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The Q&A in text format
How to enhance writing skills?
Write more.
Read more, write everyday, publish more.
Write. Write. Write.
Search the internet for “how to enhance writing skills” and do everything that’s on page one of the search results.
@devineseven
Ever tried glass painting?
Yes! At least two decades ago though. There’s a couple of glass table tops at my mom’s home that I painted that she’s kept. I used to give the colour limiting : not a lot of color options when it came to glass paint. I haven’t looked at it lately though. Maybe things have changed.
@tushar_babbar
If you want advice customized to your business or brand, hire me for a consultation
How do you deal with friends (not close ones), asking for free business advice?
I don’t think most people think of it as asking for “free” advice. I think most people are just looking for advice / help. Problem is, the way I see it at least, that very few people know how to ask questions that will get them answers. I am happy to help anyone. Whether friend or acquaintance, if I have the time and if the question is such that can be answered using minimal time on my part. If giving the answer will require analysis / research / a deeper conversation etc, I’ll say as much. My friends pay me by the way. Anyone who has an expectation of free from me, is not my friend. Anyone that doesn’t value my time, is not worth my time.
@sanjanasamuel
How are you keeping your eyes safe despite being exposed to screens so much?
I don’t do much proactively unfortunately. I have a pair of non-reflective gaming glasses that I should be wearing in front of the laptop screen but I rarely do 🙈 I spend more time on the phone screen. At night I turn on the night mode, so brightness is lowest & screen is yellow. My desk has a view so I’m often moving eyes from screen to 300 meters away and back. I’m paranoid about my eyes & have them checked every 6 months or so. So far, 20/20 vision.
@manhpreetsingh
How to find your ace style in art / painting when you can paint in different styles?
Finding your “style” in any creative pursuit is a matter of practice, in my opinion. For me, it’s a combination of what I enjoy doing and what is more unique compared to what’s out there in the world already. I experimented with a lot of styles & mediums. Oil, pastels, watercolours, acrylics, on and on. And I will continue to experiment. Lines, dots, etc. Over a period of time, my signature style will emerge. I think.
@sukhdaarora
How does one find a balance between one’s principles, ideals & reality, when it comes to work?
There’s no balance here. You either follow your principles & ideals or you don’t. I usually form my principles & rules around whatever helps me sleep peacefully at night. And then I don’t budge. I’m not talking about work policies here – I’m talking about a person’s integrity / ideals. A 100% advance payment, for example, is a work-policy. “Honesty” on the other hand, is a matter of principle. Different nuance when it comes to morality for e.g. A tobacco brand for example – I’m not a fan of smoking & will not promote it but if the brand wants to hire me for a photography assignment, I will take it. Adults can decide if they want to smoke regardless of my affiliations. Then there’s religion & politics – personal choices AFAIAC. As long as I’m not promoting religious propaganda by working with a client, I’m cool with whatever their religious beliefs are. Etc.
@manjari_fortheloveoffood
Is it possible to gift one session of your Instagram Profile Review to a friend?
Yes! And thank you. Once you’ve booked a session (swipe up to visit the page), email me your friend’s email ID and I will take it up with them and set up the call and review at their convenience.
What is the right way to build brand authority?
Great question!
Building authority is about establishing expertise. Think education / knowledge / workshops, etc. For a shoe brand : how is a shoe made? Where is the material sourced from? What types of stitches are used? What is the machine called? What is the technique called? etc. Associating and collaborating with other experts and authority figures. That’s the simplest way I can explain it. And then you create content around these subjects and publish and share!
@jyotivyas
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What is #NAINAMAMA? : “Naina’s Monday Ask Me Anything”.
Having used the “Ask Me Anything” questions box on Instagram Stories over the last few years, I’ve considered doing it in a more structured way and I’ve observed that a lot of the questions are repeated. The repetitiveness is understandable because of the nature of Instagram. Stories are gone after 24 hours and not everyone gets to see them. This is not only a waste of my time, but also a loss of information that someone might find useful. I have, indeed, considered saving these stories as “Story Highlights” on my Instagram profile but I do not like how they eat up valuable real estate. Someone visiting my Instagram profile for the first time, sees my profile photo, my statistics, my bio and then an entire row of Story Highlights and THEN they get to the real reason they are likely to engage with me : my work. Without the Story Highlights, they can see six posts and 1/5th of another three. With the Story Highlights they can only see the first three posts in their entirety, which, to me, is unacceptable.
Every Monday, I will put up the Q&A box on my Instagram Stories and attempt to answer about 5-10 questions. I will also document those questions on my blog, similar to today’s blog post.