12 Things: About Me!

The ladies from Sweet Lime & Spiced Tea did this post the other day, and I had to do one too! They’re always so interesting, reading random little facts about people. It gives you more of an insight into who they are, rather than just reading the things they like/don’t like on their blog.

Here’s 12 random things about me! Share the love & post your own, or comment below and tell me something about you!

1 // The first time I ever flew somewhere by myself was to Sydney (from NZ) almost two years ago for a job interview, I got the job + moved back a month later.

2 // I love motorsport. It’s in the family. The smell of a race track gets me every time.

3 // My life changed forever the minute I discovered Gala Darling, earlier this year. I was never much of an inspiration junkie, I was just going day to day, and not really living life to the full. She, along with one or two other people changed my whole outlook on life. Since then the good things have not stopped coming!

4 // I dream of the day where I have the lifestyle and funds to be able to travel spontaneously. Book weekends & holidays on a whim, & see the world.

5 // Catching the ferry into Circular Quay and chilling at a cafe + working on my laptop + people watching has become one of my favorite things to do. Endless inspiration.

6 // My love for music is probably as big as my love for design. The two go hand in hand.

7 // I believe that if you do good things, good will come to you.

8 // If it’s sunny, you will never catch me without sunglasses.

9 // You will also never catch me without nail polish on ma fingers/toes. Can’t go without it.

10 // My favorite Sushi bar in New Zealand is called Sian Sushi. It’s in Hamilton in Garden Place. Their vege tempura is THE BEST.

11 // My name is pronounced ‘see-arn’. If you get it right the first time I’ll love you forever. I get sean, cyan, sharn, etc all the time. Mostly cyan, you know, graphic designer reference and all.

12 // My birthday is on the first day of Summer. And the first day you can start celebrating Christmas. (I LOVE CHRISTMAS)

Yep, that’s me in the photo… I used to have pet lambs!

12 Things: Creative Resources

There are goodies on here that non-creatives can use too! I’ve been wanting to write a post like this for a while, as sometimes I find there is a lack of helpful posts for designers & creatives alike, with resources and sites to help you out and inspire you. If you guys dig it, I’ll be sure to post some more! But I’ve been compiling this list over a couple of weeks, to make it chocca with goodies to get you sorted.

The cost to start something today is zero. There is nothing stopping you from creating a magazine, a book, a blog, a how-to guide, the list goes on. All you have to do is have a gem of an idea, and you’re away. Wether you’re a designer, a blogger, a photographer, a writer, anything… Hopefully there’s at least one thing on this list that appeals to you & gets you inspired to create something, or maybe it’s just a tool to help you out. You may have heard of some of the links before, as there are a few big companies in there, but it never fails to surprise me how many people have never heard of a couple of these dudes!

There are a couple of sites with resources that you do pay for, but the quality of what they offer is second to none. If you don’t feel like busting out the credit card, just enter ‘free’ into the search and go for your life! You’d be surprised how many free fonts/photos etc some of them have…

1 // LOST TYPE CO-OP – A font resource, they have a pretty sweet range, and they are all on a pay-what-you-want basis, so it’s up to you how much you pay them! You can even put in $0 if you want them for free…

2 // NANAMEE – Stock photography/vector website. Their range is a bit cooler/more contemporary than some of the stuff you might find on iStock etc. (pic below)

3 // YOU WORK FOR THEM – Font goodness! The sister to Nanamee. This is my new go-to site for buying fonts.

4 // BLURB – Blurb is an online self publishing tool, they’re probably one of the best out there. The possibilities are endless with what you could do, they have HEAPS of sizes/options. Photo books, portfolios, you name it. I go crazy just thinking of the possibilities.

5 // MAGCLOUD - We use MagCloud to print 16HOURS, it’s very similar to Blurb, but the stock & size options are more magazine based, as opposed to the heavier stock & hardcover options that Blurb offer. They’re prices are pretty good, and they’ve just introduced a smaller digest size!

6 // DINPATTERN – Totally free patterns, to use personally or commercially, for the web or screen! (There is a fee for using them in print, but hey, go for your life on your blog/website!)

7 // MOO – These guys are pretty massive, so if you’re a designer chances are you would have heard of them, but for those that haven’t, check em! They print business cards, postcards & stickers. Their prices are pretty good too, the only thing that kills it for non US peeps is the shipping. My business cards are from Moo & the quality of their work is top notch!

8 // THE NOUN PROJECT- I’ve only recently found this beauty, it’s a resource for free public icons, some have copyright restrictions on them, but the majority are available for use wherever/however you want! Awesome! (pic below)

9 // ZAZZLE – I haven’t brought anything from these guys before, but they do have a massive range of things you can customsie, from t-shirts to stickers to folders… and more.

10 // BITTBOXX – One of the better resources for high res images + design goodies.

11 // THE INVOICE MACHINE – An awesome online invoicing tool, I swear by it! Super easy to use, customisable templates, & heaps more. The thing I love about it is that with it being a website you can access it anywhere, so you’re not restricted to access just on your own computer. (pic below)

12 // CARGO - It still surprises me how many creatives have never heard of Cargo… It’s a creative publishing platform, I use it for my portfolio website, and it’s awesome! Super easy to use, lots of templates, customisable CSS + heaps more. Check it.

And that’s the 12! Enjoy. Get inspired + make things.

*The header image was used with a photo/illustration that I got of Nanamee for free! So yep, they’re free digs are rad too! Of course these free photos etc have copyright restrictions, so PLEASE read them & respect them.

12 Rad Things.

There’s a few of these posts around… Gala has a sweet ‘Things I love Thursday‘, and Rach does a cool ‘Making Me Happy‘ version, and this is mine. 12 Rad Things goin on right now. It makes such a difference when you actually list all of the good things going on, it gets me amped and excited for more awesomeness to come! Send me a link to your version of what’s making you happy or what you’re loving at the mo!

1 / Getting inspired by cool dudes at Sex, Drugs & Helvetica.

2 / Hitting up Melbs for a flying visit! Just one day… Wish I stayed, but hey, it’s not going anywhere right? All the more reason to go back again!

3 / This AWESOME song by Luke Million.  More energy!

4 / Meeting cool people. Online and offline! ‘Met’ so many cool dudes on the internet lately, though, just through blogs/twitter etc. It’s even better when you get to meet them in real life!

5 / Work coming out my ears. This is good.

6 / Cutting loose with mates.

7 / People are blogging about me? The main reason I started a blog & the other projects I’ve got on the go is to share my work and hopefully inspire other people, but when other people take notice it’s crazy cool!

8 / Painting my nails a super bright blue. Summer’s coming right? Well it def seems that way in Sydney… (This is a mega choice pick me up, paint your nails a bright colour. I usually end up doing mine at night & then I forget about it & wake up with bright ass nails… Gets me so stoked haha)

9 / Taking photos. I don’t call myself a photographer, but shit I love busting my camera out.

10 / Getting to talk to super choice artists/photographers from all over the world for 16HOURS! This is so cool. Seriously.

11 / The fact I haven’t gone shopping in like a month or two? This is like some kind of record. Quite proud to be honest.

12 / Making crazy/awesome/upbeat CD’s to take on a random road trip on the weekend. YES!

12 Things To Do This Weekend.