WORKING WITH SHENEAD

24TH OF NOVEMBER 2020

SPONTANEOUS NEW PROJECT

SHENEAD (SHE/HER), A WRITER FOR NEW WAVE MAGAZINE, FOUND MY PHONE NUMBER THROUGH MY WEBSITE AND CONTACTED ME AFTER SEEING SOME OF THE MORE RECENT WORK THAT I HAVE BEEN DOING. SHE SAID THAT SHE IS STARTING A NEW RADIO SHOW, BUT WAS APPLYING THROUGH SOME OPPORTUNITY SCHEME TO GET A STUDIO AND SOME EQUIPMENT AS WELL AS HELP IN PROMOTING HER PROJECT. FOR IT SHE WOULD NEED SOME PHOTOS TAKEN THAT WOULD BE USED AS PRESS PHOTOS AND FOR THE GENERAL APPLICATION. SHE MENTIONED THAT THE DEADLINE IS SOON SO SHE WOULD NEED THE PHOTOSHOOT TO HAPPEN AS SOON AS I COULD. THEN SHE PROPOSED TO ME ANOTHER PROJECT: TO BUILD THE GRAPHICS AND LOGO FOR THE NEW MAGAZINE THAT SHE IS CREATING, CALLED 'FANTASY MAGAZINE'. THE MAGAZINE WOULD BE RELEASED NEXT YEAR, SO THERE IS NO PRESSURE IN MAKING THAT NOW. AFTER EXPLAINING ALL OF THIS SHE ASKED IF I WOULD BE ABLE TO HELP HER, AND IF I HAD THE TIME. BECAUSE MOST OF MY PROJECTS ARE COMING TO THEIR CONCLUSION, I SAID YES. ALSO, THIS OPPORTUNITY WILL BE MORE CREATIVE AND EXPERIMENTAL, AS SHE IS GIVING ME FULL CONTROL OVER THE IMAGES + GRAPHICS. I WANT TO TAKE THIS CHANCE TO YET AGAIN EXPAND MY KNOWLEDGE ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY AND PHOTOSHOP, AS WELL AS CREATING LOGOS FROM SCRATCH. OVERALL, I THINK THAT THIS WILL BE FUN, AND IT WILL BENEFIT EVERYONE INVOLVED.

28TH OF NOVEMBER 2020

PLAN(T) SET

I WAS ABLE TO FIND A STUDIO QUICKLY THAT COULD SQUEEZE US IN FOR A FEW HOURS TODAY. THE SHOOT WENT REALLY SMOOTHLY! I APPLIED WHAT I HAD LEARNED FROM THE SHIRIN LINGERIE SHOOT AND PUT IT TO WORK FOR THIS PROJECT. I WAS A LOT MORE RELAXED AND WAS TAKING LESS TIME BETWEEN SHOTS. SOMETHING I NOTICED WAS THE FACT THAT NOT EVERYONE IS COMFORTABLE WITH CERTAIN ANGLES, ESPECIALLY WHEN WORKING WITH PEOPLE WHO AREN'T OFFICIALLY 'MODELS'. THIS MEANT THAT THROUGHOUT THE TIME WE WERE THERE, I HAD TO BE REALLY AWARE OF HOW SHE WAS DOING, EVEN IF SHE WASN'T VERBALLY TELLING ME. IT IS IMPORTANT TO PICK UP ON PHYSICAL SIGNS, BECAUSE YOU WANT YOUR MODEL TO ALWAYS BE COMFORTABLE. IT HELPS THEM HAVE A BETTER EXPERIENCE AND RESULT IN AMAZING PHOTOS. FOR EXAMPLE, I SAW THAT SHE LOOKED MORE STIFF WHEN SHOOTING FROM A LOWER ANGLE, SO I TRIED AVOIDING THAT COMPLETELY.

