charlotterubensteinfmpdiary-blog

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Finalising and Printing

I have received back my book from the printing company. I am so disappointed in it, the ink is faded, the images are printed really dark and in really poor quality.  Ive rang up the company and complained and they have offered to reprint it free of charge. They have assured me this will be done the day before the deadline. This is making me very anxious as it leaves me with absolutely no time for error. Luckily i had sent it to be printed when i did, in advance so if something like this happened, i had time to correct it. 

As frustrating and last minute as this is, it has given me the opportunity to practice the handwriting quotes technique over the pages. 

Upon reflection and feedback from Sasha, i have decided not to follow through with this in the final copy. I believe it takes the high fashion, minimal and chic feeling out of the book and ultimately leaves it looking messy and rushed. Unfortunately this does mean that my book won't feature any quotes as the printers would only reprint the original document i sent them. I think this takes the images slightly out of context and results in it not being 100 percent clear which icon they are inspired by. The positive side of this is that it allows the reader to interoperate each image how ever they see fitting and there for relating back to my proposed aim of the book sparking creative conversations.  

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Change of Cover

Through out my project I planned to use Blurb to print my book after a fellow student suggested it was a good option. When it actually came to looking at the website i realised they didn't print to the size i wanted, they also took 10-14 days to return the finish product. I revised my schedule decided this would take away too much of my time and it was important to get the content of my book perfect before paying a large amount to get it printed. Ive found a company in Southampton that takes 3-5 days to print the book. This is going to be the best option for printing as its so close to the deadline. The issue with this company is the fact they only print the size i want in a soft cover, perfect bound book or they print the hard cover but in a smaller size. I have been into the shop and looked at examples and the soft cover still looks highly professional. I have weighed up the benefits of the two sizes and covers and decided that in order to display my images in the most visually pleasing way, i need to have them printed larger. This does mean loosing the hard cover but i overall, the content inside the cover is the most important part.

Layout Design

As its getting closer to the deadline, i need to produce the layout of my book reasonably quickly. This is alot of pressure on me to complete it to a high standard. As per my proposal, I want the layout to be minimal so the focus of the reader is solely on the images. Ive been looking at magazine spreads and other high fashion coffee table books for inspiration. In order to present the images in the most clean and sleek design, a lot of them will be portrait or landscape full page spreads. To add a sense of modernity to the book i will be adding white borders to the some of the pages and collaging 2-3 images together. I believe this will keep the attention of the reader as looking at numerous full page images can get tedious. 

Design Inspiration from January 2018 issue of Elle

It is important that i keep the chapter title pages clean. I don't want the text to look overly cluttered and unprofessional. I will be using the ‘didot’ font i mentioned in my proposal for my titles and text as this is the same font Vogue uses in there title. It automatically screams elegance and personally when i see it i instantly relate it to high fashion. I really like the below layout as the composition of the two key features compliment each other, ensuring one isn't over powering the other. The text and image are split into separate pages, allowing the reader to spend time reading the text and then time admiring the image.

As per my proposal, i will be handwriting quotes from the icons over my pages. I found this idea when doing my original research in Carine Roitfelds Irreverent. I really like how she's done this as it adds a personal and young, edgy feature to the imagery. Doing this in my book will attract the young creative target audience. I believe it will keep them more engaged than paragraphs of printed text would.

Cover Design

To ensure my book looks attractive with all types of interior design, I am going to keep it completely basic. I want it to be matte black with the large title ‘ICON’ centred in the page in white. I have taken inspiration from the following successful coffee table books as i believe they look clean and chic but still shout high fashion.

Layout Outcome

I have finally finished laying out my work into the book on InDesign. I don't usually like this programme as i find it difficult to navigate around. I asked a girl on my course for help in the library and she showed me how to overcome the parts i couldn't do. If i had more time i would have liked to have attended John Whalvins work shops earlier in the project. Due to the late start, unfortunately i didn't have time to do this. Im happy with the layout design i have done. It is very minimal but i believe this will keep the attention of the reader on the imagery (as this is where the hard work has gone in). Once the hand written quotes are added i think it will bring it to life and add context and depth to the pages. When looking back at my time schedule, i think it would have been beneficial to have allowed more time for the layout designing process. It took longer and was more complicated than i anticipated. Tomorrow i am sending it to be printed.

