This class has gone a lot faster than I thought it would. Embarking on an eight-week course during the summer certainly wasn’t what I was looking forward to the most this break, but I have learned so much throughout the process.
As I reviewed my blog posts and completed projects from the course, I can tell how I’ve improved. For some of the earliest projects, I definitely hadn’t allocated myself enough time to do as good a job as I hoped to. I’ve previously been used to using Microsoft products, which are pretty intuitive and have always been easy for me. I assumed that those basic skills would quickly transfer to Photoshop and InDesign, but was very mistaken.
I have grown to really enjoy playing around in these new programs, but I wish I could’ve spent more time preparing myself for those initial efforts. I didn’t think that I would really have to watch hours of tutorials to feel comfortable, but now I’m so glad that I did. Allowing myself the time to really familiarize myself with the platforms marked a turning point for me. Comparing my rusty recreation of the Candy handout to my own newsletter has shown me how much I can grow in such a short time.
I have felt confident about my writing and ideas but wasn’t willing to admit that design is really hard for me. I think that my ultimate tip for PR practitioners would be to allow yourself to acknowledge your strengths and also get excited about areas to grow.
