Article: Join design organizations.  There are many graphic design organizations at both local and national levels that host webinars, conferences, and other events where their members can ask questions and learn new techniques.  For instance, the American Institute of Graphic Arts has chapters throughout the country.  Use their database at http://www.aiga.org/chapters/ to locate one near you. You could send some of your work to a designer with a style similar to yours, along with a complimentary note explaining, “I think you might like this piece I did recently.  Let me know what you think!”  If they show interest, develop the relationship and stay in contact with them.  They might send work your way. Stay connected to your classmates.  When you’re developing graphic design skills in college, develop close ties to your classmates.  They will be your future peers in the graphic design industry, and could be helpful when you’re looking for work.  Be genuinely friendly and interested in their ideas and designs. Many local nonprofits require graphic design or web design assistance.  As a nonprofit, they naturally want to save money on these costs.  Offering your graphic design abilities is a good way to both give back to your community and bulk up your resume.  Identify a charity you believe in and approach them with an offer to help them with graphic design.  For instance, if you’re passionate about food justice and poverty, you might approach your local food bank or soup kitchen with an offer to lend a hand. Ask the nonprofit’s management what kind of projects they want help with.  Draft several iterations for the designs they need and let them choose the one they like best. There are many venues online where you can exhibit your work.  Tumblr caters to image-based graphic design posts, though you could also use a blogging platform like WordPress or Squarespace to make a digital showcase of your work.  Behance, an online portfolio service, is another good option that you can direct potential employers or clients to.  Finally, you could always use more traditional social media like Facebook and Instagram to show your work and get your name out.  Enter graphic design competitions.  Many graphic design organizations and universities offer graphic design competitions based around a certain design feature or theme.  For instance, your local university or college might offer design contest based around designing new typefaces. Check with the AIGA (http://www.aiga.org/competitions/) and with sites like Graphic Competitions (http://www.graphiccompetitions.com/graphic-design/) to find one you feel qualified to submit work to. Winning a competition -- or even placing second or third -- looks great on a resume and can be useful for getting more work.  Plus, it will give you the confidence you need to get deeper into graphic design. Even if you aren’t employed in graphic design, you should use your free time to continue exercising your creative talent and developing your abilities.  The more quality material you have under your belt, the more you’ll be able to share with prospective employers when you go on job interviews or seek new clients.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Network with others in your field. Volunteer with nonprofits. Develop an online presence. Don’t stop creating.

Cut an 18-inch (45 cm) piece of ribbon in a color or pattern your mom will love. Fold over one end to about an inch (2.5 cm), then fold it again. Sew or hot glue the fold closed. Fold the other end once to an inch, then place a hair elastic at the seam of the fold and fold the ribbon over again. Sew or glue the fold close. Glue or sew a button on the end without the elastic, on the front of the ribbon. This will be the opposite side of the ribbon from where you folded the ribbon down.  When you’re finished, place the elastic around the button to hold the bookmark closed. Customize the bookmark with your mom’s favorite colors, designs, or even characters! Clean an empty tin can well, using warm water mixed with the dish soap. Let the can completely air dry and then paint it in your mom’s favorite color. You can use ribbon or washi tape to decorate the can once it’s dry, adding a pretty design on top of the color you chose. To add a little something special, buy a small potted plant to put in the tin vase, or pick some flowers from your own garden. Just make sure you have permission to pick your own flowers! You can use any jar you like – a mason jar, an old vegetable jar – just make sure it’s cleaned out really well and smells fresh. Then write one memory of your mom on each slip of paper. When you’re finished, fold them in half and put them in the jar.  You should use at least twenty slips of paper so the jar looks pretty full. You can decorate the jar with stickers, craft paint, or ribbon. Make sure you write “Memory Jar” on the outside. Hole punch blank index cards in the upper left corner. On each card, write down one thing you love about your mom. When you’re finished, slip a binder ring through the hole in the all of the cards.  You can ask your whole family to participate, so she knows why you all love her. Try using different colored index cards or decorating them before you put the book together. It will make the book look more personal and let your mom know you spent a lot of time on it. This is a really great gift to make if you have siblings who want to help or be involved. And it's something your mom can keep for a long time, unlike real flowers!  Using a different color paint for each kid, dip your hands and feet in paint and then make a row of handprints or a row of footprints on a 36-inch (90 cm) wide piece of paper. When everyone is finished making their hand and footprints, let the papers completely dry. Cut out each foot or handprint. Arrange the cut-out hand and footprints in rows in a shallow half circle shape on a large piece of construction paper. When you’re happy with your design, glue them down. Roll the construction paper into a cone and glue or staple it closed.
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One-sentence summary --
Make ribbon bookmarks. Make a homemade tin can flower vase. Make a memory jar. Put together a “Things I love About You” Book. Make a handprint bouquet.