I am so thankful to have a computer for my writing and drawing. It is a time saver. It allows me to be creative within the confines of a small home. It really does take the hassle out of storage.
On the flipside I will admit a little something is lost along the way when using a computer. Humans rely on their five senses in many situations, whether it is through pleasure or detecting danger. We need those senses to feel connected. How do you paint if you have never seen the world? How do you write music if you can’t hear it? How do you cook well without being able to taste and smell it? The answer is, that it can be done but perhaps not to the full extent that you would have wanted.
Reading, writing and drawing can have a much stronger affect if it is something graspable. I for one find my writing to sometimes flow more fluidly when I am working off paper that can be touched and manipulated.
Before the advent of the computer the typewriter was a professional tool, which still allowed the stimulation of so many senses. The typewriter marked the beginning of handwriting being left behind. But the fact that it instantly went to paper still allowed the writer/reader to feel that connection which I have been talking about.
When I was about seven, one of my parents brought home from work a grey typewriter that otherwise would have been thrown out. It was given to me, and I had such fun playing with the machine. One of the keys didn't work, which is why it was being turfed, but that didn't matter. Still to this day I am satisfied by the memory of those clickety-clack sounds the typewriter made. Especially when it reached the end and you had to prepare the machine for the next line.
Sometimes I wish that the computer could be programmed with typewriter sound effects. Now wouldn't that be something?
