The Rifleman’s Creed. Every sniper of the US Marine Corps is responsible for memorizing said creed. It goes as follows:
“This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. Without me my rifle is useless. Without my rifle I am useless.”
Now, I am no sniper, nor am I a member of the US Marine Corps, but hearing this creed speaks to me. It makes me realize that each human being has their own “rifle.” Mine is my 15 inch MacBook pro. It is the closest thing to canvas that I have as an artist. Without my computer, I am literally nothing. I say that because my life relies so heavily on this computer. I realize that’s kind of a pathetic thing to say, but I say it in regards to how amazing the technology is. The capabilities it has offered me over the years has been infinite.
Being in high school, I would bring my laptop with me and to complete my school assignments and take notes. It was a much faster and environmentally-friendly approach. I was able to save money on loose-leaf paper and writing utencils, and I also had saved time to do work for other classes. My ultimate calling came during my senior year when I was applying to colleges. I had massive amounts of sample works and was able to work on my editing reels, all while in the comfort of pretending to do work in that meaningless class that I was able to so easily ace (hint: it begins with an “E”).
The first film I ever made, using iMovie HD to edit.
Now I of course relied heavily on my computer when it came to college. I mean, how else was I going to write 10 pages in MLA format? Certainly not by hand! However, the extent that I used it was more than you would think. Remember, I went to film school, and was always editing my films on my computer courtesy of Final Cut Pro. If I wasn’t adding to my creative endeavors, then I was probably surfing the web. However, once Apple introduced iCloud, things changed immediately for me. I was able to link up my phone and my computer and keep them both in sync with each other. The feeling that I had of doing my work and getting it done all due to this advancing technology made me almost feel like Tony Stark working in his laboratory!
What I love most about this technology though is its accessibility. I have been fortunate enough to travel a lot. I’ve been to a few countries and have seen much of the continental United States. Wherever I go, I always bring my computer. In all of my travels, it fills many purposes, such as getting from one destination to the next, killing time during travels, storing photos and video, and being able to contact with my friends and family despite the long distance.
To put it into numbers, I converted from Window to Mac about ten years ago, went from desktop to laptop eight years ago, and went from MacBook Pro to MacBook Pro with Retina display four years ago. I continue to use my laptop for work, pleasure, leisure, editing, entertainment, and as crazy as it sounds, without it I would be powerless.
