T&T Thursday!

Technology Is Great...  Until It Isn't 

By Wes Douglas

We are all very fortunate to have technology in our lives, especially those portable computers that fit in our backpacks, purses, and pockets. Whenever we get stumped on the name of that actor in that movie from 1962, or we want to show you an important photo to help move our story along, we pull out that phone or tablet and look it up (or ask our device to look it up for us). Want to pull up a soundtrack to go along with that great mood you are in? Just search a artist or genre and that little computer will do the curating for you. Sometimes we need our portable computers to help us feel good about connecting to friends, family and even work colleagues.

But other times,

technology can be a lonely place. 

There are these little built-in roadblocks that make technology so–well let’s just say that technology at that point is not our friend. Right when you are in the middle of a movie you are hooked on, or a video call, a warning pops up that you’re almost out of battery power. Or that if you want to continue, you will need to update your subscription or upgrade to a newer version of your device. Aaaarrrggghhh!

And sometimes you’ll find that you have spent hours scrolling your device to see what other people are up to and, much like scanning tv channels, you find that there is nothing interesting. And with all that time invested, what do you really have to show for it?

Well, my friends, that’s when you should remember your quiet pal the sketchbook. 

It never runs out of battery power or has trouble connecting to the WIFI. You don’t have to constantly purchase new apps or upgrade your version software. And there are no cords and plugs to deal with…I know, I’ve already checked. 

Ever so often you may have to replace your pen with a new one because you used up all the ink. And more frequently, you may be lured to the art store to see if you are missing out on the latest in analog art supplies. If you drop your sketchbook in a puddle, it may be a little soggy but nothing is lost for good (you may need a hairdryer to help you save your book). But none of that really prevents you from continuing on your current sketch journey.

And here is the best part: 

You can spend seconds, hours, days or even years getting lost in your drawings and what you have to show for all that time invested are filled pages of sketches that represent your observations, your experiments, your mistakes, your successful sketches and your memories. Time becomes meaningless when you are having fun exploring your craft. Next thing you know you’ve filled one sketchbook, then ten, then twenty and you will soon look up one day at your bookshelves and it will be filled up by your sketchbooks and your stories. Just ask Liz Steel who is famous for her catalogued collection of sketchbooks. 

People talk about leaving a small carbon footprint in the world. How about leaving your own legacy in the memories and sketches you have collected over time and it can be as big and wonderful as you make it.

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