Self-Taught Graphic Designer

Daniel “Freedom” Portis is a web developer by day and a graphic designer by night. Using a variety of online resources, Daniel became an expert in photoshop and is now earning a living from it! These days he uploads his own videos to YouTube (as you can see below) to help others learn. Read on to find out how he taught himself how to become a graphic designer.

Tell us a bit about yourself

I am a Gemini and what they say is true- Geminis do have split personalities. For me, one of my personalities is good and the other is even better. I am a web developer by day and graphic designer by night.

How have your skills developed over the years?

Coffee and serious dedication have kept me going over the past few years. I am always looking to learn more and more. I am constantly sharpening and developing my skills by using tools like Lynda, Skillfeed, Udemy and of course YouTube. You can always learn from others in your field. That’s why a website like SkillPages has been needed for a very long time. It’s useful for connecting with other people who share your skill and learning from them.

Do you have any advice/tips for people interested in taking up your skill?

Be aware of all of the resources out there that can help you with your skill and don’t be afraid to try something new. I learned a lot on Code Academy but once I took the leap of faith to use Dreamweaver I haven’t looked back. Now I don’t have to write too much code because the program does a lot of the work for me. As for Photoshop, I learnt 95 per cent of my skills from YouTube. Many of the tools available to you to develop your skill are free so use as many as you can.

Don’t forget what goes around comes back around. I love the recommendations feature on SkillPages and I try to recommend as many people as I can. It’s all about good karma!