It used to be that to create something like a poster, for example, that you'd take pencil and eraser and paper, pen and ink and maybe a ruler (if you were really high-tech and serious you'd have a light table). Then, you'd get to work, sketching, erasing, drawing, inking. In a matter of hours, you'd be done.
Now, websites. It's simple, they say. You can make a website bing-bang-bung done! Realistically though, the creative process is no different, even though the tools are. Think, design, rework, start over.... Of course with computers, there's also the "delight" of learning new software, and the absolutely unforgivingly exacting manner in which programming needs to be done. Every little imperfection means that either your webpage won't work or will look odd. Hours, days, and weeks can go by as you search for that one tiny little crumb of code that's messing the whole thing up.
In the old days, mistakes were easy: you firmly held down the paper with one hand, gripped your eraser in the other, and rubbed out your mistake. Then you swept and blew the eraser crumbs off the paper, and re-did the problem section ... and you were done.
Visit my new site http://www.barbaradacosta.com and let me know what you think!
Photo by Barbara DaCosta ©2008