Revised cover design

After i sent my book to the printing company, they contacted me letting me know they weren't able to print the all black cover i had designed. With time running out, i had to design a new cover that they were able to print. I short listed the best images from my book and designed 4 new covers with the images full page and the text title over the top. Emma had no last minute 1-1′s available but i still wanted to gain a professional opinion on which cover to choose. I have a lot of young professional creatives following me on Instagram so i thought it was best to seek their opinions on which to choose. I posted each cover and asked my followers to select their favourite. This really helped me decide which to choose as i knew what my target audience like and were attracted to. I believe the cover i have chosen features an interesting enough photo to attract attention and entice the reader to open the book but it also doesn't tell too much about whats inside. I found it difficult to select an image that summarised the book as whole but believe this one strikes an equal balance.

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Downfalls

I have finished all my shoots for my book now. I am happy with the majority of them but there are two shoots that I really don’t like. These are the Princess Diana 80’s inspired shoot and the Sophia Loren 50’s inspired shoot. These are the shoots that I shot myself. As its coming up to deadlines i have really struggled to find a lot of photographers to work with and this combined with the last minute time schedule resulted in me having to shoot some of my work myself. My skills really don’t lay in photography so i feel these shoots don't look as strong as the rest. Due to there being no last minute tutorials left, I have consulted my peers and they have helped me select the strongest images to put in my book. I feel as though i can't completely cut the shoots out as that would ruin the fluidity and structure of my book. Had i had more time i would have reshot these. I would have also used different models but when it came to organising these shoots i had to use those that were available and similar to the icons they were representing. 

When planning this project, i had high expectations for the style of photography and i was inspired by photographers such as Helmut Newton and Steven Meisel. As i had planned to shoot everything with professional and experienced photographers, i was expecting my work to be better than it has turned out. Overall my shoots are at an average standard but hopefully once printed they may look more professional. I have learnt to accept what i cannot change and do by best with what I've got. Ive had to improvise and step up to take on tasks I'm not experienced in, in order to complete my project. I also think i can be too self critical and put too much pressure to reach a level of work that i haven't got enough experience in. 

I am now ready to layout my final images ready to send to the printers.

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60′s Audrey Hepburn Shoot 

Today i shot my 60′s Audrey Hepburn inspired shoot. For this i used one of my friends to model who is also signed by The Hive agency. Not only does she have alot of experience in modelling but she also has a similar, classically beautiful look, similar to Audrey Hepburn, with petite and feminine features. I wanted to bring a high fashion feel to this shoot so i chose a lot of 60′s inspired long, glamorous dresses. Unfortunately the makeup artist i had planned couldn't make the same day as the model. I decided the model was a stronger part of the team so i took it upon myself to do the make-up myself. Having had experience in make-up this turned out surprisingly ok. I was also shooting it myself as the photographers i had used for my other shoots were busy with their own deadlines. Luckily i had hired out a camera and lighting kit from university incase of any photographer cancellations. 

Overall the shoot went well, we shot all the planned looks and the model worked really well. The quality of the images could of been improved, but i believe this was down to me managing too many roles again. At certain stages through out my project I've struggled to build a strong enough team for each shoot and this has resulted in me having to take on roles i wouldn't usually do. This has also meant that i haven't been able to put 100 percent into the styling, something that ultimately my strengths lie in. I believe this is down to my poor time management and organisational skills. I have learnt that these are areas that need improvement so by focusing on planning and time scheduling, for future projects i should get better at this and prevent myself from making the same mistakes.

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80′s Outcome

I have shot two shoots for my 80′s chapter both of which aren't as strong as the rest of my work. When meeting with Emma, we decided the best way to still make these images work in my book would be to re-edit them and crop them in interesting ways focus in on details, textures and patterns. Similar to the style of Guy Bourdin’s accessory shots. So that these pages aren't solely close up images, i’m going to consider interesting layout options. When researching into ideas, I really like Carine Roitfeld’s Irreverent book. Her layout ideas are different and unique and add a young, fresh feeling to a book. This is something that would attract my target audience. 

