Well hey there Reader!
This bearded bloke has been in full on thinking mode this week๐ค. Following on from my survey a few weeks back (thank you SO much to everyone who contributed!), I've been pondering what actually helping people looks like next, for me and Created by Wayne. (To be fair...it's not really the kind of question you suddenly land an answer on, more something you work out slowly.๐คฃ But I'm trying!))
ANYWAY...more and more small business owners and creators I talk to seem to be up against the same things right now. We all know content matters, whatever channels you're using, but there are three challenges specifically that keep coming up:
- How to create branded content that reaches the people we want to connect with, and actually feels like us,
- How to find a sustainable way to stay consistent with creating, publishing and showing up, and
- How to do that while still having some balance and control over our time - so we get to LIVE and run our business.
And what I keep noticing is that those three things aren't really separate problems, they're stages of the journey: A foundation of knowing what to make and why. Then building something repeatable so it's not an hour of decisions every time. And then just having a sustainable way of sticking with it, without burning out or constantly comparing your pace to someone else's.
None of that's simply a "learn the tool better" issue either, whether that's Canva, Adobe Express or whatever you're using. It's more a path from where you are now to where you actually want to be - calmer, in control, showing up and not starting from scratch every time. You know roughly where you're starting from, and you've got a good idea of where you want to head. It's the bit in the middle that gets fuzzy, and that's the bit I've been mapping out properly this week.
Because here's what (I think ๐) I know about you: You don't want to stop learning, and you don't necessarily want to stop creating either. What you want is for it to feel like it's building toward something and enjoyable, rather than a constant distraction of new tips and tools to somehow keep on top of...every time you open your laptop (or pick up your phone).
So that's what I've been thinking through this week, how I can genuinely support you with that middle bit, one manageable step and resource at a time...and only with the stuff that actually makes a difference rather than adding to the noise or falling for the hype.
Nothing concrete to share yet, just wanted you in on the thinking, cos writing it out properly has been more useful than carrying it round in my head. I'd love to know if that resonates with you? Hit reply and let me know what you think.
So size DOES matter. ๐
This week's tutorial is a quick one, but it addreesses something a few people have asked me about: resizing your content for multiple platforms without rebuilding each design from scratch.
You've probably made one on-brand design in Canva and then had to recreate it four more times for Instagram, Pinterest, an email header, or a YouTube thumbnail, cos they all want a different size.๐คจ That's exactly what Canva's resize tool is built for (you might still know it as Magic Switch, it just got renamed and tucked itself inside a bigger menu now).
I demo two variations of the tool - one that spins out separate files per platform/s), and one that keeps everything as individual pages inside a single design, plus a couple of easy mistakes to avoid so you never accidentally overwrite your original. Check it out here.
Meaningful Creations
This week's feature is the work of Deville, a Vancouver-based illustrator who's work I really find just genuinely delightful.
Deville draws characters, thousands of them (over 20,000 and counting apparently) all conjured from nothing more than a fountain pen and a handful of loose strokes. There's no accuracy or realism, just line and gesture doing all the emotional work. And yet every single one feels distinct with a different look and personality.
A lot of the characters come from a series called Everyone I've Met, where each drawing is basically a the people Deville encounters on her travels. It's not really about the drawing technique at all, it's journaling and recording human moments, just done with a pen instead of a paragraph. I like that.
It's also nice to be reminded that that you don't need a huge toolkit or a complicated process to say something meaningful. Sometimes one pen, a few lines and being present are all that's needed to make the work feel alive and human.
Also I LOVE the idea of an office wallpaper with her tiny little characters all over - every time you pass it you'd make a new discovery (or a new friend)! ๐ Check out her instagram deville.design - and tell her I sent ya. ๐
Have a lovely week - and be good to yourself. ๐ค
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