In my major, we've adopted the routine of tearing out or buying draft paper to brainstorm. It's fun when you're in a group of three and you doodle these ideas onto a ridiculously large piece of paper. When it is just you, though, you feel a bit guilty for using so much paper.
I decided to get an iPad recently because I didn't enjoy carrying around so much paper to the studio. I don't regret getting it. It's made life as a student a bit more easier and so it has made my work desk its permanent home space. Here are 6 reasons I can't live without it:
1. It is incredibly light and compact for how much cr*p it holds.
I don't know if it's just me but I have never had a clean desk. It seems impossible to have a clean desk when you are an art and design student. Most of the space is used up for craft stuff, various pens and pencils, paper, notebook, etc. Attempting to clean makes it a bit easier to find things but it ends up looking the same in a matter of days. However, when I got my iPad, I was able to get rid of a lot of things.
Having the iPad at my work desk makes it so easy to look through documents on the spot whereas my laptop takes an eternity to turn on and an additional ten minutes to open a browser.
Also, it has almost the same dimensions as a notebook, making it less of a hassle to carry around campus than an 13-inch Toshiba laptop. My desk is decent in size but it's frustrating to have both my laptop and draft paper. It would be a trek for my arm to reach the opposite end of my desk to touch the paper.
2. Its godlike battery lifespan has saved me numerous times.
When I'm on a zoom call on my laptop and it's close to dying, I can immediately switch onto my iPad. I can leave it be for a day or two and it would still have some battery life to it. I remember this one time my laptop was on ten percent and I struggled to find the charger in the middle of writing a paper due at midnight and BOOM- iPad was there to save me.
3. It is a personalized stress-reliever.
I have no regrets buying and sticking the dumbest stickers on my iPad cover. A lot of them go back to my first year of college when they were initially placed on my Toshiba so it holds a lot of precious memories. When I'm stressing about things like a final project, a test, the meaning of life, I can glance at the huge pink "Daddy" sticker my friend gave me and kind of giggle.
4. Creating has never been so easy.
Do you understand how hard it is to share sketches in a group in the middle of a pandemic?
I'm being dramatic. It's not impossible but there's definitely a different dynamic to it. In person, you can explain your design and draw out alternatives on paper together. With my iPad at my work desk, I refer to apps that allow me to share stuff like that instantly. It takes so little effort to edit and refine sketches because it is already digital. Working digitally is cleaner, really and less stressful. I don't have to physically scramble to find a paintbrush to produce a clean gradient effect. I can switch effects with the tip of my finger.
5. As a college kid, admittedly the device is a huge flex.
I made the purchase without my parents' consent (even though I'm already in my 20s???) In my household, I always made it aware to my parents what I would be purchasing because they're also funding my college education. I thought that would be the least I could do. The reason why I didn't is because it would be my scholarship money.
Personally, I have more respect for people who invest in high-quality materials because it makes things smoother. It shows a serious career-invested character and I like having that symbol chilling on my work desk. It motivates me to do more.
I understand that a lot of us can't afford certain things. I was blessed to receive scholarship money and can confidently say that I've put it to good use. It's hard to imagine what my school work would've looked like if I had stuck with my laptop and draft paper. A day without my device at my workspace would be a nightmare.
