It's been awhile since I made my last post about this, which troubles me because my intention after getting the console was to ramp up as fast as possible. I chalk it up to my creativity drought. But tonight I got some quality time behind the buttons, and feel like I made some progress.
One of the things I was struggling with last time was getting the UI into the right context to make adjustments on effects (phasers), and after some online help, I think I figured that out. The challenge for me is that I have to keep doing it if I'm gonna retain any of it. That pattern applies to all kinds of skills. It's why I'm not proficient editing in DaVinci Resolve, or setting up builds and deployments in Azure DevOps. I learn by doing, which in some ways feels like a curse.
The other thing that I struggle with is that it's so non-satisfying to design with a fake virtual rig. Seeing lights move around on the screen is not as great as real life. And on top of that, in real life, without some fog in the room, it's hard to see. But fog sets off the fire alarms. Also, I only have four moving heads of my own. Well, I'm gonna have six, because the eBay listing I keep following keeps reducing the price on pairs with a case and cables and such.
With that in mind, I have some ideas in mind about how I move forward in a practical way. I should probably hit up the local community theater troupes to offer lighting services, with my gear, for free. Also, do the same for local bars that have bands. This may sound a little small time, but whatever. I have the relatively unusual circumstance of having the "stuff" because I can afford it as a "hobby," and can do it purely for the enjoyment. I couldn't have done that at 23 even if the gear was cheaper then.
It'll be hard to make good on these ideas, I imagine, because regular life gets in the way. I've been struggling lately with having the brain left to do stuff after work, because of a particular project (and countless distractions) that is important and high impact and stressful. The next couple of weeks should reduce some of that, but we'll see.
Interesting sidebar, I read a story on a FB group about a guy who started out much as I'm doing, and today he has a huge business and a warehouse full of gear that he rents out for local shows and small tours. He just kept reinvesting everything into more gear. I don't think that's necessarily the direction that I want to go (though I literally could make money today renting my console), because I want to create stuff, not rent stuff. But it's something to think about.
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