News

Hi everyone and welcome to our first blog of the year. And what a year we’ve just had. (I think I said the same last December and maybe the December before that……not sure, you can blame that on the ‘ole brain fog (more of that later).

Last week Lemonface Creative attended Semi Permanent 2022 at the magnificent St James Theatre in Wellington. After two years in which our lives were disrupted by the pandemic, so too has our perspective on the future completely shifted. To be back in familiar environment, surrounded by like-minded creative brains listening to the great and the good of the design world was nothing short of cathartic.

During the daylight-saving months we are on ‘New Zealand daylight time’, which is 1 hour ahead of New Zealand standard time.

These dates and the time of the change are heavily publicised in the lead up to the change through television and radio advertisements, local council websites and national newspapers. So how come it always takes me by surprise? And how come I never know if that means MORE sleep or LESS sleep each time the clocks change?

This month it’s a little bit different as I’ll share with YOU some blogs that I subscribe to. Blogs that inspire me, make me pause for thought, challenge my thinking, or just make me smile. Smiling is good.

One of the best things about graphic design is that it never stands still for a moment. But that does mean that keeping up with the latest trends, techniques, and technologies can be a bit of a challenge. “Stand still at your peril” I was once told and it’s a piece of advice I’ve long subscribed to. Keeping my mind fresh allows me to stay connected and enthused.

I got COVID – the long version and it was pretty rubbish for a while there. My enthusiasm waned, my energy levels nose-dived, and my creative juices ran nearly dry. I barely looked outside during this period. But then I got better, stronger and felt enthused again. And I felt it was time to look out of the window again. The new normal is coming I was told. It’s in the post – life is going to be like The Great Gatsby every day. The streets of Levin will be paved with gold. So, I cautiously shuffled across the living room, and I excitedly opened the curtains and I breathed in. And I looked out. I wish I hadn’t!

Testing positive was something that I knew would probably happen one day. ‘Get it out the way’ I thought. Nah, I wish I’d never got it. Symptoms are stopping me doing what I want to do. It’s stopping me doing what I always do. I’ve had to take time off, and those of you who know me well know that I never take time off, ever. It’s knocked my confidence a bit. It’s made me doubt myself. It’s made me forget things.

As we get stuck into the new year, especially this year, we find ourselves looking forward to many things. A particularly exciting event here at Lemonface Creative is our approaching 7th anniversary. Yup we’ll be 7 on March 1st. As the big day nears, we’ve been reflecting on the importance of celebrating an anniversary, and what all that entails. Anniversaries are more than opportunities to recognise significant milestones—if properly taken advantage of, they can provide a space for all employees to pause and reflect on their organisation’s journey to the present and recognize their personal role in it. In planning this year’s milestone we’re going to discuss a few ways for YOU to seize the opportunity of celebrating YOUR business.

You’ve worked hard to fully switch off from work mode. If switching your out of office on is the start of your holiday then switching it off most certainly means the end. As soon as that first morning alarm of the year goes off it’s all on again but becoming instantly productive is not always as easy as it seems.