Fun With Photoshop

You may recall a blog post I submitted earlier this year, titled “Change the Channel.” In it I discussed the importance of channeling your creativity into a medium that isn’t writing. Simple enough. After some deliberation, I feel it’s time for another round of off-the-wall Photoshopped images.

Please keep in mind that these mocked-up images are playful takes on the originals. It’s all about having fun during your down time, right?

How a Little Fiction Can Help You in Your Real Life

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received this response when speaking about my favorite novels to nonfiction-lovers. While it’s true that Sherlock Holmes may not really be around to solve crimes and Hogwarts might not actually exist, that doesn’t make the worlds in which they exist any less relevant to us real folk.

Random Quotes with Studio Editors

It’s always a lively affair here at the Demand Media office — dogs often parade down the hallways, the candy corner brims with the latest sugary confections and conference rooms showcase light-bulb-moment ideas on white boards. Despite these many (and other) distractions, everyone is hard at work, furiously typing away on their keyboards. And while the Studio editors lose themselves in their respective sections and responsibilities, what better way to break the monotony then by proposing the following question: “Off the top of your head, can you recite one of your favorite quotes?”

Let’s see what was on their minds …

Writing Tips From Tip-Top Writers

Demand writers often ask me to recommend books they can use to hone their composition skills. I invariably suggest these five, each of which I read annually:

Take a Breather

Over the weekend, I was fortunate to pay a visit to one of my favorite spots in Southern California: The Huntington.

Located in Pasadena, The Huntington boasts an expansive library and eye-catching art collection, as well as a variety of botanical gardens. It’s the latter to which I am most drawn. I can spend all day strolling through The Huntington’s sprawling, 120-acre specialty gardens.

There’s something about recharging in nature that really fuels my creativity as a writer. Whether it’s hiking on a nearby trail or biking down the beach, taking the time to unwind outdoors rejuvenates the mind and body, which does great things for writer’s block.

For a dose of inspiration, here are some photos I snapped at The Huntington:

Writing About Tech to a Beginner’s Perspective

One of the trickiest parts about writing tech articles is figuring out the best way to explain beginner-level tasks, for which we can’t assume the reader is familiar with proper terms and seemingly obvious steps. In trying to work around that problem, I’ve found that the best solution is often to approach the task from a completely different angle.

Do Slack Off

The Demand Media Studios office can be a hectic place. The day to day operations of keeping the Studio running require a boatload of hard work and teamwork. It involves a cast of characters that can range into the dozens who can be spread out across multiple departments. Needless to say, communication is important if we want to keep this operation running smoothly.

How to Juggle Freelance Work and Parenting

I didn’t always understand why my work priorities aren’t everyone’s priorities, especially when I managed nonprofit volunteers and needed them to meet their deadlines. Then I had a baby, and suddenly, I got it. Volunteers often had full-time jobs plus the best full-time volunteer opportunity of all: being a parent.

After leaving nonprofits and spending several years as a flower shop owner, I decided to stay home with my kids. That’s when I dived headfirst into freelancing. I thought it couldn’t be simpler than freelancing part-time while the kids played quietly.

Right.

Nine Ways To Survive the Workday

Each day at the office is filled with its share of to-do lists, deadlines and stressful moments, so the last thing we need when attempting to stay on top of it all? Not having our heads on straight.

Life is all about balancing out challenges with the decision to remain upbeat, determined and poised. Happiness is a choice, after all. Here are nine daily routines that help me remain positive and energized.

1. Begin the day with exercise.

Can’t Someone Else Do It?!

J. D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye,” Shel Silverstein’s The “Giving Tree,” Tim Urban’s Procrastination Blog Post … what do these three pieces of literature have in common? If you ask me, they’re all must-reads.