Learning New Tricks

In my former life I taught kindergarten!  I loved it, but dreaded the yearly computer proficiency test.  I could do lots of things on the computer.  I had a website that was updated weekly, I sent weekly emails to parents, I was responsible for the elementary school newsletter...you get the idea!  However, I did all these things through Publisher.  The proficiency test focused on Excel.  Excel was beyond me....I know because I took a class and still couldn't get it.  The problem was that Publisher was just too user friendly and Excell was not.

What does this have to do with beading?  That's the question I am sure you are asking if you bothered to get this far reading!  Well, I write instructions for many of my designs.  In the past I have taken hundreds of photos to show step by step views to go with written instructions.  I decided that this year, 2011, I was going to learn how to incorporate diagrams in my instructions.  Little did I know how difficult this would be for a 53 year old.  Mastering a new computer program!  Agggh!

I started simple!  My ex baby sitter (now grown into a professional young man) showed me how to use Word to make diagrams.  It took him meer seconds to work up an awesome diagram!  I thought, "Wow this will be easy!"  Yeah right!  It took me about two hours with many start overs to make a simple RAW diagram.  I was so proud of my work that I attempted to show my 17 year old son what wonderful new skill I had learned!  That did not work out like I had anticipated!!  He said that the diagram was easy to do and proceeded to tell me that if I used PhotoShop (way out of my price range and how does he know about it) I could do even more!  Bad teenager!!!!!!

I kept at it and have finally gotten to the point where I can make a simple diagram in about 10 minutes.  Recently, I was reading the Etsy Beadweavers thread and someone posted these inexpensive (free) drawing downloadable programs.   Well, I downloaded Creative Docs, thinking this will be fun!!  I spent ALL yesterday affternoon working with the program...nothing to show!  I looked everywhere for a tutorial...Ha, not one available!!  If nothing else, I am persisent and kept at it.  Finally, I was able to make a simple RAW diagram.  I just don't understand the lingo and what certain things mean!  But I will bulldoze through it!!!!

For all you wonderful instruction designers out there, you know who you are, how in the world do you do it so quickly?  Maybe, I should have majored in art, that way I would have been more open minded to work the programs!!!!  I am too afraid to make mistakes!  Or maybe, I'm too old....Nah!!!!! I will overcome!!!!!!!!   Norma Jean vs the computer!!!!