People suck. Your project is valid. Reddit is a cesspool. (oh, and Kurator is cool as shit.)

Okay, so, about five to six months ago I started seriously working on a project I've had kicking around in my brain for close to a decade now, and I wanted to talk about the journey so far, and speak directly to other folks who, like me, are currently trying to share their creations with the world.

So, you all know that I collect a good amount of physical media; retro games, CDs, DVDs, comic books, board games...and between it all, it's a hassle trying to remember what all I have. I go to thrift stores and pawn shops often, and I'll find an item I like, and almost immediately my dopey, ADHD ass will wonder "wait, do I have that already?" To that end, years ago I tried starting a Google Sheet to keep track of my retro gaming collection. And that kind of worked, but like all spreadsheets, it was ugly, and it became unruly fast. I'd be in a shop, perusing the racks, and I'd pull out my phone, trying desperately to navigate this stupid spreadsheet, and ugh. All I wanted was a nice interface I could search through. So, I dreamt up what would eventually, years later, become Kurator: A collection tracker for damn near every kind of physical media you can think of.

So now, I've been working on Kurator for the better part of five to six months. I've been out of work for about as long, and this project is one of the only things keeping me sane right now. Anyway, yesterday, after talking with some friends and family who've graciously been helping me beta test, I made the decision to start promoting this thing. Now, I don't use the vast majority of social media platforms. I actually only just started using Reddit again after deleting my account some time ago.

I was reminded almost instantly why I stopped...

People suck, and Reddit is, by and large, a cesspool of angry, bitter people.

My posts were generally met with derision. Immediately, I felt a wave of embarrassment, disappointment, and regret wash over me. Hell, I'm still trying to fight those feelings off.

This is a reminder to all of you who might be at the same stage I'm at that my story is likely about as common as it gets. The vast majority of people are, at best, going to ignore you. If you're really lucky, you'll get laughed out of the room because, as I said before:

PEOPLE. SUCK.

Here's the important bit, though: You can't let that stop you. You started your project for a reason. You found a problem, and you found a solution. And it's a novel enough solution that you put WORK into it. Keep at it. For all you know, you're just ahead of the curve. You found value in your solution, and the problem it's trying to solve is never so unique that no one else is struggling with it. Eventually, you'll find your audience. I have every faith that you will. Hell, someone created Kubernetes, and people still grumble about it being a solution in search of a problem, despite the fact that it's become one of the most in-demand technologies of the past decade. I'm certain Linus Torvalds had (and still has) his detractors despite Linux running the vast majority of the ENTIRE. FUCKING. INTERNET (and he very famously does NOT give a shit). That kind of behaviour and response are all too common. People are short-sighted, cynical, and unimaginative sometimes.

ESPECIALLY on Reddit.

I know this all sounds trite, but it's almost universally true: No one is going to "get it"...until they do. You believe in what you created, I guarantee there is at least a handful of people out there who do as well.

Keep at it. I will if you will.

In the meantime, go check out Kurator!