To add strength to this chapter, i have decided to do another shoot inspired by the 80′s power suits.  I have researched into these for previous projects so i feel confident in the styling. As they were such a revolutionary aspect of womenswear its seems fitting that i add a feature in my book. Trouser suits are also a current SS18 trend which tells me that this is a trend that will keep returning and there fore makes it iconic.

As it is so last minute, I've decided to collaborate with a creative director on my course. We have had a meeting, exchanged ideas and developed a moodboard together. The shoot is also relevant for her project so it will be beneficial for both of us, this tends to keep the team motivated. I will be shooting a mixed race girl for this, i believe this will bring more diversity to my book. I don't want all the models to be white as that would date my book, resulting in it not being modern, it also wouldn't appeal to an all inclusive audience. In order to fit this in, i will have to send my book to be printed a day late. I have checked this out with the printing company and they have assured me it will be ready well in advance so I'm not overly worried. 

Revised Production Schedule

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70′s Research

This shoot is going to be shot in the studio so its a good opportunity to (referring back to my proposal) incorporate Patrick Demarchelier’s lighting techniques as i believe this will bring the high fashion feel to my book. His lighting is very minimal with only one to two lights used, but still has a dramatic and detailed affect. 

Lighting Example

Styling Inspiration

1970′s glam Biba Campaign

1970′s Cher

Shot by Deborah Turbeville for Vogue, November 1979

70′s Key Looks Shoot

I am really pleased with this shoot. Learning from my previous mistake of taking on too many roles, i organised a MUA and Hair stylist, really great model and photographer for the shoot. Having this strong team with me meant i was really able to concentrate on the styling. This is really noticeable in the final outcome as every look is really strong. 

The model worked really well on the day, her poses and facial expressions suited perfectly. The MUA did an amazing job, the make up looked really professional. As a team we each contributed to a really smooth running shoot.

The only problem i came across was the lack of studio time. When i booked the studio there was only 1 and a half hours available. At first this really worried me as i didn't know if we could do the whole shoot this quickly. I decided it was really important to lead the team and brief everyone on the time schedule of 15 minutes per look. I had to really encourage and convince the team that this was possible. With everyone eventually on the same page and motivated to get it done we all worked efficiently and professionally. As a result we produced some really amazing images.

Upon reflection of the final images, the lighting and style of photography and editing isn't as dramatic as i had wished. I have re edited the images that the photographer sent me as they needed colour correcting and more shadows and depth adding. In future i will sit down with the photographer and show examples of how i want the post production to look so that this is clear. This should also save time for myself as i won't need to re-edit.

In future i would prevent this initial panicking and rushing by booking the studio in advance. This is down to my poor time management and only revising my production schedule recently, had i had done this earlier i would of had more advance to book studios for a longer period of time.

BTS 

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Name Change

After beginning to look at layout designs and experimenting with layouts for the cover, i have decided to change the name of my book. Originally i was going to call it ‘20th Century Style’ but when I typed it out and put it over one of my photos it didn’t look right. I have decided it is too long for a title and its also not very unique or catchy. It sounds similar to a title of a more academic research book which is not what I'm aiming for. I then came up with the title ‘Iconic’. When i asked for feedback from my peers on this they agreed it was better than the original title but still wasn't perfect. I began to look for alternative words with the same meaning but found nothing that suited my book. ‘Icon’ was then suggested to me. Instantly when i saw the words typed i knew this was the right title. It gives the reader an immediate idea of what the books about before they've even opened it. Its short and therefore memorable. When placed over an image the letters are clean, sleek and bold. A key factor thats important for my book is the way it looks visually. As its a coffee table book, my consumer will be purchasing it not only to read but as an accessory for their home.

