I will admit that since Super Storm Sandy, October 28, 2012, sometimes I am nervous about impending storms. One of the frustrating things, during that 13 day power outage, was that I couldn't deliver illustrations to a client because they were in my computer. I was able to contact my client to tell them they were finished and I would deliver them when the power came back. Thankfully it was for an E-book Project with a flexible deadline. Still a super annoying situation.
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| TWINKLE TWINKLE ELEPHANT STAR © Diana Ting Delosh – Ink & Watercolor Traditional art created during the power outage caused by Sandy, 2012. Thankfully my drawing board was near a decent sized window |
Nowadays, if a storm is threatening, when working on a project:
I pop a copy into my DropBox folder as I go. This way if something happens I can still deliver/show the client the work.
I also attach files (if they're under 10MB) to an e-mail. Yes, I know it may not be the wisest to send out the e-mail I typed late at night. But attaching the file to a draft e-mail works. If something were to happen I could still access my e-mail on a different device and send it off to the client.
I also try and finish ahead of deadline – whenever possible. Even a few hours earlier has been helpful.
No, you can't plan for everything. Power outages. Computer/scanner/hardware malfunctions. Family members of course are also a big X-factor. Recently, I updated my Mac OS which knocked out my QuarkXpress and MS Word, Excel and Power Point. Sigh – pre-update, I worried about loosing my Photoshop & InDesign and corrupting files... so I backed up files. Apparently, I worried about the wrong things. Oh well, you can't cover all bases.
Would love to hear if you have other tips or strategies for dealing with possible power outages or other disruptions. Please share them in the comments.
Web-Portfolio: dianadelosh.com
Blog: dtdelosh.blogspot.com
Twitter: @dtdelosh
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Excellent post, Diana! If I'm ever contracted, these tips will come in VERY handy. It's the one thing I hate about so many important things being "locked" digitally rather than physically tangible.
ReplyDeleteThere's also the option, if possible, to drive with your laptop to a place where they have electricity, like a cafe or someone's home, or anywhere you can plug in.
Thanks you! Yes having a laptop and backing up to it vs just a desk top is a great idea. I forgot to mention, backing up all important files to an external Hard drive.
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