What started out as a pastime involving altering photos for social media has now become a fully fledged career for Oregon based designer Joel Krebs.

A family man, Joel graduated from George Fox University with a Marketing Degree while minoring in art. He describes his style as minimal and explains how he is inspired by both is faith, and his talented mother.

A winner of multiple design competitions on DesignCrowd, jkrebs04, as he goes by, has plenty of helpful advice to offer aspiring designers.

Beyond the pen tool invited the photoshop specialist to share his ideas and motivations.

Joel's winning entry shows Elvis in a modern ad campaign.

I live in...Salem, Oregon.

And I work from...My office that I share with my dad, aka my boss.

The view out my window...Consists of a neighbor's overgrown lawn and a very inspiring 'DEAD END' street sign.

Joel's workstation in Salem, Oregon..

My passion for...Photoshop began several years ago in college. I was taught a few of the basics by a friend and began using my very amateurish skills to post photo-altered profile pictures to Facebook (obviously a regret looking back).

From there, I took a few classes but learned most of what I know by just practicing photoshopping images for friends and family.

To come up with a creative ideas, I use...Google images! I can not overemphasize how much I scour the web for ideas and inspiration, especially for the fun community contests on DesignCrowd. Whether I need to pull a high res image or I am just looking for that creative spark influenced by other designs, google images or stock photo sites are essential.

Joel's winning entry features a very different Niagara Falls.

My favourite designer/creative is...God, the original creator and designer! The beauty of His hand in creation is all around us. Everything has been created for a purpose, and from a design standpoint, that is incredibly inspiring. He designed us in His image and I believe that is where our creativity comes from. It's an incredible gift that many designers and artists have been blessed with.

Also, I would kick myself if I didn't mention my mother here, she is the most talented artist and illustrator I know.

My design style can be described as...Minimal and streamlined. I have an eye for composition but definitely lack in drawing what I see in my head.

What type of design work do you specialize in? I perform a variety of design tasks in my day-to-day work (advertising, package design, product design, etc). However, I would say I specialize in logo and photoshop design; that is what I enjoy most.

Joel's winning logo design for Bondi Jerky.

I’m most creative when...I’m up against the clock. For some reason I tend to perform better when the pressure's on. I think it forces me to concentrate and really focus on a solution. At times, extended deadlines make me less efficient.

Right now I can't stop watching...My very active eight-month-old daughter Eden crawl around and get into everything!

My favorite blog is...I guess I don't really read any actual blogs (besides this one!). Morning routine - Instagram, Drudge, Reddit, DailyMail, DesignCrowd - save the best for last ;)

Joel's winning entry showing Donald Trump as US President.

The app I can't live without...Is definitely 'Google Maps'. It guides and protects me from the dreaded traffic. The app is far superior to the Apple Maps app and with Siri leading the way she will no doubt get you lost... I just wish I could delete it.

My secret superhero power would be...Time travel, so I can go back and post those last few submissions when I missed the deadline!

When I'm working I like to listen to...Pretty boring I know, but I work best in silence. If I have anything on in the background its most likely Christian music or news radio.

Joel Photoshopped out the Sydney Opera House for this competition.

I discovered DesignCrowd when...I was searching for a way to make a little extra money on the side and discovered crowdsourcing.

Once I entered my first photoshop community contest and saw all of the hilarious entries I was hooked.

Even if you're new to DesignCrowd, I would highly recommend entering the community contests. Just remember if you don't win, it's great practice for real life clients. Plus, you can learn a lot from the other entries.

My top tips for designers to succeed is...Be methodical. Make a list of ideas and concepts before designing anything.

Be confident but realistic. Don't let high submission numbers deter you from entering a contest, and at the same time, don't expect to win them all.

Be different. Don't go with the obvious idea, be unique, think of something unexpected.

Be detailed. Especially in the community contests, when you think you've finished, take a few extra minutes to thoroughly inspect your work.

Joel's favorite DesignCrowd contest.

My favourite contest on DesignCrowd is...Without a doubt the 'Hipsterize Professionals'. I had a lot of fun with this. I never imagined that one day I'd be able to photoshop a 'Mike Tyson' tattoo onto Obama...and get paid for it! So, thank you DesignCrowd!

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Written by Kevin Bradford on Friday, October 23, 2015

Kevin Bradford is a content editor at DesignCrowd with a background in journalism and digital production. Experienced in both writing and videography, he loves combining his skills to create captivating content across all multimedia channels.