Entering Photoshop Contests

Do you enter design or photography competitions? Well, I’ve avoided most of them, preferring to stick with friendly competitions and games. While I have entered (and sometimes won) a few smaller competitions, both in photography and design, I usually get a little nervous putting myself out there “against” others. Call it lack of self confidence, or having too frail an ego, it really comes down to motivation. And that has several sources.

So here’s the point of this entry: I’m going to try and change that. I am planning to enter a few contests to try it on for size, see how it feels. The goal is not to win, but to keep sharp. While I am very comfortable with my skills in photography and Photoshop, I rarely find myself pushing beyond my comfort zone these days. I am never nervous sitting down to do client work or build teaching materials. However, I do get nervous thinking about contests!

Part of the reason is that I want to find the perfect concept, then achieve the perfect execution. And that, friends, is a perfect way never to get anything done. To enable an end result, I am going about things in a more commercial way: I’m setting limits and requirements on myself. Like any contract, I’m writing up a brief for these projects as they come up, and just going with it. The challenge will be to submit a final product to each contest, no excuses.

As I go, I’ll be sure to add some articles about the processes and what I’m learning (or relearning). Look for an article next week on selecting concepts from random ideas 🙂