The digital age does remove us from the tactile work, the more hands on. And I think there is a longing in our soul to get back to that. Even if we can’t, there’s something about these places that people want to occupy.
Have you ever thought about just how much weight a few words carry? I’m sure—if this mini-documentary is any indication—Mr. Paul Collier (of Plymouth University) does. Every day. From the time he wakes up and polishes his moveable type, to the time he cleans them (again) before closing up shop.
There is so much to be learned. And so much that, though it has been learned, won’t be valuable in 50 years. That’s because creating value takes time—both in creation, and appreciation. And if something isn’t being valued as it’s being created—if you’re not willing to do the work, respect and love the process—then chances are it won’t be valued as an individual piece years from now either.
Which is why things like (1) this blog, (2) anything that falls under the category of “social media,” and (3) much of the design work I’ve done over the last few years are semi-alarming. They’re not sustainable. I’m fairly certain that few people in “The Future” are going to check out my blog, and wade through all the shitty content to find the good stuff.
Which means the benefit to having a full, printed, carefully thought out portfolio (of any kind of work) is that it becomes an artifact. It’s something that becomes valuable based on how many (or how few) copies are available, how much time was put into the process of creating (and narrowing down, and selecting) its contents.
At this point, even though I own an iPad, an iPhone, and a MacBook Pro, other than the device itself, I can’t say that any of the content on it is something I’m going to—or even going to be able to—”pass down” to the next generation.
I guess we’ll just have to hope my SEO is well thought out? Or something.
