#034: What about the things that make our hearts soar?
Bookbed, the Mindanao Art Fair 2023, free (!) beta reading services, and more tiny yet precious life moments
Hey, there! OK to BE is a Sunday newsletter about my adventures in reading, writing stories, creating art, collaborating, and being human. Thank you for reading! :)
Balancing honoring one's pace and pushing oneself can still be tricky to this day. One day, I'd be feeling proud of myself for accomplishing even the littlest tasks; the other, I'd be feeling so down and low for not having done this or that. And that doesn't apply to creative work alone, but to many aspects of life, obvs.
But in reality and the grand scheme of things, I realize every baby step is a win I can always claim. And it's nice that I can conk myself in the head mentally, so I remember what's more important. That is, I DID A THING. Regardless of the circumstances or resources, I DID A THING FOR MYSELF.
I'm sharing that thought with you in case your mind is on the 'down and low' side. Remember, there is always at least one other person out there excited for you and what you do! I should know. I see you being here for me. Thank you!
What was something you did for yourself this week and how did you feel about it?
📚 Reading
I was a child reader so, as far as I remember, books have always been a part of my life. Writing, too, as that and reading usually go together.
What I didn't realize was that alongside reading and writing, I was nurturing my passion for writing about reading. Thanks to book reports and school paper things, I guess? Then, of course, I took up journalism in college, where we were taught to write about things. And things sure included books.
Now I didn't get to start a career out of writing about books, although I did try. Before Bookbed was even born, I was fortunate enough to already be writing about books for a few publishers.
But in 2010, that idea wasn't my first thought when I did finally build Bookbed. Bookbed, in contrast to what it is mainly now, was an online secondhand bookstore set up on a shopping website. There, I would sell the books I had and then offer book-hunting services for friends to primarily fund my book budget.
To make the long story short, Bookbed was so much fun and it led me to a lot of people, opportunities, and lessons. So in 2014, I invited friends to help me transform it into a community. (Allana, Kach, Elaine, Hazel, L, Cake—the first ones to believe in Bookbed, thank you.) The idea was to make it home to readers, writers, and other kinds of creators. It would also be home to book reviews, features, and original creative work. Very bookish, very journalistic.
At the time, blogging was queen so Bookbed's main thing was a website. And it thrived. Bookbed had members, writers, a network of authors, communities, and publishers, and a stellar readership.
But websites can be hard to maintain, and volunteer communities like Bookbed even more so. Life was happening for me and the rest of the team. Most of us were in our 20s and were starting to build our careers and selves. It was difficult to balance all that with the demands of a growing community and the growing online world. Social media was then overtaking, and it was a quantity and popularity game, to which Bookbed didn't and couldn't pay much attention.
So compared to our first four years, Bookbed's presence and activity dwindled as the years flew. Fewer posts and writers, fewer community activities and collaborations. I didn't mind that much because I could see how the online book world was booming even without Bookbed's contribution. Readers became more visible, more active, and more relevant.
Given that, the thought of putting Bookbed to, well, bed crossed my mind plenty of times. Readers, after all, had become empowered and could do things independently. I almost led myself to believe that there was little need for book communities and book-reviewing groups like Bookbed.
But every time Bookbed would start to doze off, somebody would come knocking on the door, so to speak. I realized there were and are still people out there who need spaces like Bookbed.
And it's not just a figment of my dream or imagination. I do see it in the readers and communities I talk to, the creators and publishers I meet, and the events I attend. So if Bookbed can continue helping in any way and even only one other person, then that should be enough to keep it awake and going.
I have a lot more to say but for now, I want to wrap up all this with: Bookbed is precious to me. Bookbed is also precious to many people, whether they admit it or not. A lot of readers, writers, authors, artists, publishers, communities, and other creators started here, learned from here, and grew up here. And so Bookbed will always be home to them like it is for me, and especially to those who love to write about books. Bookbed will keep its lights on and its eyes open, all in support of a reading nation.
This piece was originally published on my Patreon. You can access all my free-access posts like this one here.
📝 Writing
→ Did I mention I returned to writing fiction? I’ve been sharing on my Patreon a short story I finished last month.
→ Speaking of which, I started OK to BE Writing. It's easy: Give me any word, and I'll use it in a story. I’m churning some things out of two words that were sent to me, and I hope I complete them.
→ We can buddy write, too! Let me know if you want a word or prompt from me.
🎨 Creating
→ …Or more like re-creating. I've been working on my page and would love some feedback! What I'm looking for:
what you like
what you think needs improvement
I've already incorporated suggestions from a few friends but curious to know what else I need to see or change. Here’s the link:
Btw, I’m not looking for comments about domains. I'm OK with the bit.ly link I currently use.
I appreciate your time and willingness to help!
🎨 Collaborating
→ There is an ongoing dugtungan on the OK to BE Discord! Just hop on to #creators-club. Shout-out to Arli, Bea, and Joy; we’ve been writing bits of a story together!
→ Finished Cycle 3 of the Southeast Asian Creators Club last weekend. I’ll talk more about this soon!
🎒 Travelling
→ Mindanao Art Fair 2023! The last one I went to was in 2021 in Poblacion Market Central. It was an awesome exhibit but I also have to admit I liked the fact that this time they went with a relatively more accessible space where foot traffic was much higher.
✨ More Being Human
→ It’s birthday season for two of the best men in my life—my dad and my brother! Distance who? Near or far, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that there are cakes to be nomnom-ed! Happy birthday as well to those celebrating theirs this wonderful ~Libra season.
That’s all for now! I hope you picked up something fun or useful.
If you have any questions, suggestions, or nice things to say (hehe), type them in the comments section below or reply to the email. You can also always join my Patreon and the OK to BE Discord, revisit the OK to BE Newsletter Archive, and visit my page.
See you in the next one!
☀️ KB
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