I admire young people.
Friday, September 28, 2012 at 2:40PM No, wait, not in the way a certain maths teacher currently under arrest in France admires them, I admire their adaptability and the way they seem to cope with emerging technologies without fear.
Yesterday I had a brief lesson in using Final Cut Pro X from a 21 year old chap called Connor. He was so calm, he showed me how to do things without getting stressed when I faffed around and panicked.
I know it's not all young people, I know you can never generalise, but being a not-young-person I currently feel a little overwhelmed by the plethora of communication opportunities at my disposal combined with the multitude of demands on my time.
Due to a fluke of circumstances over the last couple of years, a large amount of projects I've been working on have all seemingly come to fruition in a very short period.
News from Gardenia the book I've been writing for the past 3 years, was initially launched earlier this year but is only recently on Amazon and bookshops etc. Doing a mini book tour later this year.
Fully Charged the last 2 episodes of this series are released this week and next, been working on this show for nearly 3 years and hopefully we're doing more.
The Man in the Rubber Mask I've been working on in one way or another since 1992. That is now an audiobook but soon it'll be a paper and e-book too, released at the same time as the Red Dwarf X DVD in November.
But these are all very much overshadowed by
Red Dwarf X which we have known about and been working on for last 18 months, that starts on Dave next Thursday.
All these projects need my attention, all of them absorb time, all of them are very close to my heart. The list doesn't include the many other projects I'm working on, or my family life, my children, the house repairs, the mortgage and pension payments, my business, the dog, the chickens, the laundry.
A thought has just occurred, maybe young people don't have as much to do as an old bloke. Maybe being my age means you're dragging massive sacks of historical baggage with you which slow you down? Maybe I shouldn’t be so despondent, in fact….
Wey-Hey! How many other 56 year-olds are steering multiple projects on multiple media channels, platforms and formats all at the same time.
Right, back to multi-tasking.
Reader Comments (4)
I am 24 years old and after reading this, I feel old. I am a young and ambitious individual that has grown up too quickly. Married at 19, while pursuing a college degree was though, but now add
-my house (always something to do, paint, clean, cook, laundry,....)
-2 hyperactive dogs (English bull terrier and a terrier mix that are always making a mess for me to clean up)
-full time job at a law firm (as an IT, receptionist, friend, legal assistant, personal assistant, whatever else comes my way)
-studying to get into Law School and a teenage cousin under my supervision certainly leaves me knackered on the weekends. I would say I have my hands full and have plenty to do. Looking forward to my #SatNERD day weekends at home, watching BBC America and Red Dwarf re-runs :)
If you'd like something else to add to your to-do list, how about an audiobook version of Thin He Was? I love this book 100% and the only way I could think of bettering it is adding your voice.
Right, back to thinking up more things for you to do.
After reading this blog piece, I immediately wanted to tell you one of the things I admire most about you is your ability to constantly re-invent yourself. Author, actor, presenter and educator (I’m learning so much from your Podcasts!). Think of all the technology you’ve embraced just to make all those projects possible! I still don’t know what I’m doing with Twitter, and you’re using programs I’ve never even heard of.
We all get overwhelmed, and technology changes so rapidly it’s a full-time job just trying to keep up. I’m 46 and I find myself falling behind. Last year my husband bought me an iPod (something I never thought I’d want, and now can’t live without – love me some audiobooks!). What a dolt I felt like getting “trained” on how to use my new toy by my nephews. I have three computer science related degrees from my community college, and I couldn’t figure out an iPod?
I almost hate to use this analogy, but the philosophy of Red Dwarf is one of the reasons I love the show so much. In “Cassandra” Kryten has this fantastic line:
“Mister Rimmer has a point, sir. Your greater knowledge is making you
pessimistic, while his ignorance and almost doe-like naivety is keeping his
mind receptive to a possible solution.”
I think young people aren’t hindered by experience. They don’t “know” what “can” and “can’t” be done, or what obstacles are in their way. This makes is so much easier for younger people to embrace and explore technology without the apprehension someone slightly older (like us) might feel.
It’s also quite overwhelming sending a project, or in your case projects, which your heart and soul goes into creating out into the big wide world to start a life of their own (much like sending a child out into the world). Did you do enough? Did you do too much? Will they like it? Why wouldn’t they like it? ... It’s enough to drive you mad. All I know is this; you are brilliant, your work is brilliant and you have tons of fans who would not only back me up in saying that, but would do so much more eloquently.
I have worked for the same company for 26 years (I know, most people can’t fathom it either). I know, at some point, I will have to re-invent myself. Quite frankly, it scares the bejeezus out of me. However, when the time comes it will be you and few others I will look to as inspiration. Then, I’ll have a panic attack. Then, I’ll call my nephews to help me figure out the latest technology. Thank God for young people.
Speaking of 'The Man in the Rubber Mask', do you have a link or a way that you can directly update us when it goes on sale in eBook?
I wouldn't know how to go about doing it, but you should setup an email reminder when it is released?