Dear Steve:
I’m so sad to know that you’re gone. Though I never knew you personally, I did feel like I knew you through your elegant creations that I just recently came to own in the last few years.
My first bite of Apple came in the form of my iPod. I resisted it buying for the longest time because I didn’t want to get caught up in some trend or a gimmick. Eventually, I relented when lugging around my CDs and my clunky portable CD player got to be a tremendous drag. After asking different people about their own experiences with their devices, I hauled off to Radio Shack and finally got a shiny black iPod. What a game changer that little thing turned out to be! The first week that I had it, I was up late into the night furiously downloading music from iTunes and transferring songs from my CD collection. I would come in to work sleep deprived but deeply happy that Michael Jackson, Earth Wind & Fire and Miles Davis was just one wheel-turn away. Now, whether it’s serenading me as I work on my latest painting or spurring me to push my body to power through a workout at the gym, my iPod is now an invaluable tool that transmits one of my favorite mediums to me wherever I am.
And then came the arrival of my beloved iMac, Santi. Since I fired him up for the very first time (to much applause and jumping up and down on my part), I have marveled at the seamless design, the vivid colors, the attention to detail, and the beautiful minimalism of this graceful machine. Many blog posts have been written, thousands of photographs have been uploaded and edited, and many hours of internet surfing have been done on your creation. I am not exaggerating when I say that I truly love my Santi.
Aside from your technological innovations, your insistence on following your passion is an even greater inspiration. It’s not easy to march to your own drummer. Too often we’re shunned, mocked, or discouraged for pursuing the dreams that quicken our pulses or cause us to get lost in the absorbing act of creation. As you said, “Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking… have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” No truer words could have been spoken considering it took me a while to have the courage to follow my own heart and intuition. I bought my Mac when I decided to commit myself to my art practice. This decision came after years of doubting myself and agonizing over whether I should lay claim to my true identity. I am thankful to this day that I finally did.
So it is with great sadness that I say farewell to you. I’m lucky to have grown up during the era of your vision and innovation. Thank you for not only bringing your wonderful creations to the masses but also for the endless inspiration.
Sincerely,
Jaimee (and Santi)