THE SETTING UP WAS ALSO REALLY NICE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD. WHAT WE REALLY WANTED WAS TO PLAY WITH COLOURS IN THE LIGHTING. I KNEW THAT A SIMPLE BACKGROUND WOULD BE BEST, BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO EDIT THEM THOROUGHLY AFTERWARDS ANYWAY. THROUGHOUT THE SHOOT, THE OWNER OF THE STUDIO LET US USE SOME OF HIS PLANTS AS PROPS.

AFTERWARDS, WE SAT SOMEWHERE TO DISCUSS THE STYLE OF EDITING. I SHOWED HER WHAT I HAD DONE FOR THE FRED PERRY SUBCULTURE PHOTOS, AND SHE REALLY LIKED HOW I PLAYED AROUND WITH THE COLOURS. SHE HADN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IT BEFORE, BUT REALLY LOVE THE IDEA OF THE IMAGES BEING HIGHLY EXPERIMENTAL. SHE SAID THAT SHE TRUSTS ME COMPLETELY AND IS LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT I COME UP WITH.

I TOLD HER THAT I WAS WRAPPING UP SOME PROJECTS, AND ASKED IF IT WAS OKAY IF I COULD GET TO EDITING THEM IN A FEW DAYS. SHE SAID THAT IT WAS FINE, AND TAHT SHE WOULD CONFIRM WITH ME THE DATE OF HER DEADLINE TOMORROW.

1ST OF DECEMBER 2020

DUE DATE

I MESSAGED SHENEAD TO TELL HER THAT I WAS STILL FINISHING OFF THE LAST PHOTOS FOR BEBELUNA (THEY/THEM), SAND IF I STILL HAD TIME TO EDIT THE PHOTOS FOR HER. SHE SAID OF COURSE, TO NOT WORRY.

I AM ACTUALLY REALLY EXCITED TO START EDITING THESE PHOTOS, ESPECIALLY AFTER DOING BEBELUNA'S. I HAVE RAPIDLY LEARNED HOW TO USE MANY MORE TOOLD ON PHOTOSHOP AND AM ABLE TO BE A LOT MORE CREATIVE. AGAIN, I MIGHT LEAVE A DAY OR TWO IN BETWEEN JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY DON'T COME OUT LOOKING EXACTLY THE SAME - BUT STILL TRYING TO GET THEM IN BEFORE HER DEADLINE.

5TH OF DECEMBER 2020

MISSED TIME

IN THE PAST FEW DAYS I HAVE BEEN SELECTING THE PHOTOS THAT I THINK WORK THE BEST FOR THIS PROJECT, AND ONLY STARTED EDITING TODAY - BUT - SHENEAD MESSAGED ME SAYING THAT THE DEADLINE HAD PASSED. I WAS SO UPSET!!! I THOUGHT I HAD SO MUCH MORE TIME, MAINLY BECAUSE SHE NEVER REALLY CONFIRMED WHEN THE DUE DATE WAS. I FELT LIKE I LET HER DOWN COMPLETELY!!! I COMMUNICATED THIS WITH HER STRAIGHT AWAY, AS I DIDN'T WANT HER TO THINK I DIDN'T CARE. SHE SAID THAT ALL WASY OKAY, BECAUSE THERE WILL BE A NEW OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY IN THE NEW YEAR, AND THAT SHE PROBABLY NEEDED MORE TIME ANYWAY.

