Sing me your song once more

Song Cradle is a repository harbouring supplementary material to The Wither and Bloom Network, which includes the Six Chances and Stormwind collectives. It offers a look behind the scenes, its content consisting of site-related thoughts and data I wish to archive for my future self, as well as insights I am happy to share with anyone interested in the creation process of (my) sites. At present, it mainly harbours a cross between making-ofs and post-mortems, but it may very well host various essays and texts cut from other sites in the future.

Personal records aside, perhaps Song Cradle could be regarded as a very specific kind of resource trove. When you visit a site, what you see is usually already somewhat polished, if not in a finished state. What remains concealed is all the time and nerves that its creation demanded, and the conditions specific to its creator at the time. Given this gap between creator and visitor, one is inclined to think that site-making — any aspect of it, really — is a craft that either comes easily to some (all the more so in relation to age) or is otherwise forever inaccessible. I, too, am no stranger to this thought pattern.

What I firmly believe, however, is this: Making a fansite or a personal site is no monstrous feat reserved for persons with natural aptitude for it. What it takes is curiosity, vision, commitment, perseverance and joy, and, if fortunate, an environment that fosters creativity. Support and inspiration, in turn, do not solely come in the reactive form of a helping hand, but also in proactive openness: openness about one’s own process, resources, influences, aids, struggles, self-doubts and also growth. If at all possible, I would like for Song Cradle to be a small contribution in that regard so as to lessen the intimidation associated with site-making, so that new personal sites continue to be born.

The site is intended to be viewed at a minimum resolution of 1280x720.

If there are any thoughts you’d like to share, I’d be delighted about any feedback in my guestbook. Thanks a lot for your visit! ❤