tiny offerings
Today, I've been thinking about what insistently draws me back here. It's not just the aesthetics or the nostalgia, though those things certainly play its part. There's something deeply fulfilling in tending to this space. It's reconnecting me with memories I haven't thought about in years, a couple of which I'll share here.My sister and I used to make little Scholastic-style ads for each other. We'd create the ad first, and once either of us chose a book from eachother's selection, we'd draw it up. Conceptualizing the plot and characters in short form with what skills we had was an excitement of its own. We weren't trying to make something perfect; we were just excited to make something at all. Even now, building little corners of my site feels a bit like laying out an imaginary book catalog for two. The possibilities and feeling of agency coalesce into a quiet joy.
Another memory: we used to make Lisa Frank jewelry with a kit we blasted through. My mom would play along and choose from the earrings we made even though she couldn't wear them because they were made of plastic (and her ears are sensitive), she still took the time to look through every pair and choose her favorites. I don't know how this relates. I just remember it so cozily, how earnestly she met our imagination in one form or another.
Maybe that's why this all feels so familiar. It isn't just nostalgia, but remembering how naturally creativity once fit into everyday life before I felt the need to explain anything.
Webkeeping feels like I'm recreating that safe space I knew as a child: creative play, self-expression, connection, gift-giving, and, in the digital sphere, a sense of community and reciprocity. In this space, things do not have to be productive to be worthwhile. Strangely enough, that freedom often leads to its own kind of productivity.
Keep making things that don't need a reason to exist <3