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90′s Iconic Looks Shoot Research

Today i did a lot of research in the library for my 90′s iconic looks shoot. I spent a lot of time looking at the 1990′s editions of Harpers Bazaar and Vogue. I feel this is the most accurate way to get a good idea of the individual styles of the decade. A lot of the images I've found were a similar style to my 90′s supermodel shoot. This  confirmed I'm on the right track and have succeeded in that shoot but it also means that i need to do something different for this shoot. I found the following Escada Sport advert in the November 1994 issue of Harpers Bazaar. I really like the sports luxe vibe the outfits have and the crossing of gender boundaries- women wearing oversized, masculine jumpers. 

When researching into this further i found that this was a big trend in the 90′s. Tommy Hilfiger's did similar sports inspired collections to the image above. Over sized denim, sports wear, logo’s printed on casual wear, were all popular in fashion. I think this will be a good route to take as it considers the younger and edgier girls of the 90′s. 

I also found the following image in the April 1997 Issue of Harpers Bazaar. I like how minimal, classic and naturally beautiful the make up and hair is. This is something i am going to replicate in my shoot as it won't take the detail away from the styling but still fits with the classically 90′s theme. 

Outcome

For my 90′s themed shoot, my model cancelled on the day. Due to a strict time schedule i had to improvise and model myself as no one else was available. This surprisingly went well, although i ended up doing the styling, make up, hair and modelling which was alot to take on. Myself and the photographer got everything set up, got the first outfit shot and the photo’s came out really nicely. As i had so many jobs to do I didn't realise the camera had to be returned by 5 oclock- resulting in us having to finish the shoot early. This was frustrating as it felt like there was one problem after another. We decided to continue the shoot next week when we were both available. The positive factor coming from this means i have more time to focus and refine the styling and looks for the shoot which may result in it being even better than it would of been. The negative factor is that it means i will be sending my book to be printed a few days later than i planned. I am still giving myself a week for extra printing time incase there is a delay but would rather of given myself even more days! From this i have learnt planning is key. Working out the timings of shoots and considering all factors like when the photography hatch closes, to always find a back up model, and to not take on too many tasks. In future i will make sure to do a call sheet with a day schedule for every shoot. This will make me stick to a time plan and prevent delays. I will also consider arranging a back up model incase someone cancels. Luckily enough i looked similar to the girl that was modelling and was the same size but in future this may not be the case.

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Update

Next week on Tuesday I am shooting my 70s iconic look shoot in the studio. Then on Wednesday I will be shooting my Grace Jones inspired shoot and on Sunday I am shooting my 60s iconic looks shoot. Getting these three done will get me back on schedule. I have also planned out what I am shooting and when over the next two weeks in order to give me 3 weeks to order the book and write the evaluation. I feel a lot more motivated now I am organised and getting on track. Considering what i have learnt up until this point, that my skills don't lay in photography, I have decided to colloborate with two photographers from the arts university Bournemouth to shoot my next few shoots. Their portfolios are really good so I’m confident the images will come out how I like.

Revised Production Schedule

Icons Research

I have chosen the following icons to base some of my remaining shoots on. I did a focus group with my target audience to find out their suggestions and opinions on who they find iconic. I then took their suggestions and did a poll on Instagram for each decade allowing followers to choose between two women they find most inspiring and dressed better. I have a lot of young creatives following me so i really value their opionins. I believe the women chosen are iconic to my target audience because they all made a point to be different. Grace Jones played with gender roles and Diana Spencer went above and beyond to make change in the world. This is what the current age is about, diversity and individuality therefore the audience can relate and respect the women. 

Doing this will ensure that each image is relevent and fits with my book. It will also provide me with clear inspiration for the styling of the shoots. 

50′s Sophia Loren

60′s Audrey Hepburn

 70′s Grace Jones

80′s Diana Spencer

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Presentation Feedback

In my presentation i showed my 90′s supermodels shoot and my 80′s iconic looks shoot. The feedback i received was both positive and helpful. It was mentioned that the 80s shoot isn't a clear enough representation of the decade and the editing doesn't do the photos any justice. I really like the styling, model and poses in the images but i do agree that they could feature more aspects of the 80′s. In order to ensure this chapter is clear and recognisable, I'm going to only use the strongest images from this shoot and then do a further two 80′s shoots. This way there will be more variety and the theme is still obvious. I will also attend John’s tech lessons in order to expand my photoshop skills and then re-edit this shoot. 

