---
title: "Daily Inspiration: ““That moment you realized that your virtual self could be just a little bit like your previous self!”"
canonical: https://jimcarroll.com/2020/09/daily-inspiration-that-moment-you-realized-that-your-virtual-self-could-be-just-a-little-bit-like-your-previous-self/
updated: 2020-09-08T09:18:59+00:00
---

# Daily Inspiration: ““That moment you realized that your virtual self could be just a little bit like your previous self!”

*“That moment you realized that your virtual self could be just a little bit like your previous self!”* – #Futurist Jim Carroll

![](/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PreviousSelf-1024x647.jpg)

An image from about 3 months ago – I’m down in the studio, and my son has just brought in a wide angle zoom lens for a new 35mm camera I had just brought into the studio.  I fired up my virtual software, grabbed a futuristic scene, and found I had a floor! An actual floor I could virtually walk on!

The actual video has me doing a little dance of celebration!

Today, the ‘final’ piece of my virtual home studio puzzle comes to the implementation stage as a new high-end iMac arrives. I’ll take some time to configure it, and then plan a bit of a special ‘show’ later this afternoon to push it to its limits and see what it can do.

I started this virtual voyage just about 6 months ago – knowing I would not appear on a stage for a long, long time, I set out to build a new ‘stage’ in my basement.

At first, I used an old 2013 MacBook Pro I had laying about, and a couple of low-resolution webcams. The video I managed to generate was blurry, the ‘staging’ rather limited, the ‘virtualness’ of the virtual project barely non-existent. Looking back at some of my original videos, I cringe. But it was a necessary process!

Over time, I’ve upgraded bits of the studio here and there – at one time, using two Sony video cameras from 2008 and 2011, which gave a bit of a better image, but not quite enough. Some new lights, more Mac computers that I had laying around, sophisticated software configuration and setups, a few HDMI-to-USB camera link devices, lots of experimentation with and purchasing of various new microphone configurations.

I was trying all of this out, live and online. Mistakes were evident, quality issues rampant, video at times was marginal. But I never gave up.

And then one week, I purchased a new Canon DSLR – that would up the image quality to a huge degree! My older son, a freelance photographer in his spare time, brought his camera bag and with it, the wide angle lens!

I fired up the virtual program, walked onto my new ‘green floor,’ and had an actual virtual floor!

A floor! A floor! I had a floor! I danced! I was overjoyed!

Things kicked into high gear after that. Another DSLR for a second angle shot. A few more lights. Technical explorations – I learned how to send a Keynote slideshow file from a second computer to relieve the burden on the first. At various points, I tried other Macs as my main production machine – my regular work laptop and my main desktop both subbed in for a time, and had the necessary power, almost, to go where I wanted to go. Almost, but not quite enough.

And I started finding and downloading various virtual stage sets. It became my new obsession – and remains to this day.

And so here we are!

Today, the next stage in this voyage begins. Stay tuned!