bearblog is home
I was going to title this 'and so i flew too close to the sun' but decided to go with the current one. It's a bit click-baity, I admit, but everything I'll yap about here comes down to those three words.
I first discovered Neocities shortly before BearBlog. That was my official introduction to the Indie Web. The world 'minimalist' was the key to my heart, really. Also, I don't know how to code. And so I've made home here, eventually [lowkey] urging my friends to blog, too.
I got comfortable in BearBlog. I re-learned CSS with very little high school coding memory (like how you never really forget how to use a bike?). I started with the Archie theme and tweaked it. The colors, then the font, then the toast button. I added a bunch of add-ons and images to every post. I made a guestbook, a now page, a 'reply via email' button. I was on that blogging high. I've written one blog a day for more than a week.
It wasn't enough. When I felt like my creativity was being limited, I tried Neocities again. I spent a whole all-nighter trying to figure out the thing (which is a big deal for me, because it is a truth universally acknowledged that I easily pass out when sleep-deprived), gave up, and then tried again after a couple of days.
I spent the next three days constantly at our kitchen table (because my desk is a mess) with eyes glued to the screen. I was on VSCode for almost the entire time that I have forgotten the look of a white screen. At some point, I even worked on a postcard stamp container for 24 hours straight. I couldn't stop, because there was so much work to do.
And then, just a few hours ago, I realized how I haven't been writing much ever since I fell down this Neocities rabbit hole. Not in BearBlog, not in my journal. And then I realized -- oh, that is the point of BearBlog. It's minimalistic, barely any if not totally free of clutter, to maintain the focus on writing.
At first, I was planning to make my Neocities my main digital garden and Bear for blogging. But coming back to Bear after my focus had been on the other side for a few days, it didn't feel right. BearBlog is simple and straightforward. BearBlog is home.
Like a crazed artist suddenly possessed by inspiration, I took down most of my blog embellishments. There weren't a lot, but I want to lean more closely to BearBlog's minimalism1. And boy does it feel good.
So my new manifesto:
- No more add-ons or widgets (than what I already have). Lessen, if not totally obliterate, usage of more external sites then embedding them in BearBlog.
- No more unnecessary pictures except for book or movie covers, maybe.
- (I'm still thinking whether or not to take down my guestbook.)
Disclaimer: I don't have anything against people with really fun blogs! I looking through them. This is just what works for me better :)↩