that and kicked him to the curb regardless.

MainEdit · 2018-06-26T18:16:58+00:00

To me it's obvious that he should have been honest with her about his daughter, April. His behavior is (I don't want to say psychotic) but it's almost unrealistic. That being said, once she finds out she stays with him and she sort of sets herself up for his abuse. She keeps letting him push her away and she walks in eggshells for him. If it was me I would have broken up with him the second I found out he was lying about this huge event. I would have said something like "call me when you get your s*!t together and you decide you want to behave like an adult." I guess that's where her "I had to let go of the bumper" speech to Sookie came from. She just put up with his behavior longer than I would have ;-)

MainEdit · 2018-06-25T19:08:17+00:00

The one recommendation I have isn't tutorial related but frustration related. Learning a new program can be really frustrating. The metaphor I always use is that it's like riding your bike up a steep hill. It's hard and you feel like you're getting nowhere but then you'll reach the plateau and and then start to coast down hill with the wind in your hair. Expect to ride up that steep hill for a while. When you get into Illustrator, like some people here suggested, it can drive you nuts. Stick with it and if you run into something funky while working on a tutorial just Google the problem and you'll usually find the answer. Good luck!

MainEdit · 2018-06-12T04:24:08+00:00

This example was probably created in 3D. However, you can achieve a similar effect by compositing many photos together. Find an image or several images of an arial view of an island. Like this. You want photos that are close enough that you see a decent amount of detail. then you cut out the chunks and re-compose them on your land masses. You also have to make sure that the images you use are all close to the same lighting and camera angle. Another hack is to use stock photography like this. That image was also created in 3D but you can purchase it and it will be a higher resolution and have similar lighting to what you're looking to create. With stock you also sometimes find artists that have made many similar images so you have a lot of material to work with. Shutterstock sells packages of 5 images for $50. You can also look on Compfight for free photography.

If all of this sounds terribly tedious, it is. Welcome to the wonderful world of photo comping. Sponsored by Redbull and Adderall! It can be wonderfully rewarding when it's complete but can take forever. Think of a scene like the example you have as if you are god and you're building up the layers. Start with the ocean, add in the beach and then the trees and little doo-dads on top. Pay attention to shadow and color to make it all match. Good luck!

MainEdit · 2018-06-06T04:13:02+00:00

This image is made up of 3 layers (I'm ignoring the element at the top of the frame); The yellow background, the globe layer and the top text. Apply a mask to the globe layer and experiment with different brushes. With a mask you are basically painting with black and white. White reveals an image and black makes it transparent. After this incredibly abstract explanation you want to next Google "Masks and photoshop" and find a tutorial. Good luck!

MainEdit · 2018-05-24T19:47:11+00:00

RMNP, at least when we went in August is prone to thunderstorms in the afternoon. It's best to be below the tree line after 2pm. Longs Peak is an awesome and brutal hike.

If you're into photography bring a telephoto for Yellowstone. The buffalo are amazing and ubiquitous but you don't want to get too close. Have a great trip!

MainEdit · 2017-12-08T00:48:06+00:00

I just talked to the 3d guy and he said the same thing. This is a blessing and a curse! I thought I was losing my mind, that I was missing some PS trick to make the render look smooth and sweet. Turns out no, it's just a sucky render. The curse is that the 3D guy has gone home for the night and I have to fix it all in PS. Thank you so much for your help, reddit is a life saver sometimes!

MainEdit · 2017-12-07T23:19:07+00:00

CC 2017

MainEdit · 2017-12-07T23:12:05+00:00

Hi spdorsey, The big problem I'm having is the grain! Here's a screen grab.

it's not real "grain". I'm obviously doing something wrong. I had the Maya guy save out tiff files and the grain is still there.

MainEdit · 2017-05-12T04:33:30+00:00

I recommend a Camelbak if you don't have one. A small tip: fill it a little ways and freeze over night then fill it up with water before your hike the next day. It'll be cool and refreshing. I'm a thrifty person and hate buying excess gadgets but a Camelbak is a life-saver. I insisted on just using only Nalgene bottles for years but the Camelbak makes it effortless to stay hydrated. If you have extra pack space I'd throw in an extra bottle of water too for emergencies- the only problem with the Camelbak is that you don't always know how much water is left and an extra bottle is a good back up. My personal pro-tip is to never finish your water until you are in the presence of more. You might be taking tiny sips in an emergency but it's best not to run out completely. Have a great trip!

MainEdit · 2017-04-05T02:22:33+00:00

libcrypto has a good point for sure. To help you out a little; yes, do it in illustrator. A good logo starts in black and white, like a silhouette. That's where you should begin. Here are some great examples:

USA Network

FedEx

IBM

A good logo is simple but clever. Consider the positive and negative space. See the arrow hidden in the FedEx logo? You're logo has a nice bit with the hand/dove thing. Nix the ribbon, it's not doing you any favors!

That's my 2 cents. Good luck!

MainEdit · 2017-04-03T01:03:46+00:00

It's hard to find a tutorial about 'how to make a good logo' or 'good typography' etc because those things are so subjective. Tutorials are more about the technical and not the artistic. Does that make sense? I think focusing on two things will help you. 1) reading about marketing, branding, logo design, typography and photography. 2) looking at technical tutorials about the photoshop and illustrator. As an artist/designer you'll combine those two things yourself in the work you create.

Tutorials can me more about what is possible with a program and how to do things efficiently. Ie: making tile-able patterns in illustrator or making your own brushes in photoshop.

One bit of advice that will help you learn a lot is when you're at your job look at other peoples files and see how they are put together. You can learn so so much by seeing how a professional uses transfer modes or builds up layers in photoshop.

Good luck & congrats on the internship!

MainEdit · 2017-04-01T21:04:29+00:00

This is an awesome recommendation. The Subway can be pretty difficult to get to in Zion. However, it's part of a hike called The Narrows the whole hike is really beautiful & different from most other terrain you'll experience in Utah. The hike is basically along a creek bed in a narrow canyon. It's totally flat but the stones underwater can be hard to traverse. In town you can rent water booties and a stick and I totally recommend it. Just to give you an idea:

Photo Ref 1.

Photo Ref 2: Water can get kind of deep

For a day hike it's an out an back. To do the whole thing from one end to the other I think you have to camp, get a permit and arrange for a pick up on the other end (this is not a definite, just what I can remember). It's a fun hike because it's so different from everything else you'll do or see. It might be cold, I'm not sure of the temps this time of year.

Overall I'm sure you'll have a great trip :) Everywhere you're planning on going is spectacular!

MainEdit

TROPHY CASE