When i showed the 90′s shoot the feedback was positive. Most people said they liked the model and styling and thought the photography was really professional. I expected people to like this shoot as it is of a high standard. This has set the bar high for the rest of my shoots and i feel it is important to make sure all my images are of this quality. The difference between these two shoots was that i shot the 80′s and i had a photographer for the 90′s. The imbalance in feedback has shown me that for as many shoots as i can, i definitely need a photographer, this will also allow me to focus more on the styling, getting it as accurate as possible.

Project Development

After my presentation i spoke with Emma to gain some more clarity on the direction of my final piece. I was worried i wouldn't have time to create a book as the original printing company i chose said they would take 10-14 days to print. In order to keep my project on track i need to make sure i have a clear starting point for each shoot which i will be researching into tonight, I will be doing one shoot based on the overall iconic styles of each decade and one shoot based on an icon from each decade. This will give me a little more guidance with the story’s behind my photos. I also decided to proceed with my original idea of the coffee table book. I will complete a revised production schedule and make sure i stick to it so that my images are ready in time to print. I will also be contacting other printing companies to find one that can printing in a shorter amount of time so that i have my book back a week before the deadline incase of any problems.  

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Update

Tomorrow I am doing my presentation on how I have progressed so far. I feel I am quite behind and this is putting a lot of pressure on me. I still have had no time to meet with Emma to discuss changing my project to a online exhibition. We spoke over the phone about some ideas to develop my project focus so tomorrow after my presentation I am going to confirm one of these with her so I know what i am aiming towards. 

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90′s Supermodel Shoot Research

For this shoot I want to include interpretations of the off duty looks and editorials of the supermodels from the 90′s, such as Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer. I believe this will show a good representation of what women were wearing around this time because these supermodels were so iconic, every other women aspired to look like them.

These images are really inspiring me for this shoot. I like the colour pallete thats coming together- neutral tones, black, gold and red. The models poses and facial expressions are something id like to recreate as i believe they show character and add depth to the photos, they add a sense of youth, excitement and romance.

For the style of photography, i really like Peter Lindbergh’s work, especially the image attached. I want to create a similar feeling in my images for this 90′s shoot. Lindbergh captures a lot of real people using the realism style of photography. By doing this he brings depth, life and emotion to his images and they become far more than the flat fashion photograph. As my book is heavily image based and doesn't feature much text, it is important for me to consider these aspects of the photography in order to keep the readers attention. 

Shoot 2 - 90s Supermodel Inspired

Last week I shot the second shoot for my book. The looks and location were inspired by their classic off duty looks captured by paparazzi. The locations were based on different things they would do/ places they would of been when they weren’t busy being the worlds best supermodels.

It took Monday to Friday to organise the shoot. That was a day for finding and confirming the team, a day to book the model, a day of choosing and ordering clothes and a day of deliveries. This sounds steep but people were slow replying to emails with it being fashion week. This is something I should of considered before hand.

When booking the model with the agency, I asked for a classic, beautiful looking girl. They came back with a lot of options but unfortunately the majority were busy with fashion week. I finally confirmed the girl who was still perfect for the shoot so everything was going well.

It then came to Saturday, I sent the call sheet to the team and the booker, who then turned around and (after already confirming she was pleased with the team I had chosen to shoot her girl) said she was not ok with the photographer. It was around 4pm so this left me panicking and with out a model for the shoot that was taking place the following day. I acted fast, contacting around 25 photographers via Instagram to see if they were available. Finally I found someone who had a great portfolio and was happy to shoot. I have realised the importance of organisation here so next time I will be triple checking with the booker that the team I choose is good to go and will definitely send the call sheet much earlier in future.

On the day the shoot ran smoothly. Around the fourth outfit in, the model began to get cold, hungry and had a headache. The location wasn’t working with the outfit so all in all we hit a wall. We then took a short break, recovered and got back to shooting. After this the shoot began to run smoothly again. From this I have learnt that it’s super important to keep the model revitalised with water snacks and frequent breaks so she doesn’t get tired.

