This afternoon, I'm leaving for a Fourth of July beach trip. I'm sitting here going round and round about whether or not I take my iPad. It's a silly debate I'm having with myself. "Just take the iPad if you want to take the iPad, Deryck," I hear you say – believe me, I'm telling myself the same thing – but I've been in this to-paper or not-to-paper mood lately. That is the question at hand.
I tend to use my iPad for things that have nice paper compliments. It's a notebook, a journal, and a sketchbook all in one device. I also use it for reading books, comics, and magazines. It really does shine for this, especially for comics. Earlier this year, I started to put it down more in favor of physical books and notebooks. I've always flipped between paper and iPad, but when I left Apple, I wanted to lean in more on my writing and creative life. Paper is a more visceral connection to the creative experience for me. The iPad is just a tool.
Several years ago, Cory Doctorow wrote about how giving away ebooks had been good for helping him build an audience for his print books. He spoke about readers being people who are "positively pervy for paper." That phrase stuck with me. He meant it in a a good way, as a sign that the print business isn't going anywhere, even as ebooks flourish. I've always worried about the negative connotations of that phrase for myself. I don't want to be stuck in paper because of some emotional attachment. There are upsides to digital too – carrying more books with you, new forms of story telling, and so much more.
Yes, packing my bag has turned into an existential crisis where paper and digital must battle to the death. Welcome to my brain.
