3 Tips for Teaching An Art Class →

*Note: This blog was originally published on Medium for CourseCraft – 3/12/2020

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up” — Pablo Picasso

When you’re a kid playing with paint or a box of crayons for the first time, there isn’t any element of self-consciousness getting in your way. It’s just you and your supplies huddled away into your own imagination, losing track of time and the world around you. As we get older, a myriad of factors begin to creep in, making the act of creating art so much more frustrating. Anxiety around perfectionism, imposter syndrome, creative blocks, and even just day-to-day responsibilities monopolizing your time can interfere in creating art as an adult.

CourseCraft Co-Founder, artist, author, and mother Sara Funduk shares that when her son was born, she was nervous she had let her creative side “dry up”. She felt like she “had no time to paint and [she] definitely didn’t have time for all the setup and cleanup work that went with it”. Luckily, she finally found some time in her daily grind to start painting again and that reignited her creative spark.

So how do we as a society help foster creativity well past childhood, re-engage busy creatives, and even help some adults to create art for the first time?

Art classes!

That’s where you come in.

Creatives no longer have to attend formal art schools to have fulfilling careers, so people are more frequently seeking individual classes to strengthen their skills or simply dip their toes into art-making. Whether you’re running an online art course or teaching one in-person for your local community, here are a few tips to keep in mind when you’re teaching a class geared at beginner artists.

1. It all starts with genuine, consistent, encouragement…

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to have “natural-born” talent to be an artist. In fact, there’s evidence against the idea that that concept of natural talent even exists. Still, this myth persists and often leads to people repeating familiar lines like “I’m not an artist” or “I’m not creative”. The truth of the matter is, more than anything else it takes practice to become a better artist. Encouraging students to be gentler with themselves, continuing to practice every day, and to actively fight off preconceived notions of what an artist is or is not, is a crucial part of any course. Without that initial push, it can be hard for beginners to feel confident enough to experiment and push their limits.

2. But it’s also absolutely necessary to give solid technical instruction

Artist and author of “The Everything Guide to Drawing” Helen South, shares the pitfalls of not focusing on basic techniques from the get-go. She explains that “traditionally, teaching art emphasized self-expression and avoided skill building for fear of cramping creativity. However, basic skills can be enjoyable to work on, and having strong skills allows students to more fully express their original idea.” It’s important to find a balance between encouraging students’ creativity and actually showing them how to hone their craft.

3. Learning to give and receive artistic critique is a critical tool for growth

It can be tempting to steer clear of formal critique when students are first starting, out of fear it might discourage them. In reality, learning the important skill of both giving and receiving artistic critique is foundational for continued growth. With proper structure (several templates are offered online), and repetition, a critique can give direction to artists and encourage their creative skills to flourish!

Artist Marc Holmes recognizes that sometimes during traditional in-person art courses getting one-on-one time between students and teachers can be difficult because of the size of classes. He highlights that “online classes give tutors the opportunity to give critiques and answer questions by email. This gives them time to compose solid answers, offer useful links, and sometimes even do a sketch by way of example.”

The therapeutic benefits of creating art are well documented, but the barrier to entry for many adults, especially ones who have no previous experience, can feel overwhelming. Taking the time and effort to help people discover their creatives sides can have a real effect on the world around you. Babita Shamji, mother of three raves about the personal progress she’s made through taking art classes as an adult. She shares that “It has opened up emotional doors, given [her] confidence. Sometimes, [she] looks at the canvas and wonders how [she] made that.”

Feel ready to start your own art e-course for beginners? CourseCraft provides a free, intuitive way to share your knowledge with people all over the world and help them lead a more creative life, learn more here. You can also follow CourseCraft news and updates on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

What to Know Before Your Next Phone Interview →

*Note: This blog was originally posted to Medium for re-factor – 3/10/2020

Phone screenings can feel intimidating, especially if you don’t regularly chat on the phone as part of your career. Understanding their purpose, as well as being well prepared from doing your research, does a lot to bolster your confidence as a candidate. Feeling at ease will allow hiring managers to get a sense of who you actually are and what you’ve accomplished, rather than just hearing your nerves personified.

