This is part two of my blog on November 11, “Benefits of Lifelong Learning in the Digital Age,” written a month ago. What has changed?
As I mentioned in my previous blog, I have been working on a twenty-year-old project. I have yet to tell you that it began as a story idea for a non-fiction picture book based on the habitat of the Bobwhite quail illustrated in oil pastels.
The bulk of the drawings took on various looks over the years, and the writing changed from a specific childhood memory of when my siblings and I “kidnapped” Bobwhite quail chicks to a nonfiction picture book describing the importance of their habitat patches. (I later learned from a university professor that catching quail chicks in the wild was impossible.) The five of us had no problem catching a brood of hatchlings.
Researching Bobwhite quail and the fact we no longer hear them on the family farm, I became more aware of the changes in their habitat over the years, which had threatened the patches of plant life they need to survive.
In my last blog, I shared how my son helped me with Photoshop, and over Thanksgiving, he taught me tricks for layers, selecting images all at once, and how to use artboards. Since then, he has gotten a lot of text questions from me.
Once I built my book into Photoshop, I decided to attempt self-publishing! I had yet to learn what I set myself up for; the process was grueling. I cannot tell you how many times I started over, but I am sure cyber gremlins live in my computer! There were multiple scenarios of constant conversations with myself. “I did that already. What is going on? It worked fine yesterday… why isn’t this working today?”
I went through three companies and downloaded JPEG PDF documents with ERROR messages galore. The responses flashed on the screen like: “The images were too big.” But if I resized them, they showed up too small on the proof. “Images not made in Photoshop” (when they were.) When I finally made a download, I realized there were more do-overs: altering the size, improving the text boxes, and allowing for trim cuts. With each company I tried, there was no personal help; if I emailed, they responded with the “help pages” I had read and tried to do, which did not solve my problems. Each company had different rules and formatting, and I would go through 32 pages, changing to fit their standards. Nothing worked—deleted accounts—how was our service?
After six weeks of work and the holidays looming over me, I felt more stressed and determined. I knew if I took a break, what would be waiting for me when I came back… That was not an option!
I researched a family-operated printing company with the best layout and steps for proofing the downloads without the “fluff of marketing.” The past two days were spent starting over with their website. If you Google the steps to send PDF documents, there are multiple ways. I tried them all!
Yesterday, reaching my self-designated deadline, my daughter helped me send the documents with Adobe Acrobat, which meant signing up for a “free trial.” Even though we still had to adjust for boundaries, text boxes, and resizing, it finally worked.
So, how am I feeling? Joy? Relieved? Thrilled? None of the above.
In high school, Michael remembered his 11th-grade humanities teacher telling the class a story.
The teacher had built a boat, a life-long dream of his, which took years. When he was done, he had a “let-down” feeling, which was not the expected joy. Then he realized it was not about the finished product but the journey to get there.
Have you had a similar experience in your life? I would love to read your comments below.