EVEN THOUGH THAT WAS A RELIEF, I STILL FEEL LIKE I LET HER DOWN. MAYBE SHE WAS JUST SAYING THOSE THINGS SO THAT NEITHER OF US WOULD FEEL SO BAD. EVEN THOUGH SHE NEVER REALLY GAVE ME A SPECIFIC DATE TO HAND EVERYTHING IN, I SHOULD HAVE WORKED FASTER AND MORE PROMPTLY. I TEND TO DO THIS THING WHERE I TAKE ON WAY TOO MANY THINGS AT ONE TIME. I WANT TO DO AND LEARN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE - BUT WHAT I NEED TO LEARN IS TO TAKE THINGS ONE STEP AT A TIME. I DID COMMUNICATE TO HER THAT I HAD TO WORK ON OTHER THINGS TOO, BUT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME TO SAY THAT I COULDN'T HELP HER AT THIS TIME. BUT ANOTHER PART OF ME IS GLAD THAT I DID, BECAUSE I AM REALLY EXCITED ABOUT HTIS PROJECT. I THINK WHAT I NEED TO DO IS EITHER 10 TAKE LESS WORK OR 2) IF I DO TAKE MORE WORK THEN TO DISCIPLINE MYSELF MORE AND MANAGE MY TIME BETTER. IN ALL HONESTY I THINK THATI AM GOING TO HAVE TO DO THE LATTER, WHILE STILL BECOMING MORE AWARE OF WHAT MY LIMITS ARE.

ANYWAY, SHENEAD IS STILL HAPPY TO WORK WITH ME, AND NOW WE HAVE MORE TIME. WHICH CAN ONLY MEAN THAT THINGS WILL COME OUT EVEN BETTER.

3RD OF DECEMBER 2020

DUE DATE

I MESSAGED SHENEAD TO TELL HER THAT I WAS STILL FINISHING OFF THE LAST PHOTOS FOR BEBELUNA (THEY/THEM), AND IF I STILL HAD TIME TO EDIT THE PHOTOS FOR HER. SHE SAID OF COURSE, TO NOT WORRY.

I AM ACTUALLY REALLY EXCITED TO START EDITING THESE PHOTOS, ESPECIALLY AFTER DOING BEBELUNA'S. I HAVE RAPIDLY LEARNED HOW TO USE MANY MORE TOOLS ON PHOTOSHOP AND AM ABLE TO BE A LOT MORE CREATIVE. AGAIN, I MIGHT LEAVE A DAY OR TWO IN BETWEEN JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY DON'T COME OUT LOOKING EXACTLY THE SAME - BUT STILL TRYING TO GET THEM IN BEFORE HER DEADLINE.

8TH OF JANUARY 2021

FRESH START

NEW YEAR, MORE ENERGY. I AM GLAD TO HAVE HAD SOME TIME OFF FROM WORKING, BECAUSE NOW I CAN THINK MRE CLEARLY. TODAY I RESTARTED EDITING THE PHOTOS FOR SHENEAD. RESTARTED BECAUSE I FELT LIKE I NO LONGER CONNECTED TO THE DIRECTION THAT I WAS GOING IN AT THE END OF LAST YEAR. BUT NOW I SEE THE VISION FOR THIS PHOTOS SERIES CLEARLY. I HAVE ALSO TAKEN THIS TIME OFF TO REFLECT ON THE FACT THAT I TRULY NEED TO SET MORE WORK BOUNDARIES. IT IS BECOMING WAY MORE APPARENT THAT I NEED AT LEAST A WEEK IN BETWEEN JOBS, ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE THE SAME KIND. I THINK THAT I COULD DO A GRAPHIC JOB AT THE SAME TIME, BUT NOT TWO PHOTO EDITING JOBS. IF THAT MAKES SENSE?
I THINK REALISING THESE THINGS IS IMPORTANT, WORK MY HEALTH, BUT ALSO TO IMPROVE MY WORK ETHIC OVERALL. IF I BURN OUT, THEN I WILL PRODUCE MEDIOCRE WORK. IF I HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF MY LIMITS, THENI WILL BE ABLE TO BE MORE ACTVE, PROACTIVE, AND BETTER AT MY JOB.

OVER THE HOLIDAYS I HAVE ALSO JUST BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH PHOTOSHOP ON THE SIDE, AS WELL AS WATCHING YOUTUBE TUTORIALS. SO NOT ONLY HAVE I COME BACK WITH MORE ENERGY, BUT I HAVE COME BACK WITH MORE ENERGY.

