I have been enjoying this journey into my memories and sharing those experiences with my family and friends. But, in the last few weeks, a member of my family became very interested in a path I never thought was available to me. One of my children has suddenly found a passion for graphic design. Now, when I was her age, graphic design consisted of photoshop classes, some basic java programming and enough knowhow to design websites and build banners and ads. But, with how far technology has come in the last 20 years, websites are a breeze to create and publish (RictusNostalgia is a great example) programming has been normalized and AI can create ads and banners in seconds. So, as an eager tech nerd and, as my daughter puts it, "overly supportive" father, I will now be exploring the world of graphic design, digital art, and 3D sculpting alongside my family. This should be quite an adventure!
Now, first off, I'll address the elephant in the room for all my friends and family. I have an exceptionally addictive personality and tend to avoid the shallow end of the pool at all costs in favor of jumping into the open ocean, feet first, with weights on. I'm not a start off easy kind of guy....as my miniature army, video game collection, and nerd artifact collections clearly show. When something grabs my attention, I'm all in 1000%. With that being said, I'll be adding a section to the website to showcase the artistic creations that we make as we all explore this new world with my daughter. I'll be testing and reviewing graphic tablets, display tablets, and different apps and programs. It should be a great time!
I am lucky to have been raised by artistic parents, and consider myself blessed to have an artistic wife and very talented children. Most of my childhood memories come complete with iconic 80's and 90's soundtracks. Being raised by musicians, I was exposed to groups from all through the decades of great music. I then chose an early career path in music, becoming a concert musician and jazz bassist. Now, with my home full of the memorabilia and relics of my musical past, I find myself married to a painter and raising two avid creator/makers. So it's only appropriate now for me to put on a classic vinyl album, and charge recklessly into the world of visual and graphic art alongside my family. But, as a tech enthusiast, I have to bring as many gadgets and as much tinkering as possible into this new venture.
This is where I introduce my new HUION H640P drawing tablet. A simple little device that I find both extremely intimidating and exciting beyond words. The HUION H640P is a 6" by 4" blank tablet with a pen stylus. It acts as an advanced mouse for a computer, allowing fluid brush strokes and fine, pressure sensitive, inputs for drawing programs. With a learning curve akin to climbing Mount Everest while wearing a blindfold, I find myself eagerly getting to my desk to attempt simple sketches and doodles each day. And, each day, noting minute improvements in my results. At my current rate, I predict I will become the new Bob Ross in approximately....94.8 years..... ....Deep Breath....Deep Breath....Happy Little Trees...Happy Little Trees....
As with my adventures in retro gaming and gaming tech, there isn't really an end goal to this journey. The path brings its own rewards, joy, and accomplishments. The memories with my wife and children are what this entire endeavor of mine is about. I look forward to sharing more reviews of the artistic tools we find. Hopefully, this blog can continue to inspire other retro enthusiasts and tech nerds to remember how carefree and happy life was when we were younger. And more importantly, give us the passion to light that same joyous fire in our children. I wouldn't be the man I am today without my Dad giving my my first NES, or my first Walkman with Van Halen's greatest hits and the Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey soundtrack, or my first trombone that
opened the door to me becoming a musician. I have my parents and grandparents to thank for sharing art, music, creative writing, fantasy and science fiction masterpieces, and endless guidance with me over the years. Now that I've become a parent myself and my role has evolved from the learner to the teacher, I owe it to all the amazing people that helped me in my life to do the same for my kids now.
This experience has brought to my mind a piece of wisdom my Dad shared with me many many years ago that I'm finally beginning to understand. He said, "It's the job of every father to climb up life's ladder as high as he can. To work hard and give his kids the best he can, so that when it's time for them to grab the ladder and climb for themselves, he's given them a much better place to start from than he had when he was young." My parents have always stood by me when I decided to explore some new passion or project. And I'm proud to do the same for my children as they discover who they are and what they want in life. So, let's get out there and remember the joy of discovering who we are and help our kids to enjoy that adventure too. Stand beside them always and Game On!
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