An incredible amount of people are dreaming about quitting their 9-5 job and pursuing their dream of becoming a creative. The very vast majority never pursue that dream and let it stay a dream throughout their entire life. “Why is that?” one may ask. Is it the uncertainty of not having a stable income to support the wellbeing of themselves and their loved ones? Is it the fear of discovering they did not have the talent or the passion they thought they had? Or is it simply because they prioritize other things in life and don’t think they have the time to pursue their dream as an creative? At creativeforce.io they are experts in helping people make their creative dreams come true. In this article we have talked with creativeforce.io to discover how those people who actually make it as a creative start out? Do they go full-time from day one? Do they work day and night? Do they even have time for friends and family? This and much more is revealed in this article for you to read and get inspired.

Consider if its a dream you really want to pursue

First of all, one of the things you should consider is - how much of a dream is this? Are you actually interested in spending the rest of your life doing this and making it a source of income. If the answer is no, then you should probably only pursue it as a hobby and spare-time interest. There’s a chance you will lose interest in your passion and become tired of it. This can only cause stress and anxiety - which can cause harm to your mental health. If the answer is yes on the other hand, you can start planning how you want to make the switch from normal worker at your regular job to becoming a full-time entrepreneurial creative.

Throw away everything and pursue your dream?

If you are young you have almost nothing to lose by pursuing your creative dream. If you are older you might have family and loved ones to support, which can make it more difficult to pursue your dream without securing financial stability first. Therefore you should adapt your jump form being worker to entrepreneur depending on your own speed and will. Design your own road to glory instead of just jumping head first into life as an entrepreneur. Pursue your dream for sure, but also think how you can do it in a smart way!

The virality of content is a curious phenomenon. Sometimes you write a simple article or you turn a video. You publish it and a few days later, your content triggered hundreds of shares.

Without knowing why, you have created viral content. Many entrepreneurs and marketers would like to know the secret of virality.

It's true anyway!

Which entrepreneur would not want to have more exposure for his brand, ideas or products quickly? In fact, virality is simply the best way to quickly gain visibility and traffic without necessarily paying for it or being an SEO wizard.

The 5 ingredients to make viral content

1) The social value: Share what motivates your audience

Social value is the idea that people who discuss a subject, in public or on social networks, do so because they want to appear interesting, intelligent or "cool". If the mere fact of talking about a product or idea makes us look like someone interesting to others, then chances are we'll talk about it around us. It is the social value, the value we place on the information we share with others. In fact, this desire to share our thoughts and experiences is at the root of the phenomenal success of social networks.

2) Content

It's not just the titles that will help your content become viral, the content itself has a say.

Let's take an example.

You sell organic products and you would like to be a little more visible on the Internet?

For example, you could write an ultra-comprehensive blog post about the dangers of pesticides and share it on your social profiles. It is likely to be shared by others, because from the outside, it implies that they 1) care about their health and that of others and 2) care about the environment and the food brands they consume.

3) Emotion: Caring is sharing

This concept is simple and you surely know it. We share and discuss things that involve strong emotions. Whether positive or negative, it does not matter. Moreover, one of the emotions that sticks to our TV screens and triggers the word of mouth in a crazy way is fear.

Fear is selling. And that's true. Why do you think the media is constantly talking about the misfortune of others or the attacks? Because it makes talking! Because we read and share this kind of articles. For the greatest happiness of the media.

It's not just negative emotions that make you sell and trigger a monster word of mouth. Joy or hopes are emotions that trigger sharing.

4) The public: Become your own PR representative

People tend to mimic what others do. Rather than choosing ourselves, we prefer to emulate or be influenced by the choice of others. This is called social proof.

But you can’t imitate what you can’t observe. The idea here is to make your products or ideas more observable to others, making them easier to imitate, and therefore more likely to become popular. We want our products / ideas to do their advertising on their own.

Have you ever seen how many people use a Mac in a Starbucks?

