Kindred Spirits & Shared Enthusiasm
Last Saturday was the third in-person Tappa Tappa and it certainly didn’t disappoint. It was full of conversation (as usual) but it was infused with extra life by input and ideas from those in the group. If you follow the Tappa Tappa subreddit, or my Patreon, you may have seen the “Bent Key” award that I designed and printed (with many failed attempts) as a fun, intentionally imperfect award for a speed competition—asked for by one of last week’s attendees. I had fun with the design and idea but it turns out it made people smile, which was the whole point. That and having the person who requested the competition feel included and valued.
The competition was received better than I expected. I was elated to see so many furiously typing on their keys, enjoying themselves and reveling in the chance to win the trophy (I choose to believe that it’s the trophy that spurred them to such a feverish pace). What made me truly happy was watching the camaraderie unfold as the day went on. Some folks were eager to include their own ideas, which made this feel like something truly meaningful.
One gentleman asked about doing a group writing session. Everyone starts a paragraph and then gives it to the person to their left. Around it goes until it reaches the original author who then reads it and titles the full story. I brought up a version of this to the previous group but that week people were more interested in conversation than typing (something I will never discourage). What I liked about all this was that these were ideas others brought to the table. They were interested and participating. That’s not to say people need to be active participants to enjoy the meetup. As long as people are enjoying themselves, actively engaged or are passively content, then Tappa Tappa is worth it.
Some of the machines at the event.
Last week I wrote about how this has grown beyond me. This week has shown the momentum is truly taking hold. I’ve received messages about kinship and connection and someone even mentioned they’d like to help moderate the subreddit because they found something in this group and want to make sure it grows. Not only are people enthusiastic to join—they want to help it succeed.
You may not know this but I tried, for years, to build community in the photo & video space. Years of time making videos, commenting on threads, doing a podcast with not even a tenth of the interest that’s already happened with Tappa Tappa. With this group I wasn’t trying to make anything, it’s building on its own accord, I’m just trying to keep up with it.
I love that this isn’t about me. People are invested and they’re excited. My job, as I see it, is to help facilitate the connection, not be the connection. That and experiencing these cool machines people bring to show off…yeah, that’s a ton of fun, too.
Until next time, be good to each other!
Dave
Embrace the mistakes.
Celebrate imperfection.
