The shifting vibes in the communities for the tools I use to make my videos might be subtle. Yet, they have taken quite a toll on my enthusiasm and motivation. I used to love working with Affinity Designer and Inkscape, trying new things, and working out problems others have with the tools. The takeover of Serif by Canva and the shift in direction is becoming very clear now – and I don’t like where the tool is heading. Inkscape is a different topic – it’s a great open-source tool, but my issues with teams of non-artists deciding the workings of a tool made for artists remain. The more and more ‘unfiltered’ use of social media by some users [the loud and amplified minority of keyboard warriors] is adding to the feeling.

Changes to the way social media works are definitely another. The shift towards more and more generative AI, reduced member participation in the groups I moderate on Facebook, a decreasing reach of posts [unless you post the nonsense the algorithms seek], and a lack of properly working alternatives to the established money-hungry platforms don’t help. At times, it feels like the views and the feedback don’t justify the time I put into the posts, tutorials, and YouTube videos.

That’s when it gets hard to see why I am doing it. It’s the joy of creating them, the fun I have in the process, the good feeling I get from sharing my knowledge to help others… and hey, what else is there to do at 3 am when the chronic pain decides to end the night for you? ;) I posted a few videos in the past couple of days. Ever so slowly, the backlog of unfinished videos looks less overwhelming… and I hope to work on some of the ideas for new ones soon… That’s if my energy levels stay stable for a change and I can use the current momentum. I will try my best! Thanks for understanding!