As this post is the first entry to my blog, I feel the need to explain why I’m here doing this in a time when blogging is talked about as a thing of the past, a relic, if you will. I know that’s not true, and while I spent years putting all of my energy in social media trying to get people to see what I do with little to no success (and even getting waves of hate in certain moments), I always felt nostalgic for the days when I had my Blogspot, the huge space it allowed to express oneself not constrained by character limits or fixed formats and the way I got to meet other people trough link hopping.

The internet of yesteryear was crucial in my development as a human being, as an artist and a thinker. Participating in forums led me to travel and even moving to another country (but now, sadly, I’m back) thanks to the relationships I formed in those spaces. Reading blogs was a huge way not only to learn specific things but to understand the human experience trough the lens of a diverse set of people around the world. I remember one blog in particular where the autor posted only images of artworks, with no context but linked to the artist’s pages, there I found the earlier Banksy’s artwork (the now classic stencil of the guy throwing flowers), Jeff Koons, a lot of incredible photographers that inspired my early photographic work, it was a treasure trove of inspiration, it feel enriching. Soulseek was the primary source of access to music that I couldn’t find in physical format in my country, it transformed my development as a musician. The good old days.

I always yearned to go back in time and experience a blissful internet again. Little did I know (well, I knew but was too lazy to investigate) about the Indie Web movement. It all started with the article ‘The Web’s Grain’, written in 2015 by Frank Chimero. which I found in Sublime. It took me to a link hopping stream that lasted weeks. Every article I ended up reading was interesting and enriching. All of that web surfing that felt so Blogspot era led me inevitably to the Indie Web page and I spent hours and hours reading their Wiki and familiarizing with their protocols, tools, concepts and the whole ethos of their approach. It was both refreshing but also very challenging.

My first impression reading about it and lurking on some forums and blogs was a bit discouraging as I wrongly thought that the “rules” of their ethos were really tight. For example, I thought it was obligatory that I had to code my web from scratch, I’m a professional web designer, yes, but not a programmer. Although I’ve experimented some time ago with coding, learning the basics of HTML and CSS, I don’t really work currently with code. I felt my hypothetical existence on the Indie Web was less valid if I didn’t build my blog with code. Honestly, I felt like a poser wanting to enter a space where I couldn’t even meet what (I thought) were the basic requirements that (I thought) were obligatory. Then, surfing deeper I found blogs made with WordPress (which I’m currently using to build this web), Bearblog and other tools that weren’t so demanding of code. I felt a big relief, even though I thought for a second that I could relearn coding, the whole idea felt exhausting, and more importantly, it felt like I would spend a lot of time and stress making it and ultimately giving up on my eagerness to be part on the Indie Web. I didn’t want to delay my participation so I made peace with the hypothetic impression of the imaginary people people in my head that would judge me for making my blog on WordPress. I know it’s illogical to get ahead of the results of a project I hasn’t even started, but then I thought: why I’m adding the “result” in the equation? That’s exactly what pulled me out of social media in the first place, measuring results by spectators, numbers, etc etc. I don’t know if anyone will read this but I enjoy writing it and that’s all it is about. I have over 20 years of experience as an artist under my belt, I recently came to the conclusion of making stuff for the pure enjoyment of doing it, and it gave me the peace of mind I always looked for in my artistic journey, so why not apply here too? I feel that’s the point of the whole thing, right? Existing on the internet for enjoyment, without expectations. Putting out my thoughts in public without the need of validation.

So, this is my blog and I feel happy to have it. I feel happy existing in a free space where I can do whatever I want without trying to fit in trends, formats, 5 second videos and character limited thoughts. This is it, now I’m here. It feels like I’m moving house from social media back to my beloved web browser. I really think that if people get out of experiencing the internet trough apps and move their use to the browser the internet would be a much blissful, enriching and happy place. Far from algorithms, far from trends, far from rage-bait, far from limiting formats, far from likes that don’t mean anything. I’m putting my brick on the large foundation of a new perspective of the relationship we have with the internet, I’m deeply convinced this is the way.