#NowPlaying: Motivation for the New Year

Can you believe it? It’s 2017. As we dawn a new year, I bet you’ve made some resolutions to (try to) maintain. It’s okay if you break them… I can’t think of a single person who hasn’t broken one. The point is that it’s a great practice and ever-growing skill of setting ourselves goals and seeing them through as long as possible. What makes them exciting is that they’re usually long-term goals that take focus and dedication to complete. Since those pesky resolutions are so hard to keep, let us help you stay motivated. Listen to our third playlist, “Motivation for the New Year,” and don’t forget to follow us on Spotify so you know exactly when our next playlist rolls out!

Why Listen?

Staying motivated can be exhausting. The longer you work on a goal, the more intense it will become to maintain your focus. That’s where our playlist comes in. With the right music, you can get that “second wind” and stay on track. After all, nothing compares to that feeling you get when you’ve finished your goal you’ve worked so hard on.

Resolutions vs. Goals

According to New Years Resolution Statistics research conducted on December 11th, 2016 posted by Statistic Brain, the top 10 resolutions for 2015 were:

1. Lose Weight
2. Getting Organized
3. Spend Less, Save More
4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest
5. Staying Fit and Healthy
6. Learn Something Exciting
7. Quit Smoking
8. Help Others in Their Dreams
9. Fall in Love
10. Spend More Time with Family

Was your resolution on there? According to the same research, 38% of Americans absolutely never make New Year’s Resolutions. Why? Brancher Kristine Osbourne explains:

“I don’t need a new year to make new goals or find a reason to start anew. If I have a goal or I want to change, I do it right then and there. I don’t wait until 2017 or the next year.” – Kristine Osbourne, Graphic Designer at Red Branch Media (@4kristinesake)

You don’t have to set a resolution if you don’t want to. Instead, you can set yourself goals when you see fit. Although resolutions and goals are two different things (one being once a year, while the other can be at any time), the outcomes are what matters: bettering yourself.

Some Resolution Ideas for Designers

Are you a fellow designer and want to participate in the tradition? Awesome, because I’ve got some great ideas for you to try out:

• Master Visual Composer on WordPress
• Master Campaign Monitor or MailChimp and code an email, then send it
• Find an Adobe program you don’t know and learn it
• Design (x amount) of hand-drawn, illustrated posters
• Create your own font (this takes time, dedication and effort)

My top recommendation from my list is to create your own font. When you create your own font, you’ll gain better precision, understand typography more in-depth, get more attuned to Adobe Illustrator, master the pen and shape tools along with using grid and guides better and in the end, you’ll have your own font. It’s something I’m glad I have done, and never regretted. And, as an added bonus, if you have access to a font software, you can plug it in and export your own .otf or .ttf font file. Amazing.

How To Find Us & Follow Us on Spotify

There are a few ways to find us on Spotify. First, you’ll need a Spotify account. You can do that by going to www.spotify.com and creating a free account. Unless ads drive you nuts, a free account is all you’ll need. After you’ve got your account, go to our page and click follow. By following us, you’ll get email notifications each time we put out a new playlist. We’ll be creating fresh lists for you each month, so you can listen to them as soon as we publish them! Now go download the desktop application for your computer, the app for your phone or stream music online by taking a listen to our playlist here.

Resolutions and goals are all in good fun, but seeing them through will only benefit you. It takes time, effort and focus to complete them. Stay motivated with our playlist, “Motivation for the New Year” and show yourself what you’re made of. Make sure to follow us on Spotify to stay up to date with our newest playlists!

Kyle Christensen

Kyle is the Brand Director at Red Branch Media.

Kyle leads our Graphic Design Department at Red Branch Media. His ability to manage incoming tasks, collaborate with the design team, hit deadlines and keep our file storage system well-organized has helped to shape the design department clients love today. While he’s away from the branch, he spends his time playing drums, video games, cranking the latest emo, pop-punk and screamo songs on Spotify, drinking local Omaha brews, and enjoying life with his wife. Kyle has a BASA with a Concentration in Graphic Design and a Minor in Art History from UNO.