all is creative: desktop.

greetings all

My life has generally been filled with creativity, from the smallest of things to the grandest undertakings, i take great joy in creating. in order to share this joy – i’ve decided to try a new series on my site called “all is creative“, this is the first in the series, and i thought i’d start with something that the majority of people surfing this site have, a PC desktop. i hope you like it.

when i was younger i used basic windows wallpapers to add flare to my desktop. as i grew older i tried interesting programs like styleXP, windowblinds, and samurize. personally, i find the first two to be too much overhead/CPU&ram usage. samurize on the other hand is excellent and extremely versatile/configurable, but lately, i’ve found an even nicer balance of features and simplicity in AveDesk. WARNING: AveDesk is very cool software but is not the easiest to use for beginners. If you are just getting into desktop customization i recommend:

for beginners:
Visual Styles (or msstyles) OR WindowBlinds. In order to install Visual Styles on your computer, you will need a program such as TGT Soft’s StyleXP or the free UXTheme patcher, developed by the good people at Neowin. WindowBlinds themes, on the other hand, require Stardock’s WindowBlinds application, which is free to try but with reduced features (the most glaring being the inability to skin scrollbars).

once you have the programs… you probably want some interesting themes/icons:

-skins.deviantart.com
-themeXP
-studio28
-wincustomize – windowblinds
-winmatrix.org

if you want the ease-of-use and low learning curve of these programs, you will likely have to purchase them.

for more computer-savvy users, i recommend the free and awesome… AveDesk.

*it should be noted that the latest official AveDesk version is 1.3, but i use AveDesk 2.0 BETA — if you’re comfortable trying betas, its quite good.

this is what my windows AveDesk desktop looks like currently.

here is the wikipedia on AveDesk.
here is a few avedesk tutorials to help you start out:

-AveDesk basics
-deviantart AveDesk tutorial
-AveDesk AquaSoft support boards
-youtube – add a desklet

AveDesk is most often used to get a slick, fast, imitation of Mac’s OSX.

one’s creativity can be expressed any which way, and its a very personal thing. some people create chaotic, entropy filled desktops with tons of icons, others prefer completely minimalistic serenity, and some, like myself, something balanced in-between; form and function. i get all my most used icons on the desktop, looking appealing, and my wallpaper is simple but eye-catching and fits the theme.

i won’t push any particular icon set or background or desklet, save to say all kinds of beautiful things can be found at these sites among others:

-customize.org – avedesk section
-GUIStyles – avedesk section
-deviantart icons
-vistaicons.com

wallpapers
-paintbits amazing wallpapers
-interfacelift.com
-wallpapers.deviantart.com

-neowin mac customization
-macthemes2.net

perhaps one day i’ll have a mac to play with and i’ll be able to offer more.

so hopefully this post has inspired some of you to try something new, bring a personal touch to one’s working environment, the oft-neglected PC desktop. if you feel too hesitant or shy or listless or busy to take a stab at, that’s obviously fine, but if you feel like it’d be a cool thing to do, i’d love to here your comments or even pictures of your desktop.

for now, take care all happy creating!

Related Posts

1. Creative Boosts: For Women Who Tend to Beautify Themselves.
2. all is creative: about creators.

Tags: art, creativity, desktop, pc, windows