The job of my dreams—the job that I have—was made possible in part by Steve Jobs. I am a freelance editor, writer, and layout layman, who works my magic with deft freedom thanks to my Apple gear.
As I write this, I sit before a majestic 27-inch iMac with room enough to display my words, the web, and other wizardry. When Blitzen Trapper is playing two hours away in Asheville, I travel with my sweet little MacBook Air, editing while my music-loving better half drives to and fro. And when my brother-in-law was celebrating his 40th birthday last week, I was able to roam in town e-connected and managing a proposal editing project while enjoying buffalo chicken on the wings of my iPhone and its 3G in-touch-anywhere abilities.
Some might say I’m caught in the chains of technology—that I can’t go anywhere without being tethered to my job; I’m always on.
I see the opposite side of that coin: I have a freedom that no wordsmith before now has had with mere pad and pencil, portable typewriter, or even laptop alone. Provided I’ve planned far enough in advance to power up and flash drive my assets, I have everything I need at the touch of a finger—times ten—to work anywhere, anytime I choose. And with so much around-the-clock productivity, I can choose not to work whenever I need.
When I first started dreaming about working outside of a corporate office, my vision followed the ’90s high life of sending my writing efforts from a coffee shop, sipping an iced vanilla soy latté. Later, I would soak in the sun and beauty on a picnic blanket from a hidden nook in my favorite trial gardens while I edited a marketing report. Now, it’s not always exotic locales I seek—I have the freedom to design invitations to invitation-only affairs even I’m not invited to in the disarray of my garage while foster puppies wrestle at my feet.
When I get a new project, I don’t have to stay home, in my office, in my ergonomically enhanced sedentary chair—the proverbial apple doomed to rot on the orchard floor. I can go anywhere I want to, thanks in part to Steve Jobs—a visionary, who must have seen into my dreams to be free to be me when I work. His life’s work helped to put my life in motion.