Creativity and excellence

On the cusp of this New Year, and hopefully of Blip’s new incarnation, I want to give thanks to those who shaped this platform that has become an intrinsic part of my everyday life.  A tribute to the people I feel have most influenced the style and tone of this dear place.

I’m grateful to Joe and Graham for their inspiration in developing the site and to their original circle of personal friends who set the Blip ethos under the banner of ‘excellence.’  I’m truly sorry for the heartache Joe and Graham must have felt in the last couple of years as they reached for the stars and found their dreams dissolving before their eyes.  I’ve been through that in business myself and know how soul destroying it is.  

When I joined Blip in 2009 it was small and friendly.  I was astonished when people immediately made positive comments on my posts and images.  I knew nothing about photography and had a half decent camera languishing in a drawer.  

At that time there was no reply function on comments and the norm was to hop over to the journal of anyone who commented and to comment on their journal.  So a comment was like a calling card, the polite response started a minuet.  Soon I recognized everyone on the site by name.  Some people who were around before the reply option came in still keep up that tradition as if it is bad form to stay on your own journal to reciprocate or to thank a commentor.   So this was a culture of courtesy due in large part to the first generation of Blippers.  Thank you all.

The Blip spirit of kindness was personified by the matriarch Molly/Amalarian who joined in 2010.  Molly made a point of welcoming every single new blipper personally as well as leaving numerous encouraging comments on many, many journals each day.  When she died suddenly we were all shocked at how personal her loss felt.  She was eulogized by many on the forums when we realized how much heart she had invested in the community.  Look at the number of views and comments on her last journal entry.   Her presence, her kind heart and her diligence made Blip a welcoming place to be.

The site was always going too evolve, whether or not the number grew.  For me Kendall showing up and getting into her stride with her activist and artistic tendencies was a game changer.  She broke the mould of politeness, as if she didn’t know you weren’t supposed to talk about politics or religion - I doubt I’d still be on the site if she had not.  Her posts quickly became immensely popular, sometimes several of them on the Spotlight page at the same time, which showed me that at least a portion of the community were hungry for a deeper, more heartfelt conversation. 

It’s people who have made this place.  You will have your own shining stars.  These are a few of mine.  I owe them all a debt of gratitude.