21ST OF JANUARY 2021

A SET OF CARDS

I AM ALMOST DONE WITH EDITING THE PHOTOS - AND NOT ONLY DO THEY LOOK GOOD INDIVIDUALLY BUT THEY ALSO LOOK GOOD TOGETHER AS A SERIES! WHEN I LINE THEM UP ON MY LAPTOP SCREEN THEY KIND OF LOOK LIKE A SET OF CARDS. I MIGHT EVEN PRINT THEM IN SMALL SIZES AND GIFT THEM TO SHENEAD AS A THANK YOU PRESENT. WORKING WITH HER HAS BEEN VERY EASY GOING, EVEN WITH THE SMALL HICCUP, AND I WANT TO SHOW MY APPRECIATION. I THINK AFTER A FEW DAYS WHEN I THINK I AM DONE WITH EDITING, I AM GOING TO LEAVE THEM FOR A BIT AND REVISIT THEM TO SEE IF I WOULD CHANGE ANYTHING OR DO ANYTHING BETTER. FORTUNATELY I NOW HAVE TIME TO DO THIS SO I CAN BE METICULOUS WITH THE EDITING.

11TH OF JANUARY 2021

INSPIRATION

I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO A LOT OF HYPERPOP + PC MUSIC LATELY, WHICH I THINK HAS REALLY INFLUENCED MY STYLE OF WORK. THE WAY I HAVE BEEN EDITING THE PHOTOS FOR SHENEAD HAS BEEN MORE IN THE DIRECTION OF LUCID DREAM-LIKE COLOURS AND SHAPES, ALMOST AS IF I WAS TRYING TO CREATE A CYBER-CANDY FLOSS WORLD. MUSICIANS LIKE SOPHIE EXPLORE SOUND THROUGH BOUNDARY-LESS GENRES, AND I THINK AS A RESPONSE I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO RECREATE WHAT I HEAR THROUGH THE SHAPING OF OF THESE BIZARRE WORLDS. THE PROCESS OF LISTENING TO MUSIC THAT DIRECTLY AFFECTS MY WORK HAS BEEN VERY PLEASANT, AND I THINK IS A TOOL THAT I USE A LOT. I OBVIOUSLY GET INSPIRE VISUALLY, BUT I THINK THAT MUSIC FORCES ME TO IMAGINE SOMETHING OF MY OWN FROM SCRATCH, WHICH TO ME IS REALLY EXCITING

I ALSO FIND IT QUITE FUNNY HOW OPPOSITE THIS SERIES IS TO THE ONE I DID FOR BEBELUNA, BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THEY FOLLOW SIMILAR STYLES, ONE HAS BRIGHT PINKS AND PURPLES WHILE THE OTHER HAS BLACK AND BRIGHT GREEN TONES. THE CONTRAST ACTUALLY TIES THEM TOGETHER IN A WAY.

15TH OF JANUARY 2021

APPROVAL

I HAVE SENT SHENEAD A BATCH OF EDITED PHOTOS AND SHE WAS TAKEN ABACK!!! SHE PROBABLY WAS EXPECTING WHAT I GAVE HER, BUT SHE LIKES IT EVEN MORE THAN WHAT SHE HAD PLANNED - WHICH IS AMAZING!!!

17TH OF JANUARYY 2021

A NEW SET OF EYES

I HAVE NOW STARED TO EXPERIMENT WITH EDITING BODY PARTS AS WELL - LIKE THE EYES AND HER TATTOOS. IT'S BEEN INTERESTING EXPLORING THAT TYPE OF EDITING, AS I WANT IT TO LOOK AS NATURAL AS POSSIBLE. LEARNING ABOUT THIS DEFINITELY EXPANDS THE IDEAS THAT I HAVE FOR THE SERIES, WHICH IS GOOD.

23RD OF JANUARY

WHAT AM I WORTH?

