If you are a creative and the computer is part of your workflow, then I am willing to bet that you have named at least one of your files ‘final_final_final’ or some variant of it.
I used to do this too. I would end up with a handful of files with confusing names. When I need to send a copy of my work to someone, I would have to spend a couple of minutes going in to check which is the REAL final, often renaming the file to ‘REAL_final’ in the process.
Thinking about this, it’s funny. We laugh it off as a quirk of the creative workflow. We may even find validation in knowing that other creatives do this too.
Find your workflow
I am a composer and I consider myself a creative. When I work, I try to be as professional as possible. This means different things to different creatives but also means one single thing to everyone: we have to find a workflow that works for ourselves.
If we are being honest, those minutes spent checking which file is the real final file break up our workflow. Those multiple versions of a file sitting in a folder looking like a look-a-like contest make our digital workspace not only cluttered, but also unprofessional.
So what can we do?
We can learn from programmers, who are also creatives in their own rights. I am sure all professional programmers use version control. This simply means that we track the changes to the work we are doing.
There is already an article written about this. The article, titled ‘Even artists need version control’, talks about how to go about using version control. It’s an easy to follow tutorial which I recommend reading through, even if you don’t actually follow it, so you can see an example of a workflow.
My own workflow
What I really wanted to share is how I manage versions of my own work. As a composer, I separate all my works into folders. Each work or composition gets tracked separately.
I use a software called Git, which is command line based, but as the article above suggests, there are many other version control software for you to choose from, many of them which have a Graphical User Interface.
Using Git to track my files means I can push my files directly to Github and store them in private repositories. I’m effectively using Github as backup storage. This means that I can access my files from any computer and can also always share the correct version with others. It also even means that I can share both old and new versions with others.
Control your versions!
I encourage fellow creatives to look into version control. It’s a pleasant digital detour if not a permanently helpful one. I wish you a clutter-free time!
