When I woke up this morning and opened the window, it was snowing. This was the first time this year I have seen more than a small flutter of snow fall from the sky. The ground and hills were coated with snow; the imprint of footprints followed the pavements. It was cold. And it was magical. There were low clouds. Looking up, I could see only white. It was ethereal. Winter is here.
I wanted to say something about the weather today, but I was struggling to find the motivation. I find that I have a lot of ideas, but many are not quite yet ready to be put into words; they need more time to grow. A topic on my mind is what we can do to provide more support to indie web creators. What events should exist? What support do makers need? What can I do?
In the morning, I listened to a podcast episode called “It takes two to think” by Night Science. This was my first time listening to an episode of the podcast. I had put it in my garden of notes, but cannot remember from where I saw it. The description contains the following:
By talking with other people, we not only pool the information or ideas that each of us individually lacks, but we are also able to improvise new thoughts that are not accessible to us alone.
Later this afternoon, I started talking with a friend about some ideas on my mind. I had an idea for an essay but I wasn’t sure where to start. What started as an exploration on one topic then traversed several others. I realised I had more to say on some topics – like how we can better support the open web, and the role of institutions in its support – than I thought; nothing fully formed, but enough to make me feel like there is more I can learn.
Many of my writings come after a conversation with a friend in which I am able to explore an idea with someone else. Through discussion, I learn context I didn’t know, I learn history, I learn new ways to communicate ideas, I am able to think about things I may not otherwise have thought about, or think about things in a different way. With the right friend, I feel inspired to do more; I find energy to make something new.
