INPUT ARTICLE: Article: One of the most important skills that a shoe designer has is the ability to envision something and translate that onto paper. The goal here is not to replicate what you can already see. Rather, you should imagine a shoe and sketch that out. Sketching doesn't have to be done on physical paper. You might use design software to create your shoe designs. Shoe design is not all done with pencil and paper sketches. You will need to know design software, such as the Adobe Creative Suite. This includes PhotoShop, Illustrator, InDesign and other programs. Be able to recreate your pencil sketches on the computer. Also learn how to use computer-aided design (CAD) programs. These will enable you to create 3D digital designs. When you learn the different parts that go into creating a shoe from a design sketch, you will understand more about the entire shoe-making process. Make patterns for different types of shoes. Assemble your best shoe designs that demonstrate your skill and versatility as a designer. Aim for about 20 designs for a physical portfolio and 30 for an online portfolio. Keep the content fresh by updating your portfolio once in a while with new work. Include a designer's statement, in which you talk about your influences and inspirations. Also include an up-to-date resume.

SUMMARY: Sketch a lot. Learn how to use design software. Learn how to design shoe patterns. Build a portfolio.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Your diet plays a considerable role in how much weight you lose. Having three balanced and healthy meals every day can help you shed weight and burn excess fat. Whole foods that are high in vitamins and minerals, complex carbohydrates, and moderate amounts of fat can promote your well being and help you lose weight. Subtracting 500 1,000 calories per day from your current intake is a good rule of thumb to follow when cutting calories. Remember that you shouldn't go below 1,200 calories a day or you may not see any results (because your body thinks you are starving and is conserving energy and fat) and you will also be miserable because you're not getting enough to eat. If you want to know an exact number, the National Institutes of Health has devised a new tool that can help you specifically pinpoint how many calories you need every day in order to lose weight. There are many different sites at which you can access this calculator including http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calculators/calories-required/ and https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/bwp/index.html. Incorporate different foods from the five food groups into your daily meals and snacks. The five food groups are: fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy. Make sure to vary your choices so that you get a range of nutrients to promote your health and weight loss. Healthy foods often also have a lot of fiber, which can help keep you full throughout the day. Eat whole fruits and vegetables such as raspberries, blueberries, broccoli and carrots. Get your whole grains from foods like whole wheat pasta or bread, oatmeal, brown rice or cereal. For protein, eat lean cuts of meat like pork or poultry as well as cooked beans, eggs, or peanut butter. Your dairy will come from sources like cheese, yogurt, cow and nut milks, and even ice cream. It might taste great, but junk food is a dieter's worst enemy. Unhealthy foods are often loaded with fat and calories that can keep you from losing weight. Avoid starchy foods made out of refined carbohydrates like white bread, pasta, rice, and baked goods. Not eating these foods or replacing them with whole wheat versions can help keep you full and lose weight. Read labels for hidden sugar in your food choices. Look for words such as corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose, or maltose, which are types of sugars. Any word that ends in "ose" is a sugar. Eating healthy is not something you do for a few weeks, but for your lifetime. This can help you lose and keep off the weight. You might be excited to overhaul your diet, but doing so gradually can keep you from going back to bad habits. Consider beginning by replacing processed foods or junk food. For example, try brown rice with meals instead of white rice. You can also add more vegetables to your plate than rice. You could also make air-popped popcorn or bake kale chips instead of having potato chips. Let yourself cheat once a week or if you reach a certain goal. Cheat days can prevent cravings and overindulgence. . Having meal plans keeps you from easily falling back into bad eating habits. It can make it easier to make sure you are getting sufficient calories and nutrients without going over your calories for the day. Plan three meals and two snacks every day. Vary the types of food at each meal. For example, have a cup of yogurt with fresh berries, whole wheat toast, and coffee with skim milk for breakfast. Make a salad with different vegetables, grilled chicken, and some hummus for lunch. For dinner, have a family dinner of fish with a small salad and a side of steamed cauliflower. If you want dessert, have some fresh fruit or a sugar-free popsicle. If you know you will be dining out, include this in your plan. Either look at the restaurant's online menu or call ahead to see what healthy choices they offer. Select a couple of different healthy options from the menu and put those on your plan. Make sure to stay away from buffets, breadbaskets, dishes in heavy sauces, and fried foods. Have an espresso instead of dessert unless it's too close to your bedtime.
Summary: Eat regular, nutrient-rich meals. Say no to junk food. Change your diet slowly. Write meal plans

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: When living off the grid, all you energy, food, and water use should be carefully monitored and maintained. The more of these precious resources you use, the more reliance you will have on others. Easy ways to reduce waste include: Keeping your showers short and not watering your lawn. Unplugging appliances when they're not in use. Turning off the lights when exiting a room. Learning to love leftovers. Start a compost pile so you can get some use out of unused food. Workshops on topics like growing your own garden, starting a compost pile, and repairing your home might be useful when you move off-grid. Check the community events calendar of your local newspaper or library for a list of such workshops. If you plan on growing a garden, for instance, run a search for how to do so using your search engine of choice. There are countless videos and articles online about how to live off the grid. Alternately, visit your local library and check out some books on how to live off the grid, grow fruits and vegetables, and manage your solar array. Renting a cabin in a rural, isolated place might provide you with a taste of what you can expect when living off the grid. Call several cabin rental agencies in a location near the area you intend to live off the grid. Spend a week or so in one that most closely approximates the sort of home you plan on living in. While the amenities and features of a particular cabin might not be exactly the same as those that you'll include when moving off the grid, spending time in such a cabin could help you better determine what you're looking for. Use the experience to decide the location, size, and amenities of your off-grid homestead. Living off the grid doesn't mean you need to be hundreds of miles from civilization. You could choose to move to a plot of land that is isolated and rural but still within easy reach of stores, hospitals, and family. On the other hand, you could live in a totally self-sufficient home or trailer far from anyone else. The distance you choose to remove yourself to depends only on your preferences and personality. Travel to a number of different locations before selecting the site of your off-the-grid homestead. Living off the grid typically means dramatically reducing your level of interaction and communication with the outside world. However, the degree to which you choose to do this varies depending on your own personality and desires. For example, you could choose to get rid of your phone, computer, and radio altogether. Alternately, you might keep your radio, but ditch your phone and computer. There is no right or wrong way to decide how to limit your level of communication.

SUMMARY:
Reduce waste. Attend workshops. Read about topics that could help you live off the grid. Book a stay at a rural cabin. Decide how far away you want to be. Choose your level of communication.