Changes, changes!

 Changes are inevitable, I suppose. Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will not be supported after October 14th, which means, if history is reliable, my computer will die two weeks later. That's exactly what happened when Windows 7 "went away", so this time, I want to be a little more proactive. It will be good to start again, in many ways. I have a lot of junk on my beloved, 9 year old desktop computer, with it's massive hard drives. I also have every photo I've ever taken with a digital camera. And that's a lot, believe me! 

Technology has changed a lot in 9 years. Rather than get a new desktop and transfer everything to new internal hard drives, I have bought a powerful laptop computer. Portable solid state hard drives are affordable and easily available. What if I keep the history on one of those and store the stuff I'm working on, on the computer?  It's a scary thought. I've had the computer for two weeks and, so far, I have Microsoft Office, Photoshop and Lightroom working. Linking my Lightroom catalogs almost made my brain explode, but I did it in the end. 

Eventually, I will have new external monitors and a hub to link all my gear together in the office. What will change, is my ability to work elsewhere. I am having surgery in the fall and it would be nice to be able to work at the dining room table and avoid the extra two flights of stairs to my office while I heal. 

In the mean time, I am transitioning slowly to the new system. I am going to reorganize my office and buy a new desk. I have this vision of a sleek, clutter-free work environment. My "office" is part of my studio and currently occupies a gable area approximately 6 feet by 6 feet! That's about the size of an office cubicle, so it's perfectly do-able. But, if I am going to fulfil the fantasy of a sleek and organized space, a lot of turning out needs to begin soon!

We get used to doing things a certain way and having all the tools to hand. A work space is as personal as a handbag. How would I organize this space if I was just moving in? Stay tuned for an update in a month or two!