I said yes when I didn't know what to do

My classmate approached me that Saturday afternoon while waiting for our professor. "Do you know how to make a tarpaulin?"

Without looking at her, I nodded my head. "Yes"

........Oh God, what have I done. 

The  last tarpaulin I designed looked like crap. But still, I gave it a shot. Effort trumps Effortless is my battle cry.

After receiving the theme for our seminar tarp, I created the layout in Photoshop. It took me an hour of editing the text and images, as well as conquering the inner voice in my head telling me "Oh wow, that sucks!"

"Hey, not bad!" I told myself after I was done. I had done 3 prototypes. I liked the third one and sent it to my classmate for printing.

It was a decent looking tarpaulin design, with inspiration from "It's more fun in the Philippines!". Yeah, that slogan and font style saved me. I figured I needed to "copy" something to come up with something new. After all, Austin Kleon said in his book, "Steal Like an Artist"... Nothing is original.

*** 

"See you later! we'll have lunch!"

And so, the occupants of the IT department left me alone in their office as I sat until the printer was finished churning out the 60 sheets of Certificates I was waiting for.

I need to do something productive. Hey, why not learn about the Pen Tool in Photoshop? I think Kent has PS6 in his desktop.

Little Nurnur played with the pen tool and googled for tutorials while waiting for the certificates to be printed. After 15 minutes, I got the certificates, went back to my table and played with Photoshop.

Truth is, I can't remember the last time I allowed myself to be patient with Photoshop. I played with the Pen tool. I read the tutorials. I tried to understand how to use the vector mask and layer mask. I learned how to make perspective grids in Photoshop. I played with the Free Transform Tool.  I took time (as what I picked up in Scott Peck's The Road Less Travelled)

Taking Time was a luxury I never afforded myself when I was learning how to use Adobe Photoshop. Tutorial? What for? I'm good! I don't need that! 

That mindset was my downfall. My Achilles Heel.

I'm aware I have to repeat the exercises to drill it in my head. To make in innate. To make it a habit.
It was fun yet challenging.