Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Learn about drawing. Learn about sewing. Learn about design. Learn about fashion. Learn about technology and resources.

Answer: You don't need to be a master illustrator; a lot of designers use a funky personal style when they design. That said, you do need to be able to communicate your vision visually. Take a drawing class, study some books, or just practice, practice, practice. The most important part of learning any new skill is just doing it a lot. Set aside 30 minutes every day to practice drawing. A good book to reference is Mark Kistler's You Can Draw in 30 Days. Even if you don't want to be the one to actually sew your designs, you need to know about sewing. Understanding the possibilities presented by your medium is an important part of being able to come up with innovative, exciting ideas. Many craft stores like Jo-Ann Fabric offer relatively cheap sewing classes. Studying pattern making is a must if you intend to sew your own garments. You will need to know how a garment is physically assembled. Knowing how to break a design down into shapes is a crucial part of being able to sew a garment. Buy some simple patterns at a craft store to practice with. If you want to produce innovative designs, you have to know about design theory. Molly Bang's book Picture This: How Pictures Work is a great place to start. It will help you learn to think like a designer. Don't limit yourself to studying fashion design exclusively. The principles of design theory apply across all sorts of disciplines. It may surprise you how much studying something like typography can teach you about fashion design. If you want to design clothes, you may want to learn all you can about the world of fashion. You may think of yourself as a very stylish person, but knowing how to dress yourself well is only the tip of the iceberg. If you are designing based on what is hot right now, by the time your design is complete it might already be out of style. Professional fashion designers are constantly thinking ahead, to what the next big thing will be. Watch videos or look at pictures from high-profile fashion shows online, or go in person if one is happening near where you live. Professional designers design their seasonal collections months in advance, so these shows can give you an idea of what kinds of trends will be trickling down into commercial fashion in the future. There are more tools available to designers now than there ever have been before. On top of knowing your way around a sketchbook and a sewing machine, you will need to know your way around Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Websites like Linda.com or Tuts+ are good online resources. If you want to do your sketching on a computer instead of in a sketchbook, you will need to purchase a good pen tablet, such as a Wacom.

Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Use an abrasive chop saw for accurate square cuts. Use a horizontal band saw. Make highly accurate cuts with a cold saw.

Answer: A chop saw is an efficient, heavy-duty circular saw. It is supported by a metal base and mounted on a pivoting arm, making it very easy to use. A chop saw can handle a lot of different steel-cutting duties and is able to make exact, square cuts. It's an affordable tool, making it more realistic than the horizontal saw or cold saw for a home shop setting. However, it can't make cuts as accurate as either of those tools can. Chop saws are high-powered. A great deal of heat is generated during the cut, making the steel extremely hot. Handle freshly cut steel with caution. Along with heavy-duty gloves and eye protection, you need to use ear protection when operating power saws. They are very loud and can damage hearing. Band saws are fairly economical and can cut thicker steel with more accuracy than the abrasive chop saw. They are very easy to use all you have to do is feed the metal into the saw and the blade does the rest. Make sure you're using metal-cutting (carbon steel or bimetal) blades with your band saw. There are three main blade tooth patterns raker, wave and straight. For cutting steel thicker than sheet metal, use the raker pattern. For thinner steel, use the wave tooth pattern. The blades get dull easily and need to be replaced to get proper accuracy. Band saws cut slowly and you may need to grind minor rough edges off after the cut is made. Band saws have a higher capacity than cold saws, but they don't cut as accurately. A cold saw is a very expensive piece of equipment and generally isn't a realistic choice for a home shop setting unless you plan on using it often. Cold saws make clean cuts that are more accurate than what a band saw can do, but a cold saw's capacity is smaller. If you're trying to choose between the two, make your decision based on how much steel you need to cut and how accurate you need to cut it. The cold saw is circular and its blade has a lot of teeth. The blade itself spins very slowly, but the cut is made quickly. A coolant is used with the cold saw to prevent the steel from heating up. The coolant should be immediately wiped off the steel after the cut is made.

Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Experiment with different writing exercises. Try writing about an object. Try a David Bowie-approved exercise.

Answer: There are many different writing exercises one can use to get inspired. If you're feeling really stumped and don't know where to start, try a writing exercise. Having a specific set of instructions can take the pressure off and get those creative juices flowing. If you feel intimidated, tell yourself that you'll only write for 5 minutes. If nothing comes out, you'll know that you've at least tried. If you find yourself settling into the writing process after 5 minutes, you're likely to come out with at least a few ideas you're happy with. This is a songwriting exercise called "Choose an Object" used at the Berklee College of Music and can be very helpful in generating new ideas. For this exercise, choose an object at random, then spend 10 minutes or so writing any memories you associate with it. Don't worry about making it sound good or writing complete sentences. Focus on using as many different senses as possible. You'll end up with a list of images and emotions, which you can use as inspiration later on. Bowie has described one of his methods for songwriting and you may want to give it a try to see if it works for you. This exercise can be particularly useful for those times when you just have no idea what you want to write about. Write 1 to 2 paragraphs different subjects to create a sort of short story. Next, cut the sentences into sections of 4 of 5 different blocks, then mix them up and reconnect them.

Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Use smaller sized plates when eating at home. Remove serving bowls from the table when eating. Purchase a food scale or measuring cups. Order a small portion at restaurants.

Answer:
If you start using smaller plates when you're eating at home, you may be able to control your portions and prevent yourself from overeating. Usually salad plates or appetizer plates are smaller than typical dinner sized plates and can prevent you from eating large portions of foods. Some studies have even show that using certain color plates can help your be satisfied with less foods. Go for blue colored plates to help you eat less at each meal. Place the food on your plate and walk away from the serving bowls. When bowls and serving platters are on the table, individuals are likely to eat more than if they pre-serve themselves and then sit down. Keeping them off the dinner table will help you resist the temptation to scoop additional helpings onto your plate. Keep all food in the kitchen instead of bringing the extras to the table with you. Another good option is to put the food away prior to sitting down at the table. Even when you go back to the kitchen to put dishes away, there is no food to nibble on while you clean up. To make sure you're sticking to the exact portion size recommended for you, it may be helpful to measure your food before serving it or eating it. Each person requires slightly different portion sizes of each food and quantity of servings throughout the day. In general, stick to the following portion sizes for the food groups: 3 4 oz of protein, cup or 1 oz of grains, 1 cup of vegetables or 2 cups of leafy greens and cup of fruit or 1 small piece. Adults typically need to eat protein at each meal or snack. Include 1 2 servings of fruit each day and 3 4 servings of vegetables. Grains should be included one or twice a day, but not necessarily at each meal. Food scales may be preferable to use as you don't have to squish all your food into a measuring cup. You may also want to consider measuring plates, bowls, serving utensils and reusable containers to see how much they hold. If you're packing meals, you'll know in advance how much you're eating. When you're out to eat it can be difficult to eat small portions or stick with a single item. Restaurants offer the temptation of appetizers, larger entrees and dessert courses. Not only do you have to deal with larger portion sizes, you may be tempted with multiple courses. Consider ordering an appetizer for your entree. These are generally smaller, but big enough to satisfy you for dinner. Be mindful of the complimentary bread, chips or crackers that are served. These are easy to overeat when you're hungry and waiting for your meal to arrive. Consider asking your server to skip these or only bring a small serving. Speak to the server about the portion size before you order. If it is a large meal that could feed two people, ask them to bring half of the meal to you and put the other half in a to-go container.