Archive for the ‘Techie Tuesday’ Category

Techie Tuesday | Spotify!

August 30th, 2011

To say that I love music is a bit of an understatement. It’s already obvious that I love to share it with others.  It goes further than that. I can’t be alone as someone who wanders the street with a playlist forming their head. Perhaps you also analyze the soundtrack of a film or show [...]
 

To say that I love music is a bit of an understatement. It’s already obvious that I love to share it with others.  It goes further than that. I can’t be alone as someone who wanders the street with a playlist forming their head. Perhaps you also analyze the soundtrack of a film or show as you view it. Can you read High Fidelity without nodding along as Rob lists the art of a perfect mix tape? If you understood all of that, we might be soulmates. Music shapes are world in more ways than many seem to realize.  I think that Irving Berlin expressed it so well when he said “Music is so important. It changes thinking, it influences everybody, whether they know it or not. Music knows no boundary lines.” Does that last line inspire anyone else? Does it give you butterflies?

The right album or playlist can be found for any mood, and I am admittedly picky about this when it comes to time spent in the office. It all comes together: the weather, the amount of time I have, the nature of the work, the product I hope to deliver, the manner in which I hope to express myself. I feel that my work is truly better when I let the music influence my creative brain. Within arms length I have my cd, cassettes, records, and of course iTunes at my disposal. There are times that only the old school will do (nostalgia clearly plays its part), but digital files have obviously taken over my life.. and sometimes my bank account. :) Thankfully, I was recently exposed to a new service that has revolutionized the first important step in my workflow!

 

Helllloooooo Spotify! Welcome to the US!

 

Also, how cute is this informational video? I’ll sit back and let Spotify sell itself ;)

 

 

I think Spotify could use some work as far as helping people find new artists, but if you already know of albums you love but simply can’t/won’t buy yet, look no further. If owning/building your collection is top priority, this really is not the program for you! However, if you want constant variety, or to check out a song (or 300) for longer than the usual 30 second preview, come take a spin!  Once you test drive the music at home long enough, you may realize that you just can’t live without moving it off your computer/phone and into the rest of your life.. and then you can head back to iTunes… or your local music store.  :) While I could music search on my own, to my hearts content, I am particularly fond of the option to connect with friends. Sharing is caring. I just love sharing. Come find me & we can connect over music… which is a great way to becoming my BFF. ;)

 

Here’s hoping everyone who finds themselves in front of a desk for much of their life can enjoy it a bit more now, with a great soundtrack!

 

 

Cheers,

Briana

 

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Techie Tuesday | Blogstomp

August 23rd, 2011

I should share right off the bat that I am a blog junkie. In addition to having an extensive list of blogs that I stalk follow, I have been writing and sharing on my own personal blogs for almost 10 years now. I started on Xanga, if that helps give you a a better sense of [...]
 

I should share right off the bat that I am a blog junkie. In addition to having an extensive list of blogs that I stalk follow, I have been writing and sharing on my own personal blogs for almost 10 years now. I started on Xanga, if that helps give you a a better sense of my blogging history.  Wow… that aged me a bit. :)   I have never been a journaler in the traditional sense, a surprising fact that I attribute to growing up in a particularly nosy family. However, my desire to express myself and my need to write drew me to blogging.  Within the blogosphere, I found a center. I’m a passionate person whose eloquence runs rampant in my head, but has a hard time compelling those thoughts to pass my lips.  It’s the curse of a shy extrovert… yes, those exist. One fateful day, I found myself in front of the computer; amazed at this outlet I had been searching for, slightly obsessive with my re-edits (still guilty of that some days), and also thankful for a place to share my art along with my thoughts… both had been bundled up for far too long. I know many photographers who hate this side of the job, as well as many who ignore it altogether. I understand people who dread blogging, but personally, it excites me.   This is just my little corner of the world, but it is full of joy, and these days there is so little time to write it all down.  I look forward to the Fall when my schedule allows me to connect with you more.In addition to extra hours in my work day, I have happily discovered one little tool will begin to help me dedicate more time to writing: Blogstomp.

While I truly adore to write, I find the process of blogging for business to be bittersweet due to the vastly time-consuming process of prepping my images. My zeal for blogging was quickly overshadowed by the following pattern: Choose image, choose layouts, resize, sharpen, add border, add logo, save for web, go cross eyed, slam head on table, repeat. I own (and love) Morai Compositor for my collages, but I like discussing my photos in more detail, so I trudged along. Even the actions I created in PS only got me so far. I’m so thankful to have a quick, easy, and customizable program to prep my images at the click (or 2) of a button!

