@AlanGilbertson Hey Alan glad to see you here :)

@AlanGilbertson can you tell us something about your inspiration, i have seen your blog and portfolio and you knowledge at this SE site you are amazing, I would like to learn alot from you.....

Inspiration? My attention is focused mostly on craftsmanship. I like to do things well (don't we all), and I actually place a higher value on that than I do on being super-creative. It also pays the bills, which certainly helps. I'm a life-long learner, and I love passing along what I've learned, which is why I hang out on GD.SE a lot since I came across it.

@AlanGilbertson you know what your knowledge is outstanding and that inspires me truly...

That's great to know. I'm glad I can help, truly. We're all learning, though. Did you know the Photoshop engineers love to go to demos of Photoshop, because they find out things that the program can do that they never imagined? :-)

By the way, I just wrote up an answer to an ancient question (from January!) about how you can use Bridge. That's so massively useful I couldn't imagine working without it, but there's a lot to know about it.

@AlanGilbertson yep i was reading the same :)

@AlanGilbertson yes still there are lots of Photoshop things we dont know,because we dont use them so many possibilities with PS

Why Hire a Graphic Designer? nicely written :)

alan can i take your interview here....

Sure.

My biggest problem, personally, is keeping up with the advances in technology, like ePub, tablet publishing, HTML5/CSS3 and all the tools that go with them while also keeping production going with what I already have. How's that for a start?

1. from which age you start working in this field?

You wouldn't believe me if I told you, I think. But it was far older than anyone else I know in the field.

@AlanGilbertson ahhh i believe you coz the experience you are sharing here is can not earned by 2-5 or with 6+ year there is something more,\...

and yes english is not my native language so be patient :)

I opened Photoshop for the very first time in early 2005. I'd been a photographer, stumbled into graphic design in 2005, fell in love with it, and bought CS2 Design Premium when it came out later that year, if I remember right.

@AlanGilbertson ummm i guess you have some design capabilities form your childhood and get know them in 2005 with the help of ps

That was really, truly the start of my design career. That's a secret, though. Just between us. :-) I have the advantage that I learn things really, really fast, and I now have a bookshelf full of design and typography texts, books on XML and HTML and Photoshop and InDesign, etc. My first design project was a commemorative program for a special event, done as a favor, but it was such a success that people started asking me to do more stuff, and it grew from there.

do you have any favorite design created by you, which you like the most from your all n all projects,and you feel proud/satisfied when you see that...

@AlanGilbertson Thats really good, and so nice of those peoples who started asking you, by this we got such an amazing guy in this industry :)

I don't really have a favorite. Usually the last thing I did is my favorite, until the next one. There have been many projects that worked really well for the client (the main thing we get paid for is that it works for the client, after all) and that I got to have fun with. I try to make every new project the best I've ever done.

Nice answer tough

so what do u do in you free time? when you are not designing things

and you first career was?

*your

Free time? Let me look that up in the dictionary...

The delays in my responses are because I'm in the middle of a series of three email exchanges with a client about three pieces we're doing to promote a theatrical performance. It's 20 minutes past midnight. (Don't get the idea I'm complaining. I love what I do. The schedule gets a bit weird sometimes, though.)

@AlanGilbertson hahahah seriously?

@AlanGilbertson No worries work comes first :)

When I'm not working, I'm studying or spending time with my wife doing various charity and church things. She works getting people off drugs. We both volunteer for various charity and church activities.

@AlanGilbertson wow thats so nice of you guys...

I took three days off to go to MAX 2011 a couple of weeks ago, which was here in Los Angeles, and met up with so many Adobe people I've only known via emails. Learned good stuff, too.

@AlanGilbertson i was reading your blog baby boomer :D enjoying a successful second career, what was your first career can you tell everyone something about that..

@AlanGilbertson wish i can do all these things but not possible for noob designers :|

I had several, actually, so "second" isn't really strictly true. I was in telecommunications for quite a while, both on the technical and management side (not in phone company, for a large non-profit organization), but moved into marketing later. I've worked commercially as a photographer. When I fell in love with design (and, lets face it, the software -- I'm a geek at heart) I finally decided to just do that full time, so I've been my own boss since 2008.

@AlanGilbertson so many hidden talent i guess...and how it feels being boss?

I like it. I work out of my home, set my own schedule, and I make more money. And I'm doing what I really enjoy. I get in some consulting work, too, teaching people how to use the Adobe tools efficiently and helping clients with their marketing. My wife is an awesome companion, too. She takes care of all the admin details like invoicing and banking. I call her the "Executive Vice President for Everything Else."

Oh, and the other thing I love doing is beta testing. That's the really geeky part. I've been beta testing Adobe products for several years now, but also Logitech and a couple other companies. It's not paid work, but it's fun.

Yikes. I just earned a "Talkative" badge. :-/

@AlanGilbertson You are interesting alan there are so many things to learn from you only...

@AlanGilbertson hahahah badge make sens :D

@AlanGilbertson Its lunch time here, will catch you soon Alan Sir, really nice to know you....

The pleasure has been mine. It's past bedtime here. I'll have to go lie down soon. Have a good lunch -- my favorite food is traditional Punjabi, by the way. When I was in college (Scotland, where I come from) I used to eat with the Indian students every day.

@AlanGilbertson if i got a chance sure i'll bring some traditional food of punjab for you,(dont know when i'll go abroad :|) by the way i live in rajasthan a historic place, there are so many traditional food and its really nice place, i feel honor to invite you as my guest, Please come India :)

room topic changed to Chat to learn: I want to learn more, and i feel everyone want to learn as much as they can, so this room is dedicated to everyone who want to learn more from each and every person of this community so lets Chat to Learn [adobe-creative-suite] [designers] [website-design]