To begin with…

In my Graphic Design 1 class, one of the first assignments was to create a personal brand promise. My professor broke it down into needing to answer three questions:

1. Who are you?
2. What do you do?
3. And why does that matter?

To apply it to here:

I’m Cristina, a fried pixel aka graphic designer, writer, artist, and college student. My blog will record my journey from student to professional, share the lessons I learn along the way, and help other students make the transition easier.

That is a decent summary of what my brand promise for this blog could be, and also sets the standard for what I’d like to achieve.

I want to further the purpose of my first post though. To use an idea from James Clear, I’d like to apply the principles of his Integrity Report that way I can assess how well I’ve kept my goals when I review my progress a year from now.

My Core Values for this Blog:

1. Communication
2. Growth
3. Keeping a Record
4. Being a Teacher

How Am I Meeting Those Values Now?

1. By starting this blog, I’ve taken action on my desire to improve my communication skills. Also, keeping up with my art blogs on deviantArt and Tumblr helps keep me accountable to a) keeping my skills sharp and b) to meet other people.
2. Through challenging myself to post a daily sketch, I can see how my art skills are improving. At the end of the year, or even before then, I hope to be able to see the same results in my writing and communication abilities.
3. As I’m doing already, by meeting my posting goals, it will create a record showing how far I’ve progressed.
4. One excellent way to remember what you’ve learned, is to teach it to someone else. If others gain anything through my experiences, I’ll be able to count this blog as a success.

How can I set a Higher Standard in the Future?

1. Being credible by researching and knowing my topics. If my facts are wrong, I would be misleading my readers. By learning everything I can about a subject, and then writing what I’ve learned, not only can I share my personal experience but I can also point out other great sources who I’ve learned from.
2. Overcoming my weaknesses in communication. Challenging myself to post once a week will push me to improve my writing, while interacting with others will introduce me to new people and ideas. Through stretching my comfort zone, I’ll become a better communicator, in both personal and interpersonal.
3. Seeking feedback and different perspectives from my peers and mentors. By asking for other’s opinions and learning from them, not only am I expanding my knowledge, but I am also boosting their confidence and abilities.

While there’s so much more I’d love to include, I’m going to leave it at that. I still have a long way to go before I can strive for goals similar to what James Clear has set for himself, but it’s a start. A year from now, I hope that when I review my achievements, I’ll find that I more than surpassed my goals and am well on my way to new ones.