Some artists rely on easels and paintbrushes to bring their visions to life. Me? I rely on machines — moody, pixel-churning contraptions that occasionally pretend not to know me. With Windows 10 riding off into the sunset, I upgraded to a shiny new MSI Katana: a sleek, fast new tool for my digital outpourings. But I refuse to say goodbye to my trusty ASUS. That noble beast has carried nearly a decade of docs, jpgs, emails and creative chaos like a seasoned pack mule with a USB port.
The migration? Oh yes, it’s happening, slowly but surely. I’m transferring, transforming, and occasionally resurrecting nine years of work — blending nostalgia with speed, and hoping nothing important was saved in a folder called “misc_final_final2_reallyfinal.”
My MSI Katana hums like a caffeinated dragon, slicing through layers of digital paint and blog drafts with the grace of a stealthy ninja. But tucked under my desk, like a retired wizard in a hoodie, still sits my old ASUS — dusty, loyal, and still full of secrets I forgot to upload to the cloud.
This is the story of my dual-rig dance. No fancy KVM switches. No synchronized boot sequences. Just me, a monitor, and the sacred ritual of unplugging one HDMI cable and plugging in another — like a tech priestess summoning whichever spirit I need that day.
My Katana: My Daylight Workhorse
- Fast, sleek, and finally powerful enough to handle my art files without wheezing.
- Loves my external monitor more than I do.
- Knows how to behave when I say, “Second screen only,” unlike some people.
My Old Faithful ASUS: Keeper of Forgotten Files
- Still boots up like it’s 2016 and proud of it.
- Contains half-finished blog drafts, mysterious .PSD files, and a folder called “DO NOT DELETE” that I definitely should’ve deleted.
- Doesn’t mind being unplugged for weeks — it’s used to being ghosted.
So Why Don’t I Need a Fancy Setup (Yet)?
- I’m not running a server farm. I’m running on coffee and creativity.
- Swapping cables is my version of a tech cleanse and exercise.
- The cloud is great, but sometimes you need to dig through the digital attic.
Workflow Wizardry: When Machines Become Muses
Every creative has their rituals. Mine involve HDMI cables, display settings, and a healthy dose of sass toward my hardware.
With my Katana blazing on the desk and my monitor now fully optimized (thank you, Windows + P), I’ve entered what I call “The Zone” — that sweet spot where blog drafts flow, art files open without drama, and my coffee stays warm long enough to matter.
But sometimes, I need to consult the Oracle. Not ChatGPT. Not Google. I mean my old CPU, the dusty archive of inspiration, chaos, memories and the need for patience.
The Archive Dive For When I…
- Need that sketch from 2019? It’s probably a file called “final_final_FINAL.psd.”
- Want to revisit a half-finished Tarot deck design? It’s there, judging me silently for abandoning it.
- Looking for a forgotten font or plugin that only runs on Windows 7? You bet it’s installed.
Swapping cables to boot up the old beast isn’t just practical — it’s ceremonial. Like lighting incense before a creative séance. I doubt I’ll need to do it often, but when I do, it’s because the past has something to say.
So In A Nutshell…
In a world obsessed with seamless integration and cloud-based everything, I still find joy in the manual switch. There’s something grounding about physically unplugging one machine and plugging in another — like changing gears in a vintage car or flipping a record to side B. I’m dating myself, right?
My setup isn’t flashy. It’s not automated. But it works. It’s a reflection of my creative process: intentional, adaptable, and a combination of modern and nostalgia.
So whether I’m painting pixels on the Katana or spelunking through the archives of my beloved old ASUS, I know one thing for sure — the story lives in both machines. And sometimes, the best way to move forward is to plug into the past.
