Diary of A Judaic eCards Designer

Learning how to make lemonade out of lemons…

It just occurred to me, I have not been designing in the last week or so.  My heart is heavy as I contemplate the upcoming Say It With eCards 911 Tribute and Rosh Hashanah / Jewish New Year 5769 Celebration - Observances if you will!

In my mind, 911 and Rosh Hashanah will be ever linked.  Why?  Because 911 happened one week before Rosh Hashanah 2001.  On a personal level… I was scheduled to launch my Judaic eCards site for Rosh Hashanah 2001– instead I found myself designing 911 Tribute eCards to honor and pay tribute to those lost and those left behind to pick up the pieces of life.

Besides the horror and devastation of September 11, 2001 for those of us living in New York, the United States of America and other parts of the world, September 11, 2001 altered the path of my life and my career in a very positive way.  Doctor Phil would call this a “defining moment!” I will be sharing this gut-wrenching experience with you in an upcoming post.

It’s been kind of a down time while I busy myself with household chores,  obligations and the study of social networking and how it can help me and my Judaic eCards business.  To be quite honest I am burnt out and feeling sad, or perhaps it is the impending 911 observance and what it means to me and the world.  It is seven years, but it feels like yesterday.  Imagine what it must be like for those who personally lost loved ones!  My heart is broken!

However, when I looked at the title of my last Blog entry it struck me — If I examined my own feelings, now and in the past week, I could design a whole new collection of eCards.  I am sure I am not alone in my feelings, as I never consider myself to be unique.  In analysis… motivation and inspiration can replace feelings of discontent and misery with productive energy.

It has never been about the eCards to me, it is about the feelings, comfort and emotions the eCards generate for the sender and the recipients.  Think about it… in times of challenge, loneliness, sorrow, or even on one of those normally down days most of us encounter from time to time… wouldn’t it be nice, even for just a moment, to feel someone else cared, you were remembered/thought of, you were not alone and isolated in your own misery.  eCards accomplish this without being intrusive.

I leave you now with warm regards as I continue my hunt for a really important misplaced piece of paper.

My name is Roz Fruchtman.  I am the owner/designer of Say It With eCards, a Judaic eCards website.

I have been asked:  “What motivates your eCards designs?

While I will expand on this at a later date… I find “life, itself is the greatest inspirational motivator for eCards designs.  Life happens, things change moment by moment.  What better source of inspirational material can one ask for — better yet… it’s free!

Whether things are great, mediocre or downright bad or sad…  I never consider myself to be unique.  IF I am feeling it, then someone else is, will be or knows someone who is or will be.  While we are all individuals and different in our own right, we are all really the same in many ways!

It took me a long time to figure out why I am designing eCards and why I have never given up — even in the tough times when relatives told me: “Why don’t you get a real job!”  There was a defiance and a stronger pull to NOT GIVE UP!  I now know why and will write about that later.  As well I will write about what turned it all around for me seven years ago — it will be painful, but it is time.

With warm regards to you and yours,

It’s early Sunday morning here in NYC. Looks and feels a bit chilly out…

Woke early and ran for the camera to see if I could grab me that perfect picture of “daybreak” I want to be my identify here at Designs by Daybreak. I have some ideas running around in this creative head of mine, but nothing precise. I will admit, the challenge of it all has become great fun!

These days… It’s a novelty when I pull one of my now famous “all nighters!” I still do it from time to time, but not as often. Let’s not kid ourselves, I would pull an “all nighter” in a “New York Minute” if the opportunity arose. Watch up… Rosh Hashanah is coming quickly… I feel an “all nighter,” or two or three coming on!

I have this thing about not sleeping during the day — perhaps I would miss something important. Or… perhaps there is the stigma of being lazy and not getting up on time. But, what is on time? Whose time are we talking about? It is MY time and MY schedule we are talking about — after all. So… who really cares what time I get up in the morning or afternoon!

Well, it’s Sunday morning and I like to watch the TV Pastors — when I am up this early, which is becoming a rarity these days. I have even begun “sleeping in” during the week — shame on me! Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer are my favorites. They are both “prosperity preachers” and their message is more motivational.

I’m beginning to ramble, I’m off to have some warm oatmeal to feed my hunger and some spiritualism to feed my soul!

See ya later!

P.S.  If the colors on the site do not quite match yet — header image, content and link colors — it is not because I am color blind.  The colors do not match because I have not finished setting up.  I felt getting some content written was more important.  I hope you agree!

As with most designers, I am my toughest critic.

Designs By Daybreak was my first domain name.  It was chosen because I worked straight through until the break of day most days.  I used to say… “I did my best work in the wee small hours of the morning.”

Right now… I am working on a Blog Design visitors can navigate easily while being one I can identify with.

As with writing content, I find it is easier to design when I have something to start with that is more my own than the images the blog template came with.  The interesting thing is, sometimes the design changes so radically, it often does not resemble what I started with.

Please stay tuned!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Stay in Touch… Follow me on Twitter! @SayItWithEcards and/or @RozFruchtman

Welcome…

Still setting up.  Thanks for understanding!