on software choice

In answer to the question "What [music] software do you use?", Lena Raine responded saying:

"The answer to this question legitimately doesn’t matter. If you were to ask me “why do you use this”, the answers range between “I could afford it at the time”, “it worked”, and “I learned it first, so I stuck with it”. The circumstances that most people approach music with is that anything they can get their hands on and jam with will make something interesting. Just like sitting down at any piano, guitar, making an instrument out of wood and metal, people make music through any means possible. There are no prerequisites to making music, and what I use probably won’t work for you, because your situation is different."

In essence, this sums up my attitude towards software.

I'm well aware that in tech circles, being pedantic and nitpicky about the usage of your own and others' software is basically a prerequisite to being part of the club, but in truth we give it more importance then it actually needs. It is quite fun though.

I also think we vastly underestimate just how personal of a thing software choice can be; we have our own affinities, circumstances, and assumptions about how things should work that ends up with different ways of doing the same thing. Imposing upon someone to make a simple change to use something "better" undermines all the prerequisite baggage that is not shared between the both of you; it is mostly hidden and non-obvious, since it takes elaborate mentalization & clarification to consider the full weight and perspective of another.

I really appreciate heated arguments though. I think it's a good way to gauge the true strength of your tooling and I do adore the passion and playful banter. Sometimes you do realize you are doing something truly inefficient, and so weighing your perspective against others does well for your own growth.

It can get overboard though; it is easy to take in too much consideration from others to the point that your own perspective becomes diminished. Ultimately there should be a gap between others' advice and your own being, and you should have what others say pass through yourself before ultimately deciding whether to implement it or not.

Your taste and general vibe is what matters most anyways. That is the thing you want to hone.

I think its cool that we can all create amazing and interesting stuff regardless; no perspective is invaluable as it can drive things forward or spark discussion.

In the words of jamie paige:

"No one wants to leave with a work undone~
We only need a brush we can pass along"

. . .