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Why Inklings & Paper Things?
So, why did I decide to do this particular blog, on the subject of analog things in a digital world? The simple answer is because I love both. I love that I live in this digital world of connected devices and nearly infinite knowledge at my fingertips. However, I also have loved analog things for my entire life. My life is often about balancing these two worlds and that will be what Inklings and Paper Things will be about.
Let’s go back to the early years. I grew up during that special time before the internet, before computers were in every household. But, my house was a little different because my dad was and still is, a technology aficionado. He has always been a computer guy even when he did more analog type jobs. For a significant portion of my childhood, my dad ran printing presses. You can’t get much more analog than that in the 1980s. I watched him do typesetting by hand with metal type on a letterpress machine. Then as the decade moved on, it was doing all your print layout on light tables with film. I will never forget the smell of the chemicals used to develop film in those dark rooms lit by red light. As we moved into the 90s, he began using the earliest forms of digital desktop publishing tools as they became available. But these new tools were used alongside many of the older methods. This was an early example for me of using analog and digital tools together to create.
I went to school during that time of transition as well. I learned to type on a typewriter, not a computer. I was taught penmanship and cursive as well and most of my papers in the early years were turned in hand written. However, by the time I graduated high school, I was doing my schoolwork and learning digital graphic design on Macintosh computers. One of my first jobs was working at a print shop, running a printing press and doing graphic design, just like my dad and even my older brother before me.
Now as an adult, I’ve continued down this path of using analog and digital tools in my work and in my day to day life. For example, I use an Apple Pencil and an iPad to take handwritten notes at church on Sundays. The small business that my wife and I operate specializes in digitizing old reel to reel film, photos, video and slides to more modern, digital formats. I even use tablets and computers every day to read my magazines and comics and to listen to podcasts and books. I use the best tool that fits me and how I function. Be it a fountain pen and A5 notebook to journal with, a pencil and index cards for jotting down quick notes or an app for crafting the perfect blog post. Inklings and Paper Things will be all about these tools and how they can be used and enjoyed.
I’m looking forward to enjoying the journey because that is really what using analog is all about. The journey is just as important as the destination.
About Me
My name is Aaron Cravy and my wife, four kids and three dogs live in Lubbock, Texas. We operate a small business together, we homeschool our kids and we try to live a life of faith and love. I also happen to be legally blind and have been for most of my life. I know that it is a strange thing for a guy who writes about all things analog and stationery but I love it. In fact, I have to find a way to make tools work for me in a way that most do not, which gives me a new and different perspective. Hopefully, this fresh perspective will come out in the blog and more than that, I hope it is enjoyable and useful to others.
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