SOMETHING THAT I HAVE BEEN REFLECTING ON AS OF LATE IS HOW MUCH SHOULD I CHARGE WHEN DOING FREELANCE JOBS?
I STARTED DOING 'FREELANCE' JOBS WHEN I WAS YOUNGER FOR FREE BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK I HAD ENOUGH SKILL TO BE CHARGING, AND I JUST WANTED THE EXPERIENCE. THEN IT BECAME A THING WHERE I WOULD EXCHANGE SERVICES, LIKE I WOULD PHOTOGRAPH SOMEONE AND THEY WOULD DESIGN A POSTER FOR ME. BUT NOW, I THINK THAT I AM AT THE PLACE WHERE I REALLY NEED TO KNOW WHAT I AM WORTH PROFESSIONALLY. I STRUGGLE WITH THIS, BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON I ALWAYS FEEL GUILTY? EVEN THOUGH IT'S WHAT I DO, IT'S MY CARER, AND IT'S WHAT I DO FOR LIVING AND INCOME. SO I REALLY NEED TO STEP MY GROUND AND JUST CHARGE WHAT I NEED TO CHARGE - BUT ANOTHER PROBLEM IS, WHAT DO EPOPLE USUALLY CHARGE? HOW DO YOU MEASURE AN ARTISTIC SERVICE WITH MONEY? THE LINK DOESN'T APPEAR TO ME. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT SOMETIMES I AM WORKING WITH SOMEONE THAT MAY NOT HAVE THAT MUCH OF AN INCOME THEMSELVES. SO I THINK I WOULD FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE WITH HAVING A SLIDING SCALE FOR WHEN IT COMES TO SITUATIONS LIKE THESE. I ALSO NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHEN SOMEONE CAN'T AFFORD THE FULL CHARGE, AND WHEN SOMEONE IS JUST TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ME. FOR THIS I NEED TO BECOME MORE AWARE OF WHO IT IS THATI AM WORKING WITH, HOW BIG IS THEIR PLATFORM, AND POTENTIALLY TALK TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE WORKED WITH A BUSINESS/COMPANY/ORGANISATION/PERSON. I JUST NEED TO DO A LOT OF RESEARCH.

1ST OF FEBRUARY 2021

LOGO TIME

THE TIME HAS FINALLY COME TO DO SOME GRAPHICS! I HAVE REALLY COME TO LOVE DOING GRAPHIC WORK SO MUCH. I THINK THIS HAS COME AS PART OF MY REALISATION THAT I PREFER DESIGN-BASED WORK, AND THAT I THINK THAT IS THE DIRECTION THAT I AM GOING IN WITH MY PERSONAL ARTISTIC PATH.

SHENEAD HAD TOLD ME THAT SHE WANTED SOMETHING METALLIC LOOKING FOR THE MAGAZINE'S NAME LOGO, AND THAT SHE WANTED IT TO BE PURPLE. WHILE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IT TODAY SHE SAID THAT SHE WASN'T SURE OF MAKING THE LOGO BECAUSE SHE HAND'T COME UP WITH A DESIGN OR IDEA YET. I SAID NOT TO WORRY, I WILL DO ONE FIRST AND THEN THE LOGO WILL PROBABLY COME TO ME NATURALLY.

WE WERE BOTH LOOKING AT THE GRAPHICS THAT SHYGIRL (MUSICIAN) HAS ON HER PRESS SHOTS AND MUSIC ALBUMS, AND WE ALSO LOOKED AT MOWOLA'S (FASHION BRAND) LOGO. I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS THAT SHE WANTS, EVEN THOUGH HER DESCRIPTION IS LIMITED.

5TH OF FEBRUARY 2021

LOGO!!! TIME!!!

