disappointment
I came into work this morning to some bad news: due to personal reasons, my internet heroes Derek Powazek and Heather Powazek Champ will not be able to make it to Webstock. This means no photo workshop with them and no speaking spots during the conference.
Derek and Heather have long been heroes for a number of reasons - their involvement in projects like the Mirror Project, JPG, Fray and Flickr. Since 2002, I’ve had a quote of Derek’s linked on vortex, which I feel isn’t just limited to the topic it describes:
My advice to anyone running a personal website: Put your head down and don’t listen to anything anyone says about it. Ignore any dire pronouncements that include the words “genre,” “medium,” or “revolution.” Avoid referer logs, popularity rankings, and vanity searches at all costs.
Use whatever tool makes sense to you. Write your code by hand or not. Distrust all political parties. Never put a label on yourself unless you’re sure it’s really what you are, and even then don’t. Avoid cults of personality, even when they’re your own.
Remember that a personal website’s only defining characteristic is that it’s personal. And, as such, no one has to “get it” but you. It doesn’t have to “advance the medium” or “make the world a better place.” It just has to make your world a better place. It has to fill some need in your life. It has to make you happy.
Do what you love, baby. And don’t stop doing it for anybody.
I just hope that whatever has prevented them from coming to New Zealand sorts itself out (and hopefully for the better). We’ll miss you Derek and Heather - but the onus will be on the other speakers now to work that bit harder to make Webstock as amazing as it would have been.
EDIT: I suggested to Tash and Mike from Webstock that we have a photo meetup anyway…they seem keen to organise something around that idea, so stay tuned if you were booked for Derek and Heather’s workshop.
