The Mayfly Artist

My latest project, antoine.patraldo.com, is a collaboration between an illustrator and a fanatic of his art (myself). Antoine started strong, like a "mayfly": three years of intense production after a late start in life, only to seemingly move on to less interesting pursuits. While I hope my stories and screenplays motivate him to return, the truth is he's already generated enough creative fuel to last me forever.

Workflow: Less Mouse, More Bash

While he takes a break, I find refuge in the logic of the command line. My Linux setup is an exercise in forced minimalism: Bash + Vim + FFMPEG. I do everything I can to avoid the mouse; there's something about the CLI that feels more honest, more direct.

The Video Challenge

Managing video and audio for these stories without a GUI is a hurdle. Most would say a video editor with buttons and timelines is essential, but I'm sticking with FFMPEG commands. The learning curve is steep, but once you master the script, the automation is unbeatable. It's my way of bringing structure to Antoine's artistic chaos.