There are many!

For several years, Apple has placed its logo on its laptops so that the user sees it when opening it.

The problem was that the logo was presented backwards for others when someone was using it, which posed a problem of recognizing the logo and could even harm the image of Apple. Steve Jobs, as a good marketer, made the decision to place the logo in such a way that it is visible to the public and not to the user. Today, in public places, the luminous apple is recognizable on all Apple computers. The visibility of a consumer choice by a large number of people triggers a well-known human behavior: imitation. If a lot of people use the Mac, then it's probably a good idea, and we should use one too.

How can this apply on your social networks?

On Facebook or Instagram, you can make your content more observable by the public via advertising. For example, if you have a Facebook page, you can boost your publications from $ 5 and show your content potentially in front of more than 1000 people. Or you can softwre related to Automatic Viral Alternative. Based on my experience, it works!

Keep in mind: can people see you using your product? How can you design your product so that it does its advertising itself (ex: MacBook)? Do you use an unconventional logo, sound or color for the public that could be highlighted?

5) The practical value: produce useful content for others!

Why would someone want to share your content if it does not add value?

This value is the utility. If we can talk about a product or content that can help others (i.e save money, save time, improve our health, etc.), then we will talk about it around us. It's something natural.

How to do on social media?

Here again, it's easy to set up. Your product is super useful and can improve people's lives. How to make people know it? The answer (and it's still the same): Create useful content. Why not make a video that explains the usefulness of your product or its new features? It's more and more common on social networks.

Hopefully the 5 tips above can help you to produce viral content.

Did you ever wonder what is that makes animated characters look so realistic to you and how you can relate so easily? Are you working on developing your animated video and are wondering how to keep all laws of physics in order? Twelve Basic Principles of Animation is a book published by Disney and written by his animators, trying to explore the keys to lifelike animation. These principles apply regardless of whether you draw by hand or, much more likely, are using computer animation. Here are the first six principles:

Squash and Stretch

Rule number one is the most important rule which talks about giving a sense of weight and flexibility to your objects - this is especially important for facial expressions, although if you want to create a comic effect you can take this stretch into an extreme.

Anticipation

When developing a situation on screen, try not to make sudden frames, but rather prepare the audience for an action - focus the attention on the keys in the lock, before the character unlocks the door.

Staging

This principle comes from techniques of staging from theater and film - simply know what is important and what needs to be in focus of each frame. Avoid unnecessary details that take the eye's attention from the point.

Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose

These are two different drawing techniques you can use in animation. Straight Ahead Action means that the process starts at the beginning and fluidly moves towards an end, drawing frame by frame, while Pose to Pose means that you start with some keyframes and then develop the story behind it. Most often the combination of these techniques is used, especially in computer animation, since the software removes the trouble of finding the right proportion and putting sequences together.

Follow Through and Overlapping Action

These two techniques are the ones that keep your character and objects under the rule of physics in real life. Follow through roughly means that arms of a walking character move while he is moving, and keep swinging just a little bit after he stops, in a synchronized movement. Overlapping Action considers that different body parts can move in a different rhythm, while a technique called "drag" does that well-known scene when a character starts the movement, but some body parts are catching up in the next frame.

Slow In and Slow Out

This is a notice that will help you make your scene look more real - when moving a character from one pose to another, draw this movement with many frames in the beginning and end of the action, with fewer frames in the middle. Try to make those frames full of details of the movement - facial expression, stretching of the body, etc.

Stay tuned to COLOURlovers to discover other six principles that guide the world’s most famous animators.

About the author:

Nina Petrov is an activist, poet, performer and mathematician. She communicates with the world mostly through words, movement and equations, but sometimes also by speaking very loudly. The only truth she could say about herself is that she keeps changing every day, never stops learning and interacting with her surroundings.

August and September's choices were quite unpredictable. We chose the colors that made us happy, reminded us of food, and matched our overall mood of the day.

