My Ongoing Digital Downsize
Over the last 3 years I’ve been going through a digital downsize procedure which has come with a free lifestyle upgrade! The latest part of the story arrived by post today – a day after I ordered it digitally. It was a tiny usb powered keyboard. Attached to my Macbook Pro with a couple of other bits and bobs its replaced a large recording console and a roomful of kit. But lets start at the beginning.
About 18 months ago my partner and I moved from a large apartment in Glasgow to the west coast of Scotland. I was then one year into creating a digital business, which enabled us to move to wherever we like. All I need now is a laptop and an Internet connection. More on that later.
In preparing for the move we sold or gave away a room full of CD’s, books and DVDs having been able to store them digitally on a couple of tiny devices. Having been a semi pro musician, recording engineer and producer I did gradually bring over a ton of equipment. As I mentioned at the start however, that too has just been given a digital downsize.
Digital Downsizing – Inevitable And Wonderful
I guess this goes back further to the start of the digital revolution when I realized that digital downsizing was not only inevitable, but a truly great thing. I’ve also been a keen photographer most of my days. That’s probably the first of my passions that was revolutionised by digital around when I got my first PC.
It dispensed with the need for bulky, expensive film developing for a start. It bought an end to the limitations of 12, 24 and 36 exposure film spools. Better still you could see the results immediately and could take hundreds of shots if needs be. You could also play around with the images on a computer in a million ways.
Next came music. No more hissy tapes or fragile vinyl. As an artist you could take full control. Recorded music became digital information you could fiddle with in the same way as photos. In a very short space of time this evolved to the stage where the photographic, video and musical arts are now: Simpler, better and unbelievably portable. That’s just one aspect of the digital downsize.
The Devices That Open Up The World
The other is of course the Internet. Sticking with sound and vision for a moment: We can move images, video, and music around the world via the Internet. Artists can collaborate on projects together no matter where in the world they are. They can also promote and sell their work to a vast, global audience. In my youth this was science fiction.
The digital downsize is evident on our do-everything devices. Smartphones, tablets and laptops now condense our world. On a recent trip to Berlin my Iphone carried boarding passes, maps and documents. It gave me 24/7 access to the internet and to a pile of time and space saving apps. That and an ipad enabled me to run my business – I was even able to generate and send an invoice from a train.
The lifestyle advantages of a digital downsize are obvious in terms of streamlining your life. That is only a small part of the digital revolution though, the biggest part being the opportunities it offers.
The internet and related technology has provided the opportunity to become time, location and financially independent. Running an online business is a possibility for anyone who gets the right education. That business can be anything you want to be – a total reflection of you, your values, passions and interests. No more commuting, no more corporate nonsense, in a word, freedom.
Click on the banner under this post to meet the people who have helped me and many like me to achieve this freedom.
