My MacBook Pro died. I miss it terribly. I have a Dell desktop circa 2005, but it’s not the same. It’s big, sluggish and outdated. My Mac was sleek and slim. Stylish and functional. Heavy, but powerful.
I could do so much on my Mac. I could toggle between windows, no problem. I could type quickly and efficiently. A cinch. I could listen to music and look at photos — no airplane take-off noise coming from the fan. Most importantly, I could work effortlessly.
I am a communications and graphic arts professional. I need a machine that is capable of multiple tasks at once. I need space on my computer to allow for some rather large files while I’m working to create the perfect image. With my Mac, my Adobe Creative Suite died, too. Sure, I have a very old and outdated version of Photoshop (circa CS — you know, before they had any numbers to them) on my Dell, but any hojo can figure out how to use that program. Which is actually very disheartening in and of itself. The program is pretty easy to learn if you have the patience and skill set to do so, but since everyone has easy access to this somewhat sophisticated design software, what is that doing to my career?
It’s no wonder that I have a hard time finding freelance design work. Many of the moms in my playgroup use Adobe Photoshop. Why would I be any different? What sets me apart?
These are the questions I have begun asking myself as of late. Why should anyone hire me?
Because I’m the best. Period.
I am professional, I am a hard worker, I strive to create and convey the best message for my clients and their brands.
I’m not here to convince you to hire me. You probably don’t even need any marketing or design work anyway. The point is, without my Mac and my entire Creative Suite, I’m lost. I feel like I can’t function. When did life begin revolving around technology? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?!
I’ve asked that question of myself time and again, and it is not the other way around. Our lives, my life at least, is centered around technology. If it weren’t for technology I would be lost. There have been so many trying days in the last two years of my life that if I didn’t have a way to connect with the outside world, I might have gone batshit crazy! I stay in constant contact with my best friend, I’m always emailing with another one of my good friends. It is so helpful to be able to talk to, and connect with, these women on a daily and sometimes hourly basis. It has made the leap into motherhood — and parenthood in general — much less isolating. I can devote time and attention to Buggy without talking on the phone, yet still maintain an adult connection with friends and family.
In addition to staying connected, I have been able to maintain a level of professionalism and practice with my attachment to technology. A laptop and a smart phone have helped pave my way into creating a solid work-life balance for me and my family. No, I do not work full time. Nor do I even work part time. But the time that I do work, whether it be running and managing my playgroup or doing paid freelance design work, has become significantly more efficient than pre-child and pre-laptop.
I know in one of my last blogs I complained about technology and always being connected and reachable. I know I said I hated it and sometimes I needed a break. But the truth in it all is that I do enjoy the wealth of information and human interaction that comes hand in hand with being connected. Some families swear off technology and all it has to offer. Not us. We welcome it with open arms.
I’m just counting down the days until I’m reunited with my Mac. You know what they say, don’t you? Once you go Mac, you never go back.
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