If you love blogging but hate the prep time, check out the free trial. Below is a quick screen shot of the app in action (along with a sneak peek of my current project… and the other things finding their way to my desktop this week :) ).

Yes,  I realize that I stomped the picture of another set of images that I had previously stomped. Consider this a display of my love!

 

 

Cheers,

Briana

 

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Techie Tuesday | Pinterest

June 28th, 2011

My name is Briana, and I am addicted to Pinterest. There. I said it. I admit it. I am hooked. Have you been on Pinterest? If the answer is yes, I’m fairly certain you all just inhaled a squeak and exhaled a sigh. If the answer is no, please jump on the bandwagon! In addition [...]
 

My name is Briana, and I am addicted to Pinterest.

There. I said it. I admit it. I am hooked. Have you been on Pinterest? If the answer is yes, I’m fairly certain you all just inhaled a squeak and exhaled a sigh. If the answer is no, please jump on the bandwagon! In addition to being a virtual playland where you can spend hours looking at & sharing pretty things, it can also be an invaluable business resource! I promise I’ll try to keep my exclamation points to a minimum…(!)

 

Here is a quick peek at a few of my boards. Yes, that sassy thing to the left is me as a kiddo… I kinda wish I could rock that outfit today.

 

 

What started as a place to visit to lift my spirits, window shop, and occasionally drool, has turned into a source of inspiration and organization.Personally, I can keep track of book recommendations, hone my style & shop intentionally rather than impulsively, and created a vast list of DIY projects for my home. Being a big-picture person and a lover of planning, the inevitable “future” boards have popped up as well. I find these boards also give people an opportunity to dream, which we all need time for in our hectic lives. I am all about the inspiration board. Between photography, DIY/design projects, and some freelance event planning, my desk top can grow out of control with folders full of images that move me. If I had a dollar for every time James has wandered by and stared at me with a puzzled look on his face (as I am sitting with a huge stack of clipping & swatches, the focus of Jonathan Papelbon), I could probably buy everything on my style board ;) . Pinterest has released me from the mountains of paper, the loss of gigs of memory, the mess of folders, and provided me with a simple location to keep all of my inspiration in one neat space. A space  that (bonus points) I can access from anywhere.  Talk about a dream come true.

 

It hit me just recently… if one sweet little site keeps me this organized and inspired in my personal life, why on earth would I not use it for business? New boards popped up, new focus found. A few ways to use the boards:

* Visuals to help define your brand

* Inspiration for styled/concept portraits

* Save ideas for ways to connect with clients (paper, gifts, products they may be interested in)

* Research trends in publishing

* “Netmaking” : sharing the work of your peers

*Building community through repinning, comments, etc

*One more outlet to share your world, and either draw or repel people to you. Both are good. :)

 

I would LOVE to connect with you on Pinterest. You can find my profile here, a quick follow and hello and i’ll be thrilled to follow back! Sharing is caring. I can’t wait to stalk view your lovely pins and find the surprising ways that we are kindred spirits.

 

Cheers,

Briana

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Techie Tuesday | CardStar

June 9th, 2011

I will admit it, I have a love/hate relationship with technology. When used wisely, we can stay organized, connect with friends & loved ones, stay on top of current events, and keep life running smoothly. When used poorly, our lives can become fragmented, and we end up spending more time slingshotting birds than interacting with [...]
 

I will admit it, I have a love/hate relationship with technology. When used wisely, we can stay organized, connect with friends & loved ones, stay on top of current events, and keep life running smoothly. When used poorly, our lives can become fragmented, and we end up spending more time slingshotting birds than interacting with out world. My goal for Techie Tuesday is to take the knowledge I gain as an avid internet/planning/research junkie, and share with my community the best ways I have found to harness it. These posts may not come weekly, but they’ll definitely pop up when I discover something that is worth passing around!

Knowing my weakness for distraction, my iPhone apps are limited to helpful tools (maps, yelp, news, Shazam, etc), business usage (fb, twitter, gmail) and the only selective fun I allow are photo (instagram, camera+) , WordsWithFriends, and Sudoku.  I’m always on the lookout for an app that will make life simpler, and running mad from those which will drain my battery and my time. Today, I found a new app that will fit within the former: CardStar!

I am a discount fanatic and the stack of loyalty/membership cards in my wallet is becoming obscene. I sometimes like to pretend the wallet bulge is just a wad of Benjamins, but let’s face it, I don’t roll like that. CardStar, thank you for both slimming my wallet and curbing my delusions of grandeur. ;)

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