The images are currently being edited by the photographer. I am happy with how they looked before he started editing so I am really excited to see the final edits. The only thing I would have changed here is the location. As we shot in a variety of different places i feel it was hard to show a running story through out the images. This will be something I will judge when they are retouched, I may have to cut one shot out.

Due to this shoot taking me a whole week, i have decided to continue with my shoots at home/ at uni and collaborate with other students. This will mean i will be able to finish all my shoots in time to send my book for printing. I will be sure to review the photographers portfolios before i choose them to shoot. This will mean i will still be producing high quality images. As i don't have time for cancelled shoots, i can't risk the same situation with the model agency happening again. Therefore i will be using models from the uni’s suggested agency ‘Leni’s’ or will street cast them at uni. 

Here is a behind the scenes image from the day.

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Possible Concept Change

This week I have had some doubts about my coffee table book. Due to a lot of personal things going on at home, I don't think I'm going to be able to have time to fill the book with the quality of images I want to create. I don't want to create mediocre images just for the sake of having them printed in a book. I want to produce the highest quality work in order to use it for my portfolio when I graduate and apply for jobs. I am considering changing my idea to a online exhibition but this is something I need to discuss further with Emma in my first 1-1 on Monday. Hopefully this will shed some light on how I can progress further as I am already behind on my schedule. 

80′s Shoot Research

In order to bring a modern feeling into my book, I have decided to look at current trends and collections and combine them with the key elements of my decade research imagery. For the 80′s iconic looks shoot, there is currently a whole ss18 trend based on the 80′s. I have sourced clothes similar to these designers for my shoot this week, as well i will be taking inspiration from these older images of Joan Collins and Versace in the 80s. I like the sense of class and elegance the images have. I also like the large variety of patterns, textures and shapes; all elements i want to bring through into my own images.

Shoot 1 - 80’s Iconic Looks

This week I shot my first editorial in the studio at uni. As I was getting stressed about being behind and so keen to start my first shoot, I didn't have a lot of time to arrange a team. I had a make up artist and model on board but no photographer or hairstylist. I attended chris' lesson on Monday so he could show me a lighting set up which I used (see attatched) in the shoot. Styling the shoot, making sure each look was perfect, playing with the hair, working the light and camera and then taking the photos was just too much for me. This led to certain areas declining like choosing poses for the model. Towards the end of the shoot the team began to get tired and rushed which is noticeable In the images. The photography came out ok but this really isn't where my skills lay so it's become clear to me that I definitely need to arrange a good quality photographer for the next shoot as well as a bigger team to help with hair and make-up. Had i had more time on this shoot, i would of spent more money on the looks in order to get them more accurate to the decade. I feel by a quick glance and if you didnt refer to my research, it isn't necessarily obvious this shoot is based on the 80′s. 

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Grade feedback

Today I got my grade back for my proposal, I received an A4. I am happy with this grade. From reading my feedback I am going to look at Peter Lindberghs work and the 50yrs of Pirelli book for further inspiration. Im happy with the rest of my feedback, and have decided to make sure every shoot will has a modern feel. I've looked at my proposal again and I am currently a couple of weeks behind on my schedule. This is making me feel slightly nervous so I am planning my first shoot tomorrow but due to personal family matters, I still won't be able to do my first shoot for another couple of weeks. This in total puts me almost a month behind starting. Accepting that this is something i can't change, i have decided to put any other commitments on hold until i finish my work. i will be dedicating 6 days a week to my project in order to get it completed to the best possible standard. 

After revisiting my proposal I feel a lot more inspired. I love the reference images I've chosen but am going to continue looking for new inspiration throughout the coming weeks. Today we had a lecture with lenis model management today, I think this is great for the shoots I am doing in Southampton in the studios as they said they are happy to send their models to the uni. This will keep my work looking professional so I can actually use my book as a portfolio. Overall I'm excited but feel like the pressure is definitely on and need to remind myself not to procrastinate and to keep the working flowing and consistent.