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One Thing I've Learned

One Thing I've Learned

Things I've learned, from inconsequential to practical to bigger-picture. Also see: Debbieohi.com/links

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2d agoLast active

TextSniper: easy, quick way to extract plaintext (macOS)

One app I use pretty much every day is TextSniper, which makes it easy to capture text that is often non-selectable, including from YouTube videos, PDFs, images, etc. I mainly use it for quickly capturing text that I want to paste elsewhere (an email to share, for example) without the fancy formatting. I know that Option+Shift+Command+V is supposed to do this in macOS, but I find it doesn't always work. Personally, I've always disliked reading emails that are full of multiple fontfaces and forma...

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Sometimes I remind myself to look UP

Apologies for the lack for One Thing posts but behind-the-scenes, I've been immersed in the world of elder care: researching, phoning and emailing, more researching, problem-solving, dealing with crises, having to put my creative work aside. One thing I've learned: to remember to look up sometimes and focus on gratitude, appreciating the bigger picture. So here are some things I'm grateful for right now:

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I do my creative work before checking news headlines

It took me a while, but I've learned that it's much easier to be CREATE if I don't check headlines (including Trending Topics in Bluesky) first thing in the morning...especially these days! Because of an ongoing family issue behind-the-scenes these days, I'm already finding it much more challenging to carve out time to do creativestuff. Hoping that things settle enough by next week so I can start doing regular writing again. What also helps: using to peek into Bluesky instead of the native Blues...

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When I find it hard to focus, I use the Pomodoro technique (& why I use Focus Tomato 2 app)

For those not familiar with the term, the Pomodoro technique is a time management technique that breaks work down into intervals (traditionally 25 minutes), separated by short breaks. Goal: to maintain high focus, and prevent mental fatigue. I started using this technique during the pandemic, when I was finding it incredibly difficult to focus on creativestuff for more than a few minutes before feeling compelled to doomscroll headlines or social media. I started with an embarrassingly short inte...

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Paprika app for storing recipes (no subscription fee! at least for now)

I've been using the Paprika Recipe Manager app as my main tool for collecting recipes because: Lots of other features I like, but one of the most attractive for me: NO SUBSCRIPTION MODEL. I just paid once for the app. However, with the ongoing open beta for Paprika 4, I believe that while the app remains free to download, new premium features will require a subscription after the beta period is over. According to this Paprika 4 FAQ, existing users will automatically be upgraded to the new app BU...

Heads-up for artists: Translating a photo into art may still violate copyright laws (which is one reason I am loving TrueRef.io)

I used to think that any photo I found online was fair game when it came to using it as reference when I was drawing. What I've learned, however: that translating a photo into another medium (e.g. pencil sketch, digital illustration, etc) may still be classified as an unauthorized derivative work, in terms of copyright laws. Artists shouldn't rely on Fair Use as a free pass. See my list of resources below for more info about this, and how to make sure you're not violating copyright. I also recom...

I love making DIY watercolor kits (& used one in my art demo at the NY Times)

I'm a longtime fan of DIY (Do-It-Yourself) art kits that I can take with me when on the road. Yes, I do still have commercial travel art kits as well....but I find that just like expensive art supplies, I tend to put these aside to save them for special occasions, to not waste them for casual drawing. As years pass, I've been trying to change that habit, but I'll save for that for another post. Here's one of the photos I took when working on various types of DIY watercolor travel kits: I ended u...

Taking a walk outside almost always helps

It's amazing how much a walk outside can help me regain perspective, especially when I've been spending a little too much time on my computer. It doesn't have to be an autumnal forest - it can just be around the block. What I also find helps: sometimes purposely NOT taking my headphones (for listening to audiobooks and podcasts). This gives my brain space to do whatever it wants to. If I find myself spiralling into anxiety-churn, then I focus on concrete things around me. Sometimes giving myself...

Italian Progrock: Great workmusic to drown out noisy neighbours

Everyone has their own preference for work music. Some writer friends prefer silence. If I'm writing, I can't listen to any music that has English lyrics because I get too distracted. If I'm illustrating, anything is fine. And when I'm trying to write in a rented apartment when it sounds like someone in the apartment directly above my office is hammering and drilling (drilling into my brain), I find that my usual mellow atmospheric music doesn't cut it. I pull out the big guns, e.g. Italian prog...

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Taking the "what advice would I give my younger self" exercise a step further

What would advice would my future self give me now? And will I take that advice? It's always an interesting exercise to answer the question: I would tell my younger self a LOT of things, though I'm not sure how much of it I'd pay attention to (shut up, old lady! you don't know what you're talking about etc).

Before I invest time in learning a new app, I look under the hood

I used to be much more spontaneous in jumping into new apps because they just looked too cool or useful or amazing. Now I tend to be more cautious and try to look under the hood first. Why? Because I've been burned way too often, spending a lot of energy and time learning how to use an app and integrate it into my life....only to have the developer abandon it after just a short time, find out that it doesn't live up to the shiny window dressing, find out that the company is just luring in as man...

Sometimes it's better to be kind than prove I'm right

On being kind to yourself as well to the other person

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