We chose the best palette ever made on the platform and the best palette of all times made by a Colourlover.

We asked you to help us choose the best palettes on our Twitter channel, and you helped out. Thank you for being so collaborative and expressed your opinion Colourlovers! Let's review the questions that we asked and see the winning palettes again.

• Which was the best #lace inspired palette?
• Which was the best #volcano inspired palette?
• Which was the best #moon inspired palette?
• Which was the best #castle inspired palette?
• Which was the best #heart inspired palette?
• Which was the best palette of all times on COLOURlovers?
• Which was the best #makeup inspired palette?
• Which was the palette of the day (13/9/2018)?
• Which was the best ever of @sparrowandcompass' palettes?
• Which was the palette that made us #happy?
• Which was the palette of the day (24/9/2018)?
• Which was the best #pancake palette?
• Which was the best #pumpkin palette?

AUGUST

1. The best lace: Laces in Powder

https://t.co/CEt3O0mDDn

2. Best volcano palette: Eruption

https://t.co/20cdhnV87L

3. Best moon inspired palette: Luna Rosa Love

https://bit.ly/2MoGq1r

4. Best castle palette: CASTLE *

https://t.co/nw06uQyXEp

SEPTEMBER

1. Best heart palette: With All My Heart

https://bit.ly/2Ca5Nzt

2. Best of the best: Giant Goldfish

https://bit.ly/18BoiTc

3. Best makeup palette: makeup galore RC

https://bit.ly/2x2KKJd

4. The palette of the day (13/9/2018): it's better with you

https://bit.ly/2MtuHK3

5. Best @sparrowandcompass palette: {rose//gold}

https://bit.ly/2D1mNrX

6. The palette that made you happy: Happy Day !

https://bit.ly/2JAkCel

7. The palette of the day (24/9/2018): mumble.

https://bit.ly/2MXRfCU

8. The best pancake palette: Raspberry Pancake

https://bit.ly/2QeYqsP

9. The best pumpkin palette: pumpkin attack

bit.ly/2xW2LcE 

So, Colourlovers, what do you think about the palettes? Do you see any pattern? :D
Share which one is your favorite. We can't wait to hear from you!

About the author:

Ana Maksimovic is the community manager and editor at Colorlovers. She is a part-time traveler and part-time web and graphic designer working with sustainable brands. She is passionate about photography and nature -  a never-ending source of inspiration.

The first artist in our "Featured artist" series is Ben The Illustrator!

Ben started exploring the world of illustration more than ten years ago. If someone knows what it means to be earning a living as a self-employed artist/business owner, he's the one to ask!

He currently specializes in travel and indoors illustrations but his portfolio is full of various work - from editorial illustrations to package designs. The colors he uses in his art are vivid and joyful and make his work easily recognizable.

Originally focusing on animation, Ben has always been obsessed with creating colourful things.  His first work was making independent music videos, which grew into creative direction on children's TV and advertising before an epiphany lead him to discover that illustration was the path for him.  Since then he has illustrated ad campaigns for Smart Cars and Berri Fruit Juice in Australia, worked on editorials for The Guardian, The New York Times and Buzzfeed, and created illustrations for everything from shoes to coffee packaging, record sleeves to X-Box Games.

He illustrates places; from cafe interiors and work spaces to busy cities and national landmarks.  He is hugely inspired by travel, the culture of people going from one place to the next and the changing nature, architecture and lighting.  His key inspirations have always been colourful, Pop Art and Graffiti, food packaging, pop music videos, street wear, Mid Century textiles and furniture and futuristic architecture.

Ben did an interesting research this year about illustrators, who they are, what they do, and how much they really earn. The results might surprise you. For all interested to find out more, check out this infographic on his website.

Connect with Ben on social media: Twitter | Instagram

What inspires you about Ben's art? The unique simplicity of his artwork that has the power to say more with less? Is it the beautiful color combinations he uses? Let us know in the comments.