What is the actual purpose of a phone screening?

While there may be some differences from hiring-manger to hiring-manger in regards to exactly what they are screening for, in general, it comes down to:

• Does this candidate show a genuine interest in our product/company?

• Can this candidate speak in detail about their professional experience and specific accomplishments?

• Will that experience be relevant to the position being filled?

• Will this candidate be a good fit culturally?

The best ways to make sure you hit all these points on your call with the hiring manager is to do your research, practice your professional “elevator pitch”, and to know what questions to ask. We’ll go over tips for the other elements of a successful phone screening, but today will focus on what information you should know prior to hopping on the call.

Do your research.

Hiring managers can be turned-off pretty quickly if they feel a candidate knows nothing about them, the product, or the company. You can easily avoid this faux-pas by looking into the following topics:

Product

Who are their customers/audience, what is their market fit, what problem are they trying to solve?

Funding

Are they at the pre-seed level of funding, or are they making moves for an IPO on the horizon? How long is the current company funding runway?

Competitors

Once you understand the product, it’s easier to search for who their competitors are in the same space. Bonus points if you know how they differentiate themselves from the pack.

Messaging

How do they describe themselves? The company website and blog are good places to look at.

Office Details

Knowing where the office is (or if they are remote) is a simple detail that can prevent confusion later on when it comes to commute.

Hiring Manager

You can find most hiring managers’ titles and previous work experience via LinkedIn. Try to also find any relevant personal connections. Did you go to the same school, have you volunteered with the same organization, etc?

If there’s an area that you aren’t readily able to learn about the company through your research, that will provide inspiration for questions to ask the hiring manager when the time comes. Giving an earnest shot at doing your own exploration will give you an advantage against similarly experienced candidates who are interviewing for the same role.

One last crucial piece of advice on the research phase of phone screen prep from re-factor Founder, Matt Hoffman:

“Never cram for a phone interview. Get your research done ahead of time and spend the time just before the phone call doing something you like or that gives you energy. Listen to a song you like. Take a walk. Whatever it is you do to get in a good headspace.”

In our next blog, we’ll be highlighting how to create your own professional elevator pitch, which is another essential part of the phone screening process. Have questions about your upcoming phone screening as a software dev? Feel free to reach out to contact@re-factor.co, we’re always happy to help.

Recruiting isn’t rocket science, but it takes common sense and good intentions to do it well. We ‘remake’ engineering recruiting by focusing on Candidate Experience: we vet and test a curated roster of opportunities, coach folks through the interview timeline, offer our candidates tools to make a thoughtful decision on offers, and help negotiate those offers, too!

www.re-factor.co

How to Defeat Your Creative Imposter Syndrome →

*Note: This blog was originally published on Medium for CourseCraft – 2/13/20

Chances are, you’ve heard a friend or loved one question if they are “good enough” to be in their current position, career or otherwise. They might even feel like they’ve inadvertently pulled a fast one on their employer. You reassure them of their skill and worthiness without a second thought.

Then why is it so hard to be that reassuring friend, to yourself?

What is imposter syndrome and who does it affect?

Oxford Dictionary describes Imposter Syndrome as “the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills.” This feeling is so common that according to one Psychology Today study, it’s estimated that around 70% of people have experienced this at one point in their life.

Artists, designers, and people in other creative industries are unfortunately prone to feeling this way even more often. Dr. Valerie Young, an expert on Imposter Syndrome notes that “The nature of creative work makes everyone more vulnerable to feeling inadequate and even more so if you are not classically trained.”

Additionally, women creatives may feel additional pressure and uncertainty. It’s theorized that this is because girls are often socialized to be more risk-averse than boys during childhood. Cara Maksimow, LCSW shares that “in careers that are more male-dominated, women feel isolated and begin to doubt themselves and their ability to be where they are — despite the evidence that they deserve to be there.”

What are some ways to overcome Imposter Syndrome?

So if female creatives are especially prone to these feelings, how can we combat them in order to feel a sense of belonging and deserved success?

