There’s nothing wrong with the pursuit of a dream. After all, dreams weave the most exceptional possibilities into human life. A dream is that which we reach for and represents all that is good! I’m very hopeful that Adobe Creative Cloud becomes my dream reality.
As a freelance custom web designer utilizing my tools of the trade, including self hosted WordPress, Genesis and Child Themes, I’m interested in how the Adobe Creative Cloud can help to further evolve my business with leading edge tools to fulfill the dreams of my customers. I’ve used Dreamweaver since it belonged to Macromedia and was scooped up by Adobe. Photoshop, Fireworks and to a lesser extent, Flash, have also represented the suite of applications I’ve used to perform creative graphics and website design.
As of May 11, 2012, Adobe Creative Cloud rolled out their exciting, innovative, leading edge technology platform enabling creative designers to utilize the full suite of design tools based on a very reasonable monthly subscription. There are so many goodies packaged into this new cloud presentation of the Adobe Creative Suite that I’m feeling like a kid in a candy store on a sugar high.
Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions are $49 per month. You get Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Fireworks, InDesign, Flash, Premier Pro, After Effects, Illustrator, Muse, Audition, Acrobat X Pro, and other apps I’m not yet familiar with. You also get 20 gigabytes of cloud storage space to store working files for access on any device. Adobe has added a bonus feature that allows me to install the Adobe Creative Cloud applications on a second device – either Windows or Apple operating system. Cool! I use a Windows desktop and an Apple laptop. Personally, I think this decision was an excellent step in the right direction and I applaud the sensitivity that guided Adobe to include this extension of their Adobe Creative Cloud product.
I’m very well aware of the recent controversy created by Adobe’s announcement entailing a $375 security patch for vulnerabilities that have been identified. Computerworld’s Gregg Keizer calls this a PR disaster in his recent article titled “Adobe: Pay upgrade price to patch critical bugs”. I read the article and I read the comments. Obviously there are many consumers with valid criticisms of the Adobe Creative Suite issues. Other comments seem based upon some internal human anxiety that has been acted out online where lashing out at Adobe becomes the soup du jour. The criticisms of Adobe do nothing to throw water on the fire in my soul to learn, understand and utilize Adobe’s incredible new Creative Cloud technology.
I do own the Adobe CS3 license and will certainly monitor any vulnerabilities related to the new creative cloud environment. I will devote my time and energy to the exceptional opportunities that Adobe Creative Cloud and prior generations of software have made available to a creative freelance professional such as myself. I have used these tools to generate positive income for my self and enhanced the livelihood of the good life I lead.
Thank you Adobe. I am a fan and if problems occur, I pledge to engage in respectful, constructive dialogue that will help us as partners to deliver an even better digital creative world in years to come.
Back to the core topic here, I’d like to invite those who are interested in the Adobe Creative Cloud to follow me on Twitter or Facebook, or subscribe to my blog right here at MaryMangold.com This is the first of many articles I will post on the subject of the exciting new Adobe Creative Cloud.
Oh, and for those who might already own a CS3, CS4, CS5 or other license, you should know that if you create an Adobe Id or use an existing one to login at the Adobe Creative Cloud site, you can find out immediately if you’re eligible for a handsome discount of the subscription rate. I logged in with my existing Adobe Id used to register my CS3 license, and with delight discovered my eligibility for a $20 per month discount off the standard monthly subscription rate. As a result, I will pay $29 + tax, for one year. Yey! I love a deal!
Bottom line is this:
Adobe has seen the light and offers a monthly subscription for their awesome digital technology and a reward for those who’ve been loyal customers. As a small business owner and entrepreneur, I’m a huge fan of preserving cash flow by engaging in subscription based technology. I don’t have to layout a huge chunk of cash for one generation of the Creative Suite product. As long as I’m creating, I’ll be a customer. Thats alot of $49′s when you think of it over a lifetime, but its a cost of doing business. I love web design to the extent I’ll be plying my skills far into my senior years. The revenue over that spread of time, multiplied by a few thousand web designers reflects Adobe’s new recipe for success.
The best part of Adobe Creative Cloud is that I’ll always having immediate access to the latest, greatest technology that evolves out of the Adobe brain culture. Plus I can install it on my Windows Desktop and also a second copy on my Mac Book Pro laptop. WOW!
Can you tell I’m thrilled?
Learn more about the Adobe Creative Cloud experience here at MaryMangold.com. I’ll be writing about my personal observations, insights and advantages that this new tool offers, while reaching for my own dream induced state of mind through the fascinating world of creative digital design. Sign up for instant notification. You can unsubscribe at any time.
