Personal

This is such a busy week, both professionally and personally. So much to do. With Apple Vision Pro arriving in the user’s hands, this creates a lot of buzz, and I don’t want to miss anything (reviews, videos, etc.). These reviews are more interesting than Apple’s controller media briefings, which are held in highly controlled environments. And, I have many YouTube videos in preparation, as well as my usual stuff. 😅👨🏻‍💻

I’m feeling a bit all mixed up this morning after reading an email from “a fan” (his words), being so appreciative of my work but also telling me he won’t be around much longer to appreciate my creative journey because of his health issues. I find this heartbreaking and a reminder that nothing is eternal 😔. I’m unsure how to frame my reply beyond saying, “Thank you.”

Weekend done. I spent a significant part of it on my Mac doing things, mostly creative things. And guess what? I have no regrets. I did what I loved the most. Have a great week to you all! And do what you like!

I’m spending my Friday afternoon writing documents for a big project at work. Even at work, I write a lot, which is a creative process, but in a different context. My personal hobbies nourish my creativity at work. Or the other way around. I don’t know. I like my job. My hobbies. My creative life. 😌

While many are ordering the pricey Apple Vision Pro, I bought tickets for the Madonna show in Montreal, Canada. It is much cheaper and is a lifetime experience.¹

One more yearly subscription to my website¹ and one more subscriber to The Craft Bible². It’s a good day for me. I don’t have thousands of subscribers (yet), and they all count as if they were my first one. 😻

Here’s another reason to be sad this morning. 😔 Over the past two years, I’ve invested much of my time and effort in building my digital space and presence in Craft. I spend numerous hours posting things and answering questions in the user community. I’ve become a Craft enthusiast or ambassador. One day, someone even asked me if I was working for Craft. I’m not. I don’t want to be paid. But what I want is a better collaboration with the team over there. I’d like to create videos about new releases that would be shared simultaneously as they come out. I’ve asked them, and they didn’t accept my offer. I’ve built The Craft Bible. I’ve created The Craft Feature Request Board. I’ve created content that best exemplifies Craft use cases. I get no real support from the Craft team. They fail to take advantage of me being this sort of Craft ambassador, and they could “use me” to help spread the Craft message out there¹. I don’t understand why they pass over this opportunity. Capacities, a direct competitor to Craft, is doing the opposite. They have this woman who creates tutorials and other types of content and gets referenced in the Capacities release notes! That’s cool and useful for the community. But not Craft. Is this a corporate culture issue? Maybe. I just don’t get it. It’s frustrating. Maybe I should let it go and move on.

Sorry for the rant this morning.

Gearing up for video recording… smile, please. 😁

It’s the type of work day where I get to meet hyper-brilliant and knowledgeable people, which makes me feel like I have so much more to learn. 😌

Introspection time: I chose to be in IT because I thought it was much easier to deal with computers than humans. I’m not an introvert, though, far from it. But, it happened without explicit thought back in the day. After 30 years in IT, I still think the same, and I often say that the challenge in the information technology field is not about technology per se, but it’s mostly about human issues with technology. Ironically, most of my job today is to build teams of people to make things happen. I’m still focused on technology, but in reality, I try to ensure that all members of a team work towards the same objectives. I’m pretty good about it and people are appreciative of my work. How ironic.

My return to work went well, but I’m busy and having difficulty balancing my time between project delivery and staying up-to-date in my IT field. It’s one of my biggest challenges. 😑

Going back to work tomorrow after a two-week break that was much needed. Now, I know what’s awaiting me tomorrow. It’s a fuckin busy agenda. 😳 I refrained all weekend from connecting to my office email. Sure, I could have done a pre-cleanup and say: ok, it’s not that bad. But I didn’t do it. Why? Because my mailbox would have been cleaner, yeah, but not my mental charge, would have been 🤯. It was a good decision to stay partly innocent. ☝🏻

This year, my writing habits will be impacted by my desire to spend more time interacting with the community here. Reaching out and connecting might lead to new opportunities and writing triggers.

I’m getting a few more days of vacation and looking forward to practicing my DJ skills to conclude my breakaway from my usual creative activities.

It’s the time of the year where the page is white, everything feels possible and in its place. It’s up to me to decide how 2024 will unroll as a creator.

I wish you all a happy new year! May 2024 be a better one than what 2023 was. It shouldn’t be that hard. Peace.

Each year, at about the same period, I always feel a return of my desire for photography. It is as if photography is always the thing I drop first when I’m busy in life, preferring to keep the rest (writing, blogging). I hope this will change a bit in 2024.

Here are my five goals for 2024, as posted on my personal landing page.

One week left to work before “vacations”. 🥴

I had many personal goals for this week-end¹, a week-end already coming to a conclusion. I’m happy to report that they were all met! I feel good about this. 😊