Happy Valentines Day! Our community has created and named millions of user-named colors that help us create, innovate, and celebrate the joy of color itself.

Share this Post

Tweet

Some of the “most loved” include "
Color by COLOURlovers" target="_blank">Dutch Teal" by Skyblue2u, "Haunted milk" by alpen, "Vitamin C" by GreenLantern, "Chartreuse" by oeln, and "Juicy Pink" by MetteBB. It is almost too obvious to say that WE LOVE COLOR!

Color is infused into every aspect of our lives, especially those in our color bubble, so we thought it was time to devote a big Valentine to Color itself! Although we couldn’t include all the colors in the rainbow, here are some colors that really touch our hearts on Valentine’s Day.

So many great things have happened on COLOURlovers in 2011, but one major, behind the scenes project that only a very small portion of members have been aware of was a quilt project straight from the heart of the Group: COLOURlovers on Spoonflower.

Share this Post

Tweet

Group administrator, leader and very involved COLOURlover, Penina, wanted her group to be something more than just a group of people who loved the idea of fabric. So one fine day back in July 2011, after coordinating ideas to make a digital quilt from the group member creations, she had the thought, “What’s stopping us from making a real quilt?!”

Penina wanted this quilt project to have purpose and to involve as many group members as possible. This also meant that the final piece would need to have a good home at a single location; so who would get the quilt?

Can you remember a time when people used to write letters—by hand! Or, read books made of paper, glue and ink? As our increasingly digital world seems to be moving farther and farther away from traditional print media, companies like Paperlux step in to remind us that nothing can replace the touch, smell, weight, and color of a real hold-it-in-your-hands magazine.

Today's article is presented by the leading magazine and glossy booklet printing company, Next Day Flyers. Check them out for fast turnarounds and amazing prices.

Share this Post

Tweet

When the graphic design magazine Novum commissioned Paperlux to come up with an innovative magazine cover, the creative juices kicked into overdrive and the result is truly something spectacular to see and feel.

Paperlux, a design studio based in Hamburg, Germany, was seeking a way to focus on the palpable nature of paper. The result was a very tactile approach as a way to draw people to a colorful product sporting a geometric design that makes you ache to just reach out and feel it for yourself.

Geodesic sphere at Epcot Center in Walt Disney World (left - source)

The design was fashioned after what is called a geodesic dome (source). Although the magazine represents a much flatter version of the dome, it still has the texture and look of the real thing.

Understanding color can be a daunting task with many dead ends. Have you ever taken a color theory class only to be left feeling like it didn’t teach you anything to do with applying color in the real world?

Share this Post

Tweet

Maybe you have an awesome natural instinct for putting together cohesive palettes or colorizing fabulous patterns perfectly, but why are you so good at it? Validating the why, where and when of color will change your entire outlook on color and what it can do to your personal or professional life.

Color opportunities exist in many industries. Companies need color design expertise to guide them through the many choices they have to make as a successful business. Choices they must make involving color range from advertising, product design, branding and many more. You need credible, verifiable information to back up your decisions as a consultant or designer and you need more than a simple love for color to get you there.

Imagine a world where anything is possible—where dogs sport a luscious coat of pink fur, green cats preen themselves with zebra striped tongues, ruby red snakes have glowing purple polka dots, and rainbow spotted elephants spray orange slices from a mile long trunk. This is the world that Eric Carle dares his readers to imagine.

This article is presented by the leader in business card printing with fast turnaround times, Next Day Flyers.

Share this Post

Tweet

Eric Carle was born June 25, 1929 in Syracuse, New York. When he was six years old, he and his parents moved to Germany where he grew up and eventually graduated from Akademie der bildenden Künste, a prestigious art school in Stuttgart. He never forgot his American roots and returned to the place of his happiest childhood memories in 1952.

Eric Carle | Books