I was checking that stats of my blog the other day when I realized that more than 3000 visitors are coming to this site every day. Now, how cool is that? That’s, like, 30 000 in 10 days! I will not calculate more.

Also, many of you write about great stuff you did with my brushes and I’m really happy for all of you.

So, I was thinking, why don’t I make a post about your work. It would, definitely, help you get visibility and for me, it would be pleasure to help you promote your work!

So, if you used my Photoshop brushes, or Vectors or any other product from my Graphics-Illustrations.Com Shop let me know. I’ll check it out and feature your work on my blog. For free, of course :)

Peace, love and have fun creating!

Gang,
I was minding my own business the other day, browsing various design competitions that are not too expensive to take part in when I ran into something that immediately threw me back in time. Back to my teenage days.
Dr. Martens footwear announced a footwear design competition where everybody has a chance to apply their design for boots and submit to their panel review. The best designs will be applied to Dr. Martens next boots.

1. Swirls Floral Photoshop Brushes set, 42	2. Paisley Designs Photoshop Brushes set, 75+25	3. Floral DUO Photoshop Brushes set, 62

I don’t know about you, but when I was (a bit) younger I (of course) had my favorite pair of boots. You know the worn out footwear that you just can’t get let go. Until they are worn-out to the extend where toes are popping out. And then you spend the rest of the year trying to find the exact copy of them, but no matter how similar or even identical they are, the feeling is just never the same.

Of course.

I had a pair too. I wore it for years. Until they became so dilapidated as to be unwearable. I still keep them somewhere at my mothers place just for the sake of keeping staff that I just can’t threw away for some emotional reasons. (I guess it has something to do with letting go of the youth days :))

So, of course, no need to say it, I jumped onto that competition and created several designs of my own in an instance.

So far, my Photoshop Brushes were applied to many many different media, but to apply them on boots, and Dr. Martens ones? That never occurred to me as an idea. I don’t know if my designs will be selected or not, but it was a real pleasure to create them.

If you feel inspired, throw your own designs using my brushes (it is in line with Terms of Use so don’t worry :)) - And, of course, show me what you did :) I’d love to see your ideas!
Love,
Silvia

P.S.
You know, it got me thinking this Dr. Martens boots design competition. Now, this is one brilliant marketing strategy they implemented here. Why?

1. 1. They raise visibility involving their customers into active participation in the production process. For free.
2. 2. They get information on what direction to take in their next designs and that info comes from their own target audience. (Very important!)
3. 3. All these people who make designs they will write about it on their blogs (check my post for instance), send links by email, post on forums etc etc … so it is kinda huge free marketing for Dr. Martens Company making them even more popular and raising their visibility.
4. 4. People create their own galleries on http://www.dmbootdesign.com/ so it’s kind a community building at the same time.

Very nice!

I believe that life should be about happiness and joy. That’s what I think we’re here for. To be happy. There are so many things that make us happy, I believe each of us could make a pretty long list. I am no exception to that.

One of the things that make me happy is when I get an email or comment where someone says he or she used my brushes to create new great designs. And just today, I received a comment like that Maria from http://digifree.blogspot.com. Maria’s blog is, in my opinion, one of the most useful resources when it comes to digital scrapbooking. It’s a digital scrapbooking freebie search engine. And those floral swirls you will see on her blog, they come from my Swirled Floral Edges Photoshop brushes collection. And that’s what makes me proud and happy!

Maria, happy birthday and I wish you many many more happy and successful years with your blog!

Another thing that makes me happy is to make someone else happy. I guess many of you are like that. So, if you want to make someone happy go ahead. Pick up that phone now and call that someone, ask him/her how they feel. Tell them how much you appreciate them.

Doesn’t it make you happy when you make a sale? Someone might ask. Yes. It does. And not because of these 10 or 20 dollars. But because of the dream of the freedom. Because of the dream that living out of doing something you enjoy is actually possible. It’s the possibility of freedom to do what I want to do what makes me happy.

OK. So much about happiness. If you’re not happy right now, go ahead, make a list of things that make you happy and make these things happen’.

Yours,
Silvia