The original meaning of animation was ‘the state of being alive’. In fact, up until today, the word is still used to mean being full of life or to show liveliness. Until a few decades ago, animations were tedious and difficult, and people used to marvel at how anyone ever did it.
With new technology such as Photoshop, we’ve closed this gap significantly, giving anyone with the ability to use a computer the chance to animate anything they want. However, nothing has been as revolutionary as the drawing tablet. Almost like magic, these tablets transform drawings and stills, as you would see on paper, into intricate animations. YouTubers can pump out daily videos with relative ease and animators can express themselves in forms they haven’t been able to before.
The tablet is just one of many technological advancements that have made art so much more than just a still image or portrait. It’s given us the ability to completely change what someone may think of a drawing or painting, and it’s become a universal language for everyone to see. Not many things can do that.
It’s easy to forget how lucky we are to have these various forms of expression and communication. It’s even easier to forget the small things that make these things possible. It may just seem like another computer, but we must remember how it’s so much, much more.