Designer Spotlight: Trine Secher

Today's featured designer is our own Trine Secher! She is always adding to her great collection of freebies, and she's recently started a new store. I'm really pleased to offer this chance for you to get to know her a bit better.

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where do you live? Who’s in your family? What do you do in the average day?
A: I am Danish Design, but when I’m not designing I go by the name Trine Secher. I am 45 years old, not married and have no kids, but I live with my “family” (= my two best friends) in a big apartment in eastern Copenhagen, Denmark. I have been without a steady job for more than 4 years now and the last year I have spend on sick leave due to MS. I am currently working a few hours a day in an academic book shop, but when I’m not there I must admit that most of my time is spend with my computer. I sometimes break away to watch British crime series on TV - I’m a BIG Poirot fan! Wow, I need to get a life!

Q: How did you start digital scrapbooking? When did you start designing?
A: Actually, I never started digital scrapbooking. I made a few greeting cards for family events. But then one day 5 years ago I got a new computer with a free Photoshop Elements included and I was hooked. I leaned to use if by trial-and-error and a little online tutorials and about 6 months later I started designing - mostly for fun. But when I ran out of archive space I figured it might be a good idea to share some of the material I made and I started my blog Nothing but Freebies. Some time later I was invited to join the store Scrap it Sassy, but, unfortunately, that closed down in February this year. That then inspired me to open my own store, Everything But Freebies, and I took the dangerous step of making it a Trust Store. Now I’m waiting to see if that was wise…

Q: What tools do you use to design?
A: I use mainly Photoshop Elements, but if that doesn't fit my needs I go to Photoshop, Shape Collage, Photo Scissor Genie and others, but that doesn't happen very often.

Q: What are a couple of your favorite designs you’ve created?
A: It’s funny, cause right after I finish a design I’m almost never 100 % satisfied, but I usually get there after a few weeks or months of not looking at it. But a couple of times I was pretty satisfied with my work right from the start and that was the kits “Let’s Chai”, now available in my new store, and the matching “The Easy Life”, soon available in my store. The reason for my satisfaction was that the “feel” of the kits - I wanted to jump right into them and live there forever.

Q: What are some designs that inspire you?
A: I cannot pinpoint any one or two designs that inspired me, but I can (if that’s allowed) mention a few designers that started me out all those years ago. Far Far Hill/Nearstore was one of the first sites I put on my read list - fantastic vintage designs! Then came Automatic Cupcake which brought PS actions into my life. And finally I have to mention Marisa, not because this is for DigitalScrapbook.com, but because her papers inspired me to make more out of my own. I could go on and on, but let’s stop here. Now I mostly get my inspiration from everyday life - songs, books, nature and art.

Q: Do you have any advice for designers?
A: For new designers I can only say “Hang in there”. Follow your heart and creativity, there will always be someone out there that likes your designs, and then forget about those who don’t - they don’t matter. But in the more practical category I would like to make a plea to designers to make an effort when it comes to naming and marking their designs. Make sure that everything your customers/users download is marked with title, your name and TOU. And if you are making PS Layer Styles, PLEASE name the individual styles!!!! I have more than 3000 styles named only “style #” and that does not make it easy to neither find nor give credits.

Q: What brought you to DigitalScrapbook.com? How do you use the things you’ve downloaded from here?
A: It’s been so long that I can’t remember how I stumbled upon DigitalScrapbook.com. I have been aboard almost since the beginning and followed to the new site with great pleasure. I remember that when I first got to know the old site, I was ecstatic about all the free material that Marisa gave away, and I think I have just about every single design from back then. I download as much as I can, mainly templates that I can work on and make something of my own with, but I really have a weakness for the papers, which I use for my little private greeting card production (family and friends only). I usually use one or two DigitalScrapbook.com Items in my kits - an example is day 7 of last year’s Advent Calendar. But also my Special Freebie is made with DigitalScrapbook.com material. Besides the downloads I am a busy user of Marisa’s tutorials. She has taught me SO much that way.

Blog: http://nothingbutfreebies.blogspot.dk/
Store: http://everythingbutfreebies.blogspot.dk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trine.secher.5 (it’s my private FB but you are very welcome to stop by)

And here is a special freebie Trine has made for the DigitalScrapbook.com readers!

If you are a budding designer or know of one, and would like to be featured here at the DigitalScrapbook.com blog, send me an email at [email protected]