SO TODAY THE NAME LOGO WAS FINALLY CREATED, AND IT IS PERFECT! (IF I MAY SAY SO MYSELF). THE ACTUAL MAKING OF IT WAS PRETTY STRAIGHT-FORWARD, BUT WHAT SPARKS IT ARE THE TEXTURAL DETAILS THAT I ADDED. AND LIKE I ANTICIPATED, I CREATED A LITTLE LOGO NATURALLY AS I WAS WORKING WITH THE TYPOGRAPHY. I ENDED UP BEING A LITTLE STAR THAT GOES BETWEEN THE "FANTASY" AND THE "MAGAZINE". SHENEAD WAS BEYOND SHOCK WHEN I SHOWED HER WHAT I HAD MADE. SHE EXPLAINED THAT SHE WAS SO HAPPY WITH IT BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT SHE ENVISIONED EVEN THOUGH SHE WASN'T ABLE TO EXPLAIN IT PROPERLY. THIS WAS VERY SATISFYING TO ME, AS IT IS MORE THAN A PLEASURE WHEN I AM ABLE TO EXCELL AT A JOB. BUT THEN SHE ASKED ME IS I COULD ANIMATE IT, MAKING IT GO ROUN IN A LOOP. I WASN'T SURE HOW TO FEEL ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I HAVE NEVER DONE ANYTHING LIKE THAT. WE WERE ON SUCH A HIGH, AND I DID NOT WANT TO DISAPPOINT. BUT, I TOOK THIS CHANCE TO EXPAND FROM MY COMFORT ZONE, AND I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE SPOT TO LEARN HOW TO DO WHAT SHE ASKED. IT REQUIRED FOR ME TO USE ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR, WHICH I HAVE NEVER REALLY USED BEFORE. BUT AGAIN, I FELT REALLY CONFIDENT AT WHAT I WAS DOING.

IT TOOK ME A LITTLE TIME TO FAMILIARISE MYSELF WITH THE SOFTWARE, BUT AFTER I GOT THE HANG OF IT AND GOT THE BASE DONE, I STARTED TO PLAY AROUND WITH THE ANIMATION. I ENDED MAKING IT SO THAT "FANTASY MAGAZINE" WOULD ROTATE IN ON THE 'Y' AXIS AND THE STAR ON THE 'Z' AXIS. SO I ENDED UP LEARNINGS SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW, AND BECAUSE I TRUSTED MYSELF, I MADE SOMETHING THAT LOOKED REALLY GOOD. AND THAT SHENEAD LOVED EVEN MORE!!!

AGAIN THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE OF WORKING WITH SHENEAD HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT MAGICAL. I HAVE PUSHED MYSELF IN NEWER DIRECTIONS, I CHALLENGED MYSELF, SHE CHALLENGED ME, WE HAD GOOD COMMUNICATION, AND SHE HAS BEEN PLEASED WITH EVERYTHING. I DO THINK THAT THIS HAS BEEN A DIRECT RESULT OF THE THINGS I HAVE BEEN LEARNING BY WORKING WITH BEBELUNA AND SHIRIN LINGERIE. I DEFINITELY SEE AN IMPROVEMENT IN MY PROFESSIONALITY, WHILE ALSO FINDING MY STYLE OF WORK

8TH OF FEBRUARY 2021

REVEAL

TODAY SHENEAD AND I POSTED ON OUR PERSONAL INSTAGRAMS THE LOGO AND ANIMATION THAT I CREATED. AND THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE. I THINK THIS IS THE WORK THAT I HAVE BEEN THE MOST PROUD OF THUS FAR IN THIS DPS YEAR. I ACTUALLY HAVE ALREADY BEEN ASKED TO WORK ON SOME LOGOS AND GRAPHICS FOR SOME OTHER PEOPLE. BUT THIS TIME, BEFORE I AGREE TO ANYTHING, I AM GOING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I CHARGE. AFTER THIS, I WANT TO PROPERLY KNOW THE VALUE OF MY WORK, AND DISCUSS PROJECTS PROFESSIONALLY. WE WILL SE HOW IT GOES! BUT RESEARCH ON THIS MUST DEFINITELY HAPPEN.

OH! I ALSO THINK THAT I AM NOW READY TO START LEARNING ABOUT BLENDER. I REALLY WANT TO FURTHER MY DIGITAL ART INTO THE 3D WORLD, AS II WANT TO MIX AND MATCH THE 2D WITH THE HAND MADE WITH THE 3D. WATCH THIS SPACE!