``Aside from all that, I gotta ask: why didn't you simply buy a Mac? Same update juggernaut of course...'' Colin B
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When I started off with the idea I didn't know how locked-in these shops were. I had started with a PC and had already invested in early versions of Illustrator and soon after Photoshop. Of course Ventura had just eaten the big one and I was using Quark.
When the shops kept asking about production skills, that's when I realized they were serious about their Mac scene. I was just about broke. So, I tried the independent route and figured I could change over after a couple of these paid off. That was another scary scene. I had to invest all the money I had to get the print jobs done and delivered before I got paid. The photography and then the separations were the biggest expense. It was living on the edge. I did manage a few more independent or contract jobs. Some were really fun.
The best one was a small booklet for a landscape architect who had died early of AIDS. His friends put up the money. I could rock out on the layout. His plans and photos were already done and available of course so I didn't have to do any of that. I could be just as arty and `non-commerical' as I wanted. That booklet was probably the best thing in the portfolio. It was about thirty pages long. Since it was for an architect I went back learned Corbousier's module system and adapted it to the layout, then drew the pages on a drafting machine because it was quicker than working it out in Illustrator. Then I reproduced the proporitions in Quark working out the details of the signitures. This module system coordinated all the text boxes, illustrations, pics in proporition along with the font sizes and the individual letter boxes. I learn so much on this project it was amazing what insights such a project can reveal about art, design, art history, architecture, etc.
``...i think that's pretty much gone away outside of the major design city centers. I alluded to this the other day in an interview. No one, yet, has asked about whether I work in Mac or Windows...''
That's good to hear. I was probably trapped in a weird fast track development worp. At that particular time there were not a lot degrees or formal training to be had. It was mostly experience and show and tell. There was one school, the SF Academy of Art that had a program, but the tuition cost more than buying the Mac computer/software combo. I kinda nosed around there. What they really offered was a fairly good contact scene with the industry.
Anyway, working as an independent was fun, if scary. I made it sound worse for a good story. I just couldn't make enough money at it to live. I learned a huge amount of stuff, actually more than I ever did in art school. It also gave me some concrete insights into art and modernity, capitalism, politics from actually watching it produced (and doing mini versions). I also met a number of really skilled and smart people struggling along.
CG