In (one of) his neat book(s) on creativity, Steal Like An Artist, Austin Kleon cites his favourite cartoonist Lynda Barry: "In the digital age, don't forget to use your digits!" Yeah, our fingers taptaptap away all day on our various devices, but the actual physicality of using our hands and feeling things with all our senses needn't – mustn't – be neglected.
Unlike the 2D, static nature of screen-based doings, a hands-on approach quite literally engages the body (and brain) in a way more dynamic style. In turn, this analogue process gives birth to ideas, processes and results that – in my experience – simply don't crop up when I'm staring into a digital display.
Don't get me wrong: tools 2.0 are enabling in all kindsa ways. It's the digital dependence that's inhibiting. And the two don't have to be mutually exclusive! Take this little online journal: when drafting up a post, all the idea generation and lettering gets done on paper. Then I digitise it, having sketched it all out IRL. I say this not to be all self-righteous, but because it's genuinely what keeps me clear-headed, cultivates creativity and prevents constant self-editing – which ain't what this space is all about.
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