Friday, July 17, I met in person, perhaps my greatest find in the podcast world:
Terry White. When I first started podcasting, I fell in love with the feature of being able to get free education in video format through iTunes Podcast Directory, with their wonderful array of teachers. I subscribed to Geek Brief with Callie Lewis and her husband Neal. I found the Photoshop Guys with their neat tips and tricks for video production.
But when I discovered the Creative Suite Podcast hosted by Terry White, I felt like I had struck gold.
For those who don’t know, Abobe has these suites of programs including Photoshop, Illustrator, PDF Creator, Bridge, even Premier Pro (video production) plus audio and After Effects programs. While they are increasingly easier to operate, I have learned that after a day with Gail learning at the elbow of my guru, William Byers, about how to do things, I seemed to advance faster. So having Terry White’s tutorials to view at any time of day or night (I even listened to them in the car which helped reinforce concepts) was a God send.
Of course, when I learned he was coming to L.A. I told everyone who would listen. Their ho hum response let me know it was time to mind my own business and just go for myself. Thankfully, when I got there, I saw two sisters lugging laptops in. Truth be told, when you attend events like these there are hundreds of designers and tinkerers who attend, mostly white and Asian. You know me, I will strike up conversations with anyone, but at the end of the day, it’s like the person you chat with in line at the grocery store, once they head out, that is the end of the relationship.
Not so with Jennifer and Sharon. The two reminded me of Gail and me. One was the photographer, the other a writer. Somehow, I wound up sitting between them, and we looked out for each other the whole day, exchanging cards at the end. We learned we were all in the Nikon tribe and had loads in common.
Both writers who dabble in design, Sharon and I both teach, English
We were enthralled at the lessons Terry White laid on us. He would show something on the big screen and the entire room would burst out in applause. It really was something to behold. From zooming techniques, to glyphs and layers, he opened up all that was locked away in InDesign, perhaps the best program since the days of PageMaker and Quark. When I got lost in my laptop, Sharon or Jennifer would give me a quick push back in the right direction.
This mini chat with Terry White was my way of introducing him further to our Urban New Media Group, which I hope will host him at our first conference Kevin Ross is planning. Until then, head to http://www.TerryWhite.com or http://www.creativesuitepodcast.com and start your own relationship with Terry White.
PS: Terry has a beautiful wife and daughters (all sporting locks)which he will use photos of in a minute to illustrate features he is teaching. (The family photo used to be on his website but he recently redesigned it.) His breaking with expected imagery made me appreciate him all the more.
PPS: While taping the interview, my card said it was full! I grabbed my purse, pulled out another card, hence the mysterious appearance of a woman’s purse midstream. Also, while waiting to be picked up, I shot the front of the Staples Center which is next to the Convention Center where the Abobe CS4 (Creative Suite 4) Tour was being held. No Terry White was not dribbling down Kobe’s floor!
Pictured above: My tablemate, Jennifer, is a photographer in West Covina
Isidra Gadget 