We've now been living our lives on Zoom for a year. What does this mean?
Well, among other things, it means most of our interactions--social and professional--are governed by what the device we use to log in will and will not do. My students are playwrights, directors, actors, singers and filmmakers. All creative artists with professional goals for making important new work and sharing it with the world.
It's based on this last assumption that I offer up a few thoughts on your relationship to your technology, specifically to the device that is your portal. Because in the end, you may write the Next Great American [fill-in-the-blank] but if you can't manage to save it as a PDF and send it out into the world, well... a certain tree in a certain forest comes to mind.
- 1. Zoom. I may have dissed Zoom in some other posts and of course I understand it's not the same thing as actual sharing of actual air space. But for now, it's what we've got. Learn how it works. Don't be the one kill-joy who arrives at the party asking where the drinks are. The bar is usually in the kitchen and the ice is usually in a bucket by the sink and glasses are set out beside the bottles. Help yourself. If you don't yet know how to mute and unmute, turn your video on and off, etc. etc. you have only yourself to blame. Zoom has not rearranged the layout of this party in 12 months. They have helpful tutorial videos at zoom.us. Find them. Watch them. Google some others. Know how to use the tools available.
- Files and Filing. Respect your own creative output and creative process with an organized hard drive that reflects that level of regard. Everything you come up with that turns into some digital file on your computer must be accessible to you at a moment's notice. Why would you want it any other way. The desktop is not a filing system it's the equivalent of your bedroom floor as a hamper. The two are not designed for the same purpose. Create folders that are named and organized in a system that makes sense for how your mind works. Do you think of your work by the year in which it was produced or do you organize by genre or form. I'll share my own system as an illustration of just one way of organizing things. I have one outer folder for PROJECTS. Within that I have folders for FILMS, PLAYS, SONGS, OPERAS, etc. Within my PLAYS folder, for example, I have one for CURRENT WORKING, another for FINISHED and another for SCRAPS AND IDEAS. Only then at this deepest level so far would I create separate folders by title of show. But that's me. That system works for me. It may not fit you and your way of thinking. But one thing I know. No system is not a system.
- Solve Problems Don't Endure Them. Technical issues arise all the time. We can hardly prevent them all. But... if you've encountered a glitch in the way your computer interacts with Zoom, Eventbrite, or any other external site or platform, you should follow the prompts until you've solved the disconnect. Because this device is your connection to the world, allowing for part of it to simply remain dysfunctional is accepting defeat. If you had to take a bus to work every morning and every day that bus was 20 min. late you'd find a way to adjust your routine so you'd be on time. And it wouldn't take you a year to figure this out. It would take a day or two.
- Laptops Reign. Laptops are better windows to the world than iPads or smartphones. Show up for one of my workshops dialing in on your iPhone and I guarantee you one thing. You'll be an auditor rather than a full participant.
- Listen up! Headphones or earbuds are no longer optional. There. I said it. If you're in a Zoom meeting and your audio is coming out the built in speakers on your laptop and everyone's asking where that echo's coming from, I have bad news. Unless you're part of the solution, you're the problem. $14.95 will solve it.
- Oops! Before you hit send, do yourself a favor and proof it again. And again. And... oh, check to make sure you've remembered to include the title of the work, your name and if it's a PDF, page numbers. And if you're a scriptwriter and you're sending out your latest script, there is only one acceptable format and that is PDF (Portable Document Format). It's the only way you can guarantee that what you see at the top of page 17 is going to be exactly what they see. And... sending out Microsoft Word docs or any scriptwriting software equivalents is rude. Why? Because it requires the person on the receiving end to have that software in order to open it. Anyone can open a PDF.
- Oh dear... Backup at least once a week. As I type this I'm feeling guilty and ashamed because it's been weeks since I did a proper backup so in the interest of my sanity, I will now sign off to do just that. Ciao for now.
