Full disclosure: I was enjoying remarks from @ajazz over in this thread and went digging through their site. That was a lovely read on it’s own, but there’s a powerful recommendation in the friends section that brought me to this.
This whole piece is a fantastic read, but one of the parts that nestled into the craw of my mind was this blurb:
I begin writing physical letters to my loved ones. My heart in ink and paper, an act performed in embodied time. We don’t need constant contact, nor do we have it, it’s an illusion. Never apologize to me for being busy. You deserve more from me than these texts. Have this artifact to lovingly preserve.
My mother still has letters from lost lovers that bring her to tears. She has photo albums of moments I don’t remember, but the film feels alive.
I’ve lost lifetimes in the abandoned camera rolls of my devices. The infinity of photos has paradoxically left us with nothing. I lived an adolescence devoid of history.
Pretty cool read, thanks for sharing! I gotta check if I still have the link somewhere, but I read an article a while back that talked about how now we can really appreciate analogue things and letters because the digital exists. It had the same effect of making me want to pick up the pen (and imagine receiving a letter in the mail that is not a bill or an ad - how delightful!)
@n3verm0re ty for posting this here! when i first made the pals page i felt a little silly because the clout differential between me and the folks i wanted to feature was the size of the grand canyon - to hear that people have discovered this piece from me is immensely validating and flattering lmao
because this was functionally the first indie web manifesto i’d ever read, i do kind of compare every single one i’ve read since against it. sorry if i’ve given you the same brainworm lmao, but i think it’s really important for new writing about the indie web to be in dialogue with the broader ecosystem. we’re getting to a stage of development that’s a little beyond the “i’m just a little guy” zone, and it’s important for us to be aware of what’s come before. (not saying you’re not aware but just saying that in general)
I discovered this through @ajazz’s website too. It was indeed a great read, and out of all the web manifestos I have read on the indie web, this might be the one that resonates with me the most.
nonono it’s good! I love these kinds of discussions and you’ve given me something I’m happy to have in my backpack, that’s something I deeply appreciate!