Yay! It’s summer! No school, no homework, no yearbook! But wait…why not embrace your inner yerd and try these 3 things this summer to keep your creative side engaged and ready to take on your 2016 yearbook.

1. Keep a yerd graphic notebook.

Yes, this is “old school”, but no one said it had to be an actual notebook. There are lots and lots of ways to build a digital notebook. You can use Google Drive, Evernote, Pocket or the fan favorite Pinterest to organize and keep all the wonderful, beautiful graphic things you see while surfing the net. Just use the folder or tagging system that works best for you and save all the cool stuff you see accordingly. That way you’re building a yerd library of inspiration that’s at your fingertips when school starts again.

Now for those of you who like actual paper and notebook, you just find yourself a cool binder or notebook, organize with tabs, dividers, or colors, and clip away at all the magazines you’re reading or doodle away while soaking up the sun at the beach or poolside. We won’t judge. In fact, we’d love to see it!

2. Take pictures–lots of pictures.

We know you’re making memories and saving them via selfies already, so start being purposeful with your picture-taking. Read this article on how to pose people, then practice taking portrait shots with your friends when you’re in line for the movies or hanging out at the mall. Or practice taking candid photos of your family while you’re on vacation together. Use your phone, your point-and-shoot or a DSLR. It doesn’t matter…just practice taking photos with people in them. Just think how comfortable you’ll be taking photos of students on campus after all this practice. Piece of cake!

3. Create cool color combinations.

They are all around you: in nature, at home improvement stores, in the mall, on TV. Color pallets are used  to create mood, emotions, or make a statement. You just have to look around you with the intent of seeing how colors have been combined or displayed for a particular purpose. Notice what colors of flowers have been used together in front of buildings or in large planters outside offices. Take a look at how paint chips and aisles of similar products are displayed. Check out the color combinations  in the windows of your favorite clothing stores. Pay attention to which colors are used most often in TV commercials. Each of these situations has been planned for the effect the colors will have on the viewer, so tune in to what you feel as you look around and begin to notice specific color combinations. What colors do you like together most? Do you see any trends in color patterns? What don’t you like? All this attention to color can help you devise a color scheme for your yearbook that supports your theme and designs. Hint: gather lots of paint chips from your local home improvement store and create your own favorite yerd color pallets to share with the staff during your planning session.

3.5 Read a great book.

It doesn’t have to have anything to do with yearbook, but it is summer, and there are tons of great summer reads out there to encourage, inspire and just plain entertain. And it’s great for your mind, too!

That’s our list. We hope you find ways to nurture your creative inner yerd and have lots of summer fun doing it. Let us know how it goes–and what book(s) you read, too. Happy, yerdy summer!