Friendly greetings! I wish I could say that the energy crisis here in South Africa has come to an end and that we no longer have to suffer through continuous national rolling blackouts. But unfortunately, it’s only getting worse. I was forced to put my dreams on hold until I finally obtained the means to mitigate the debilitating power outages…

With much thanks to the support of family, friends, and fans, I was fortunate enough to acquire a UPS and an iPad. This keeps the Wi-Fi on and enables me to be productive even when I can’t keep my iMac powered. Although it does not support Logic Pro (the software I use for music production), I am still able to use it to do pretty much everything else that I need to do. I’m sure I can make do with GarageBand or some other app at times when I don’t have access to Logic Pro on my iMac, or this may require a shift in focus towards a different kind of digital creativity.

Having a battery-powered mobile device in times when electricity is in short supply, rendering my desktop setup useless, I am now able to continue doing all the tech bro geeky internet things on my iPad and I can continue working on digital creative projects - even when the power is out and even when I’m nowhere near my desk. This is all very exciting and I am extremely grateful for your support in obtaining this! Thank you! 💛

Note to self: Never acquire a desktop computer ever again (unless there’s solar energy at the premises). Always opt for battery-powered mobile devices instead such as an iPad or a MacBook.

That’s Great! Now What?

As exciting as it is for me to share this news; my recently shuttered projects namely Denter Clothing and CloudPress Studio won’t be returning just yet. If I relaunch those business now, they’ll still suffer from what caused them to fail in the first place; Lack of electricity notwithstanding, I still struggle dealing with potential clients in-person or telephonically. Due to my social disability (ASD), communication is still limited to email and iMessage.

Then there’s also the issue of expensive running costs that simply makes no sense when barely breaking even due to a lack of brand awareness. It would be unwise to repeat the same mistakes. A shift in focus is necessary…

Art, Education, Music, and Writing

The iPad is the ultimate tool for creativity. Once I obtain an Apple Pencil I will immerse myself in the wonderful world of digital art; illustration and graphic design. I’m no stranger to graphic design, having been employed as a senior graphic designer in the past, but an iPad with Apple Pencil will enable me to take things to the next level. If all works out as planned, I should be able to purchase an Apple Pencil in about a week or two.

Learning is fun. Being able to read, study, and complete online courses from anywhere is also a big bonus that the iPad enables. Perhaps I’ll finally get around to furthering and finishing my formal education. I still dream of completing a BBA or MBA. It’s never too late, right? But first, I have to complete my Honors. Now that CloudPress Studio and Denter Clothing have been closed down, I have a lot more time on my hands to focus on education.

Music is still a passion of mine and I will continue creating music. There is a new single that I’ve been working on but for now, I’m limited to my iMac to complete that single as the iPad can’t run Logic Pro. After that, I’ll start a new music production project in GarageBand on iPad to see what it’s capable of. Rumor has it that Apple may release Logic Pro on iPad but that rumor has popped up before and has been circulating since the release of the M1 iPad but it hasn’t come to fruition yet. Maybe Apple will shed some light on the rumor during this year’s upcoming Worldwide Developer Conference.

Writing is another passion of mine of which I’m sure you’re well aware. I’ve been blogging since the early 2000s; I’ve been employed as a copywriter; I’ve written a novel; I tweet frequently; and I now author this email newsletter. Another great thing about the iPad is that it’s a pleasure to write on, be it with the on-screen keyboard, a physical keyboard, by finger, or by hand. This device makes me want to write more and I love that I’m not limited to my desk to do so. I can take the iPad anywhere, relax, and write in positions, places, and locations where I feel inspired. I love it!

My dreams are still very much alive and I now have to tools to continue working towards them even when the power goes out.