I used to think that I would never design anything on my own, outside of an app on my cell phone.
No one can convince me to learn photoshop. Not at this stage in my life. Putting Ikea furniture together is bad enough. Not when there are so many other people who are so great at it, so I resigned to the fact that I will never be a graphic designer. Maybe a creative director, but not the person who does the work itself.
The problem with this decision is that I also don’t have the budget to pay the big dollars for beautiful images to communicate and drive the work of our ministry. For certain things, I’m willing, to pay a professional to make sure things are crisp and congruent. Relevant and readable. We paid a beautiful boutique brand company to design my business card and it’s lasted nearly 7 years. I’ve never like anything that long before. All that to say, it’s worth it- if you can do it.
However, today is a new day friends. I’m proud to say, that I can design something. On. My. Own. Thanks to a girl with a vision.
What I’ve found is for the last minute, I need an image STAT and have spent all of the money needs.
For the, I just made up an event that we are going to pull off in three days just because we happen to have a monkey on hand.
It’s for the time you forgot you have a big deal coming up on Sunday because you spent the last 24-7 at a camp or on a mission trip.
Now, I can create images that are simple, fun, and tell a story, quickly-by myself, for little or no money.
When I started searching for things online that work like the apps on my phone, I found Canva.
Life. Changing.
Cue angel choir.
I can’t tell you how awesome it is. I sort of wanted to keep it to myself forever.
But I know that I can’t. It’s just not nice. And now I really can’t since Aussie entrepreneur Melanie Perkins (founder and CEO of Canva) was just featured in Fast Company Magazine.
So there you go. I just made the rest of your life easier. Actually Melanie and her boss team did.
I’d love to see what you come up with and see how fast you do it. My current design record is 1 minute 45 seconds. I have spent a total of $4 on designs for our youth ministry, my website, and blog in the past 3 months.
Done and done.
What a happy post! I hope you’re happy today. And you feel ready to face whatever you’ve got on your plate. Charge it like there’s no tomorrow.
*Btw, you’re going to be ok. And the stuff that feels like work doesn’t have to feel like work when you use the helps around you. I know you wanted to be a photoshop pro before you got started (like I did) but really, you don’t have to. Let the stuff that other people do work for you so you can focus on what matters most.
The kids (youth, young adults, people) in your life and ministry.
