| I think my recent project https://consciousness.social fits into the category of making something for the pure pleasure of it. But the medium of self-expression is the web, not the platform itself. It’s like saying that the painting you are splashing color on is a medium of self-expression. I would rather say that painting itself is the medium. >> Different expressions, conceived by various minds, undergo a form of natural selection, with the surviving expression being the one that resonates most with users. << I mean “survival” is a relative term. A painting may not survive, but the ideas encapsulated within that painting may come to inspire others to paint in a particular way. Does that mean that the initial painting survived? In some black and white definition, no. But look closely, and you may see some form of survival. That’s why I wouldn’t necessarily see the most successful projects as those who attract the most attention. They may be obviously successful, but if something gives you pleasure to do and you “put your entire being” into it, it may be successful in more subtle ways that may not be obvious to you or anyone, really. A friend of mine recently said that one of the books that I wrote changed the way he looks at the subjects the book was broaching. He asked me how many people I knew that were influenced by the ideas in the book. I replied that if it changed the view of even one person, then it’s enough for me, more than enough. The most successful projects are those that change lives for the better…even for just one person, even in a non-obvious way. And you’re right, can’t see such things getting made without at least a bit of feeling. |