It's so nice to meet you all!

[Moonpearl]

Hello all, it's nice to meet you! 

I go by many different aliases, but I picked Moonpearl because I think it just sounds pretty (and it's a Zelda reference)!

I'm 29 years old and live in Ireland, and I usually go by she/her.

I'm currently pursuing a master's degree in law, although here are some things I'm really interested in:

- 3D modelling (especially low poly)
- Illustration, both digital and traditional
- Music proudction
- Literature
- Art history (go Caravaggio!)
- Learning languages
- I'm also learning Godot and Unity and game development in general, although I'm a total noob!
- Retro video games and 90s anime

I've been able to make some money off illustrating, although I'm *really* bad at self-promotion (I'm allergic to social media). And besides, money's not why I do anything creative. I'm also pretty introverted and like to make art for myself, so there's that, too. When I feel comfortable I'd like to share some of my work.

I'll be honest, I really miss the feeling I got from the internet pre-Web 2.0 and the proliferation of smartphones and social media. I'm sure part of it is nostalgia and rose-tinted glasses, but I really do feel like the early web was much better at fostering creativity and community, and was just downright more fun to explore. I'm really excited to join this forum.

So that's all for now, thanks for reading! 

[RadDevon]

Great to meet you! I'm also an introvert and also ran a business… and was very reluctant to sell. I'm an employee now, but I still have to do a lot of introvert-repellent stuff in my role. Not sure if you've had this same experience, but this is how it works for me: It gets a little easier as I do the stuff I resist consistently, but it always resets back to my default level of aversion. 😅

Wishing you luck, and welcome to the forum!

[Moonpearl]

Mm, I think I'd like to work at a company to build up those skills and connections, you know? I kinda have to be forced to do certain things, haha. I'm much more relaxed and a kind of "go with the flow" person, and I feel like Western culture doesn't really cultivate or appreciate that. I jst like to be left alone to do my own things, whether or not people see and are interested in what I'm doing isn't really important to me. But I guess we'll see!

[Memory]

Hello and welcome!

You're into a lot of creative things! It's really inspiring!

What languages are you learning? Myself - German and French and I used to learn Japanese, got quite far with it but then I stopped being a weaboo and forgot everything   

I love retro video games too! I used to play a lot of Jazz Jackrabbit 2 in the early 2000s. I also loved Worms World Party (the original had a big online playerbase back in the day).

I am quite of an introvert too. Though I know I need to work on myself. Doesn't help that I despise the social media - I think they dehumanize you and just shove ads up your a**, colloquially speaking. Old-style forums like this let you choose your words carefully and at your own pace.
I agree that when you get a task at work that involves having to turn off your introversion it kind of helps to overcome it, even a little bit. Maybe it's some kind of subconcious response to "unknown situations"?
Not sure 

Cheers!

[Moonpearl]

I'm fluent in French and (Irish) Gaelic, and I've been learning Japanese to play retro games lol (and I have a very kind Japanese friend).

I used to play a lot of Phantasy Star Online! Also, I think as I've gotten older I've become more introverted. I'm not really that shy. I used to be really outgoing, but I just care a lot less about impressing other people now. Trying to maintain that upbeat external image and always come off as really cool and engaging is exhausting after a while.

And btw, I fully agree about social media. I don't think the microblogging format is a good way to interact with people at all. You have Twitter (and now Threads?) that deliberately try to manipulate interactions in a way that makes money, but even something like Mastodon has its issues. Short, snappy soundbites that are designed around immediate interactions just isn't a way to build a community, and it just makes people antagonistic and too quick to react.

Something which I also think is very overlooked is the effect of those short profile bios. If you're navigating these social spaces and you have a bunch of immediately visible labels attached to your online presence, I think that subtly pressures people to stick by this persona. It also encourages people to make quick judgements based on a cursory glance at your profile. It's not like a forum or chatroom where you have to actually see what a person says before you can get an impression of what they're like. So I really miss the days of "slower" interactions on the web. There was a time where people were drawn to the internet because they felt like they could be in the company of other people and express themselves without being quickly judged for their external appearances, but I feel like it's the total opposite now.

But I'm just ranting about social media sites now, haha.