Really enjoyed this episode of Thouroughly Considered debating the future of the Mac and iPad. I’m not sure where I stand on the debate, but I’m looking forward to finding out what happens.
It’s starting to feel like spring is coming, the sky is blue and clear, the sun is shining, plants are starting to come into bud. It’s a beautiful reminder that God sustains the world and despite all that’s happening in it, His creation keeps on regardless.
Speaking to my parents earlier we realised it’s a year since Mum’s cancer diagnosis. Feels like a lot longer ago than that.
In the spirit of showing my work, the self portrait is progressing. I’m very rusty and it’s starting to look a little bit like the Joker 😂 🎨
Another day of work today as I try to use up my annual leave before the end of March. I’ve dug out my paints and plan to try and make some progress on a self portrait I started last week. It’s been so long since I did any painting, I forgot how hard it is.
Micro blogging again
I’ve recently made some changes to the hosting for my blog and other websites as part of the consolidation of my many websites in to one. I had been aiming to have one website to rule them all integrating my portfolio and my blog into one site.
I’m in the process of creating a new theme to help accomplish that, but I realised that for a long time I’ve not wanted to post the short status posts and images on to this site. I used to use Twitter for that, and whilst I’m still on the site I rarely use it. I’ve also been a member of [Micro.Blog] since the kickstarter days, but lately I’ve found myself just observing with only the occasional reply and not actually contributing. So I’ve decided to give something a try.
I’ve setup a hosted Micro Blog, which will use one of my spare personal domains, and I’m going to try posting to there with the short status posts and images as I would’ve done on Twitter and Instagram. I’ll likely use it to share things links and things along the way. In contrast I plan to keep this blog as somewhere to post longer posts and in time to add my portfolio as well.
To simplify things, I’m thinking about using my Micro Blog and this blog as ways of generating some [Stock and Flow]. As Robin Sloan put it:
Flow is the feed. It’s the posts and the tweets. It’s the stream of daily and sub-daily updates that reminds people you exist.
Stock is the durable stuff. It’s the content you produce that’s as interesting in two months (or two years) as it is today. It’s what people discover via search. It’s what spreads slowly but surely, building fans over time.
I’ve realised I’ve lost those concepts in my creative work. I no longer tweet and I don’t blog regularly, so if I can start to correct that I hope that the two blog formats can inform one another with more content.
As an extension of that I’ve also been thinking a lot about Austin Kleon’s book [Show Your Work], something which I’ve also not been doing much of lately. My hope is that I’ll be able to combine these two sites and ways of posting with showing some of my work. Be it personal or professional (when appropriate). We’ll see how it goes.
Typical that the time I make the decision to try a separate micro blog my domain register is having issues with the TLD I have spare and I can’t change the name servers to point and DNS to point it to micro.blog.
A quick test from the iOS app to make sure I changed the settings properly.
Decided to try a paid version of Micro.blog out for shorter posts while I figure out if I want it all on one domain or not. I have a spare domain name that I can use here.
Lockdown 3
We have been in Lockdown 3 for a few weeks now as Covid-19 continues to spread through the population. The government issued stay at home notices again, but this time people don’t seem to be following things quite as closely.
It’s both frustrating and annoying seeing so many people still meeting up with friends, even travelling across cities to meet in the park for birthdays. Everyone it seems is able to find a way of exempting themselves from the rules.
I’ve decided to approach this lockdown differently as well. Maybe because it’s also a new year, I’m not sure. I’m trying to eat more healthily, snack less, and exercise more.
The nations favourite–or maybe least favourite judging by some of social media–PE teacher Joe Wicks, has been doing his live workouts again. This has been my workout of choice so far, I’ve not been doing it live as it’s at an inconvenient time for work, but I’ve been doing the recorded versions at a later time. I’m 6 for 6 so far, and I’d never thought I’d say this about HIIT workouts, but I’m actually enjoying them. Although not the ache or stiffness in my legs after.
I’ve also been taking more time to read this time. In the first lockdown I couldn’t concentrate on a book, I wasn’t able to focus for more than a couple of minutes and would find myself rereading sentences over and over. This time however has been different. I’m finding that familiar refuge in fiction again. Getting lost in another world that exists only in my imagination and one that doesn’t have the anxiety that comes with the world we live in right now.
I’ve also been watching the last season of Portrait Artist of the Year. It’s one of the few “reality” tv shows I enjoy. Previous series have always made me feel inspired, but this time around it seems to be more so. I’ve even sorted out all my old art materials with the aim of finding some time to pick up a brush. We will see what happens there.
As I finish writing this the sun is coming out. The covering of snow I woke up too this morning is still there, but I fear it may not last long. Time to dig out the wellies and go for a walk.