Using computers came to me naturally when I was a kid.
It gave my mind some intriguing puzzles and provided an outlet for silly ideas and random creativity. My computer was a safe, neutral space where I wasn’t judged for being an outsider weirdo, couldn’t injure myself, and seemed to succeed in most of what I tried. Although I wasn’t passionate about programming and was more interested in arts and animals, computer science seemed to be a practical and reasonably enjoyable career choice.
As a kid, I noticed many people didn’t seem to grasp what I found instinctive, and was confused. Why couldn’t they find the button on the screen that seemed so obvious to me?
When I got older, I saw my own limitations more clearly.
Sure, I could fix your wifi easily enough, but trying to do my own tax return filled me with frozen horror, certain that whatever numbers emerged would be horribly wrong and lead me to catastrophic consequences. Cake decoration was (and still is) a source of laughable failure.
I built websites for clients who were astonished at what I could do and how quickly I could do it. But I was often in awe of the skills and talents that they, in turn, took for granted.
Intelligent and creative people claimed to be stupid or clueless. They would speak apologetically about their own lack of technical ability, as if it was a personal failing.
“I’m no good at this stuff.”
“I hate that I even have to think about it.”
“Can you just make the changes?
I’d probably just break something.”
I started to reflect on what it was that I was doing that they weren’t, and what my supposed intuitive understanding was actually based on. I started to merge these ideas with what I was learning from my mindfulness and meditation practices.
Facing Your Screen is a philosophical work.
It’s not about how to edit documents in Word or Excel, or what steps to take to fix a problem on your iPhone. It’s about the mindset needed for dealing with technical systems, whether it’s hardware or software, learning how to see that system holistically, and approach a problem in a systematic way.
It’s also about how you feel about technology – whether you’re strongly repelled by it and resent even having to own a cell phone, or are so caught up in it that you can’t stay off social media for a few hours without feeling anxious.
Feel free to reach out to me with thoughts and questions.
Kirsten Starcher
My Background
My educational background is a combination of the technical and creative: a B.Sc. in Computer Science with an English minor from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and an M.Sc. in Computer Science with a focus on multimedia from Stony Brook University in New York.
My company is Outside in the Sun Productions, where I am a web strategist, designer, and developer. I have been working on the web for as long as it has existed, building websites and multimedia presentations since back when it was still called “new media” and there were no courses available to learn it. My career started in New York, working on websites and interactive media for the likes of Bravo, Independent Film Channel, and Comedy Central. Working at the University of British Columbia, I created learning tools for the Department of English and taught seminars on web accessibility for the Faculty of Education. I have spoken on the topics of troubleshooting and problem-solving at various in-person and online events for the WordPress community, including WordCamp Vancouver and Learn WordPress.
As my experience in web development has grown, so has my involvement in mindfulness and meditation. I am a meditation teacher on the Insight Timer app and led a monthly meditation group in my community for a few years, prior to the pandemic. I spent six months in India, mainly at the Ramana Maharshi ashram in Tamil Nadu. I’m fascinated by how the mind works, and if I were to start over again, I’d want to study psychology and the nature of consciousness.
So now I find myself at the intersection of technology and mindfulness. Want to join me here? Sign up below for Facing Your Screen’s newsletter, or follow me on Threads for more day-to-day connection.