Taking a moment to express sincere appreciation for forums of all shapes and sizes!

It's easy to feel isolated in solitary practices — software, art, music, writing, etc. Something thats feels admittedly unnatural for me, having been involved in highly communal music making for ages. But, rejoice! We're all only a quick jump away from a portal to rooms where our kind of people are.

I just said that I’d enjoyed the book very much. And he said thank you. For a moment, it achieved the most basic and treasured of human communications: you are real, and therefore so am I.

-- Terry Pratchett on writing fan mail to J.R.R. Tolkien

I'll never forget my first forum experiences as a kid. The internet already seemed like a great resource, but being able to talk shop over Super Mario 64 was a game changer! At some point I threw the baby out with the bathwater, sticking strictly to lurking. But joining the conversation has helped buoy my creative efforts, connecting with and contributing to folks at a similar junction on the learning journey.

For anyone looking to make the best use of these channels, my humble advice: give small gifts.

Why gifts? When you center around a sense of contribution, there is bound to be someone on the other end who appreciates your efforts. From that frame of mind, you seek out people. Instead of waiting for people to come to you, you go out in search of someone you can impact. A brief, 2-3 turn exchange can be the most atomic version of that essential feeling of connection. Our identities are shaped in part by others, and you have cast a vote for an emerging identity through connection.

Why small? The internet is full of vast resources. It can be discouraging, feeling like you have to have a massive contribution to make any difference. Blockers can include limited experience, lack of audience, or the feeling that your perspective is not unique. So don't get bogged down. Look to make something just a little better.

"Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity."

-- Simone Weil

Even a simple acknowledgement is enough. "I just started learning to draw, and this website has really helped", "I struggled with the same chord changes, you can do it", and even "Congrats, I see loads of progress from where you started to now!" You'd be surprised how a small interaction can be all it takes to get a positive feeling. And even if they aren't connected, all of those tiny efforts add up to feeling a part of something bigger.

The ocean is vast, but at that point — with your own droplet, however small — you have joined the body of water. After ages of taking in each tidal wave, you are now, for someone else, part of that massive resource of information, inspiration, and connection.