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Tuesday, September 04, 2012

The Business of Art...Mac or PC?

'Indian Paintbrush Study'     5x5   pastel   $45 paypal
 I had a terrible nightmare last week. My computer died and I couldn't get to my photos.  It was bad because I had been slack the past few month with back-ups so I would have been in a bind.  I woke up with the realization that my 10 year old PC won't live forever and I needed to get a replacement before it died.
As an artist my tools consist of paper and paints and pastels. But a computer is also one of my most important tools.  Without my computer I couldn't share my work and communicate with collectors and other artists. Just think about how many things you use a computer for to help your art!  So the next big question was do I want another PC or do I want a Mac?

'Yankee Boy Basin Study'     5x5     pastel
I decided on an iMac desktop. I have to say I absolutely love it!  I already was a Mac fan with a macbook, iphone and an iPad.  But I wasn't so sure about cutting off my PC. I don't know why and I sure don't know what I was waiting for.  Everything I do on the computer from email to working with my photos is so much easier on the Mac.

I had gotten so used working out the idiosyncrasies on the PC that I didn't realize how much time I was wasting on tasks that could be accomplished in a better way.  I am still learning things about the Mac but so far I am thrilled.  My photos have never been so organized and easy to find when I need them. I am able to work on documents on my laptop or ipad and have them available downstairs on the imac through  the cloud. 

And of course from a design point of view, it just is better looking than any PC. It is sleek and takes up so little space and it is so quiet. My PC sounded like a jet engine running. I can actually hear myself think.
I'm glad I decided to put my old PC to pasture. It served me well but I am really enjoying the chance to a Mac!

Today's paintings are studies for a commission I am working on. They will be 20x20 pastels!

3 comments:

Michelle said...

Welcome to the cult! I converted a few years ago to Mac and love it. I still have to have Windows operating on my Mac, which kills me. And may I recommend Carbonite backup service? I had my laptop stolen a year ago and lost a ton of photos and lovely things. Sadly, I did the research at that point and got backup for my desktop, which now travels back and forth to work with me.
I've been lurking for a while and making a wish list. I do love your work.

M.

Karen said...

Thank you! I appreciate your comments! I am looking into carbonite and I appreciate you sharing your story! Thanks for lurking!! I appreciate your visits!

Benita Bolland said...

Going for Mac is a good move, Karen. Macs are definitely efficient when it comes to photo editing, but hoo boy, it’s really expensive! That’s why I think PC’s are good tools as well, provided that you choose the right parts. Break down the parts you need and try to assemble a PC in your head. You’ll then have an image of what you want, which will make buying the PC more convenient.