1. Accept help and connect with people you respect in your field.

Connecting with creative mentors and peers you respect will help you understand that you’re not alone in feeling like an imposter. Dr. Jason Eckerman shares that “part of what makes impostor syndrome so powerful is the feeling that we’re not able to talk about it without exposing ourselves as being a fraud.”

Sharing those feelings and learning how others deal with their own insecurities can be tremendously helpful, even if it can initially feel scary. Successful serial entrepreneur Nathalie Molina Niño “used to think power was about outcomes and getting shit done, but [she doesn’t] think that is the case anymore,” she explains. “Power comes from allowing yourself to be supported.”

2. Write down and acknowledge your accomplishments in a real way.

Think of this as your personal resume, solely for the purpose of reminding you of all that you’ve done and what growth you’ve been through creatively. Take time to list your previous projects, partnerships, and jobs, as well as more general points of strength and success.

Make sure to keep this updated, and look back on this list when you’re feeling a pang of imposter syndrome. Seeing these things written out can help serve as a concrete affirmation, and help you fight self-doubt.

3. Work towards taming your perfectionism and stopping constant comparison.

Easier said than done, but comparing yourself to others is a losing game. It’s impossible to really know what luck, privileges, or simply more time has lead to your favorite artists’ success. Holding yourself to a perfect standard that may not even be possible, will only increase feelings of being “not good enough”.

Freelance graphic designer Lauren Koste reminds us that “ You are not perfect. Those brilliant creatives you follow on Instagram aren’t perfect. Perfection isn’t a thing”!

You’re not alone in feeling this way and you can overcome it!

The number one thing to remember is that most people feel this way at one point or another in their life, especially women in creative jobs. It’s perfectly normal, and there’s nothing wrong with you!

Imposter Syndrome, when not worked on, can be a roadblock to future successes. Surround yourself with supportive mentors and peers, keep track of your wins, and work every day on being kinder to yourself. You are the origin of your own success, celebrate it!

Streamline Your Ad Monetization →

Note: This case study was originally published on Fyber – 12/18/2014

Social Point simplifies ad monetization for increased eCPM.

Social Point is Spain’s largest mobile game studio and ranks globally as a developer of top-grossing mobile and social games. Worldwide, their games have garnered over 50 million monthly active users and more than 100 million app downloads. Social Point works with Fyber to simplify the integration of their various demand partners on multiple platforms, for leading titles such as Dragon City and Monster Legends. Fyber’s tools and services also helped Social Point identify key areas of opportunity to refine and optimize their ad monetization strategy.

Tackling Ad Monetization Challenges

Social Point chose to work with Fyber’s mediation platform to address three key challenges commonly faced by mobile app developers:

1. The fragmentation of demand sources

2. Lack of transparency due to inconsistent reporting of KPIs from multiple demand sources

3. Time and resource-consuming integration

Streamlining Access to Quality Demand Sources

With so many advertising demand sources – and so many network SDKs – integrating and maintaining multiple partners can quickly become costly and time-consuming. By integrating Fyber’s unified SDK, Social Point was able to work with their top-choice demand partners in a more efficient and streamlined fashion. Fyber’s mediation platform simplifies the integration of multiple ad networks through drag-and-drop SDK adapters that each connect seamlessly to other ad network SDKs. This makes it possible for Social Point to work with thousands of demand partners via five mediated ad networks, as well as Fyber’s own Ad Marketplace. In addition to an easier integration process, Fyber helps reduce maintenance costs by handling all updates and QA testing of our partners’ SDK adapters. Each adapter is also certified by the corresponding ad network, which means that Fyber works in tandem with mediation partners to consistently ensure optimum performance and stability of the adapter

Identifying Actionable Insights Through an Easy-To-Use Dashboard

Social Point found it extremely intuitive to track insights through Fyber’s Dashboard, and in turn, utilized this data to refine their monetization strategy. For example, they identified that increasing the amount of in-game currency rewarded by Fyber’s Offer Wall on the weekends would allow them to substantially increase overall revenue. Social Point was also able to pinpoint the right amount of Rewarded Video content to show and determine when to show it.

Proactive Account Management

While Fyber always maintains close, regular communication with our developer partners, Social Point was more impressed with the actions taken by our Account Management team behind the scenes – such as proactively identifying areas for optimization and providing guidance on industry best practices.

Download full PDF case study here.

Companion apps: A look into the past, present, and future →

Note: This blog was originally published on Fyber – 6/29/2015

This year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) brought in 50,000 attendees to the Los Angeles Conference Center for the first time in a decade and featured a wide range of exciting game previews for consoles, PCs, and mobile devices. One of the biggest announcements for both the gaming and mobile gaming communities was that of Fallout Shelter, an iOS companion app for the highly anticipated game Fallout 4, which will be available on PC, Xbox One, and Playstation 4 in November of this year. While companion apps – mobile apps that are connected thematically or strategically to a console game – are nothing new, Fallout Shelter has made headlines by pushing mobile giant King’s Candy Crush Saga out of the number three spot on the top-grossing app chart. 

This success will likely encourage other game publishers to follow suit and develop their own mobile companion apps, which will continue this year’s trend of strengthening the relationship between mobile and console gaming. Taking a look back into the origin of companion apps and games, it’s clear to see that there has been a fair amount of experimentation to varying levels of success. To get a clear look at what may be in store for the future of companion apps and what effects it will have on the mobile gaming industry as a whole, it’s useful to take a brief look at their history.

2003: Companion apps with a cross-promotional function

When Nintendo released its Gamecube console in 2001, it supported a cable-link feature that wasn’t fully utilized until around 2003. Players were able to connect their portable Gameboy Advance systems to their Gamecube to play minigames, “upload” data from a sister game, or participate in other innovative gameplay. While smartphones had not yet been embraced by the majority of the population, the handheld Gameboy Advance served as a stand-in. This connectivity needed a literal wire, but it can be safely assumed that this type of game inspired later iterations of the companion app which would become entirely wireless with the inevitable smartphone takeover.

2009: Companion apps as a fan service

Many consider Champions Companion to be the first real companion app that fully utilized iOS. Connected to the game Champions Online, Champions Companion (released in 2009) started to shape the trend into what it is today. Players were able to “view the in-game news, view your friends list and friend activity streams, and even send and receive in-game emails”. The same year, WoW Armory set the stage for other “armory” type companion apps – essentially a database for information weapons, characters, etc. – to become popular. However, in 2011 World of Warcraft, removed its companion Facebook app in favor of a web API, which prompted fans to take matters into their own hands and start production of user-generated companion apps.

2013: Companion apps as a marketing vehicle

With the release of Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar Games also released not one but two separate companion apps. This was a milestone as it showcased the variety of possibilities within the genre. The first app, iFruit, was comprised of a custom car maker and a mini-game, while the second app was a game guide.

2015: Companion apps as revenue generators

Today, the business model of creating companion apps as a way to market the core title seems to be more prevalent than past trends. Fallout Shelter has remained in the top spot for adoptions which has proven that it has served its purpose as a marketing tool, but the fact that it was also able to oust Candy Crush from its number three spot on the top-grossing charts hints that this game has become something much more. Some estimate that, in order to have made it to the number three spot on the top-grossing charts, Fallout Shelter brought in approximately one million dollars in daily revenue. The power of a big name IP is obvious when it comes to initial downloads by fans, but smart monetization mechanics are essential to becoming a top-grossing app.

Especially in scenarios when a developer’s target demographic is console or PC gamers, opt-in ad formats are a natural way to monetize their companion app without fear of scaring their players away. While in-app purchases (IAPs) are already implemented in Fallout Shelter, it will be interesting to see if rewarded ad content will be integrated now that the game has staying power as a stand-alone title. While it may sound counter-intuitive to include ads in an app that was originally designed as a marketing tool itself, there are strong indicators that some ad formats can actually strengthen the engagement that players have with a game. For example, a recent study conducted by Fyber in partnership with a major game publisher shows that rewarded apps increase both the likelihood that a player will make an in-app purchase and the likelihood that they will remain active in the game. No companion apps currently use this mechanic, but it would be a solid prediction that this may be the case in the future, as it has proven to work for top mobile game publishers.