Announcing Tildes' Make Something Month (Timasomo) for 2022!
Timasomo is "Tildes' Make Something Month": a creative community challenge that takes place in the month of October. This is its fourth year!
If you would like to participate (or simply follow along), make sure you are subscribed to ~creative.timasomo.1
The Roll Call thread will be posted there on October 1st. That is where people will formally commit to projects for Timasomo.
1: All previous subscribers of ~creative have been automatically subscribed to ~creative.timasomo. However, if you're interested in participating, it's worth double-checking, just to be sure!
FAQs
What is Timasomo really though?
Timasomo is a chance to create something/anything!
There are no restrictions on what you can choose to make.
The best way to get a feel for Timasomo is to check out the previous showcase threads:
2021 Showcase
2020 Showcase
2019 Showcase
These showcases are the culminating event of Timasomo -- a public gallery of participants' creations. Each item in the showcases was a project that community members chose to complete for the event.
In the weeks leading up to the showcase, discussion threads will be posted where people can share their progress.
Can I participate?
Yes! Timasomo is open to anyone on Tildes! Please make sure you are subscribed to ~creative.timasomo.
The greater Tildes community is also encouraged to participate in discussion threads even if you are not actively working towards a creative goal. This is meant to be an inclusive community event -- all are welcome!
If you are interested in participating but do not have a Tildes login, please e-mail the invite request address here for an invite to the community.
How do I sign up?
Make sure you are subscribed to ~creative.timasomo.
On October 1st, there will be a Roll Call thread. By posting your plans to participate in that thread, you have formally signed up for Timasomo!
Didn't it used to be in November?
Yes. Timasomo was originally inspired by NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month, which takes place in November.
Initially, I wanted people participating in NaNoWriMo to be able to share their work with Timasomo as well. Over the past three years, however, no participant has publicly submitted any work from NaNoWriMo to Timasomo. Instead, Timasomo has gained its own identity independent of NaNoWriMo.
Many participants from previous years have shared that October would be a better month for them personally, so we moved the event to October this year.
Also, the event was so fantastically popular that it regularly upstaged American Thanksgiving, thus we only felt it fair that Canadian Thanksgiving be targeted as well.
What are the rules?
Timasomo is self-driven and its goals are self-selected.
On October 1st, participants will commit to a creative project (or projects) that they plan to complete within the month of November.
There is no restriction on the methods/products of creativity: writing, painting, code, food, photos, crafts, songs -- if it's creative expression for you, it works for Timasomo!
Though most will be participating individually, collaborations are welcome too!
What is the schedule?
Timasomo begins October 1st and ends October 31st.
All creative output towards your goal(s) should be confined to this time.
This week prior to the start of October is for planning. There will be a few days at the beginning of November given to "finishing touches" before we have our final thread, which will be a showcase of all the completed works.
Below are the dates that I will be posting weekly threads:
Saturday, October 1, 2022: Roll Call Thread
Saturday, October 8, 2022: Update Thread #1
Saturday, October 15, 2022: Update Thread #2
Saturday, October 22, 2022: Update Thread #3
Saturday, October 29, 2022: Final Update Thread
Saturday, November 5, 2022: Timasomo Showcase Thread
Do I have to share my creation(s) publicly?
Tildes is a privacy-respecting site, and you are not obligated to share your creation here if you do not want to. We'd still love to hear about it though, if you're willing to share process and details!
Is it Timasomo or TiMaSoMo?
Either.
I personally use "Timasomo" because I think it looks cleaner and because too much time on the internet has made my brain incapable of reading "TiMaSoMo" as anything other than sarcasm, but go with whichever you prefer.
The best option, however, is βπ»π°π΄π¨πΊπΆπ΄πΆβ for reasons that are self-evident.
This Thread: Planning!
Post your ideas.
Give feedback to others.
Set up collaborations.
Ask questions.
Everything in this thread is non-commital! Bounce around ideas and figure out what you'd like to do in our communal brainstorming session.
Also, please do NOT start work on your project yet! Stage setting, planning, and other preparations are allowed (e.g. getting supplies/materials, setting up workspaces, etc.), but save the creation initiation for the 1st.
Get excited for another round of awesome projects!
Aha!
Not only do I have something that I can do this time, I also have a backup plan!
Surely, nothing can go wrong or fail in my plans this time...
Gosh, October already. Cripes. I have greatly enjoyed previous years so will have a think about something to do this year. Thanks @kfwyre!
I don't have much of an opinion on the meta situation because I rarely notice which group things are in anyway.
Pumped for this year's event! I am not sure if I will be able to finish what I start, as despite my best efforts October is going to be busy this year just like November usually is. That said, I have ideas!
Anyone who remembers my previous posts may notice the absence of the website I had been working on. I finally came around to the idea that if I need to use π»π°π΄π¨πΊπΆπ΄πΆ to be able to post there ever, and even sometimes not be able to manage then, maybe I don't actually like doing it. So I decided not to spend any more time on the idea and do stuff I like better instead.
Meta question for participants:
In previous years, Timasomo process threads have been in ~creative, while the final showcase thread has been in ~talk.
My intent in setting things up this way was to promote discussion on the showcase (since ~talk is our space for more casual conversation here), as well as allow the showcase to have a wider audience than those in ~creative (or this year, ~creative.timasomo).
Furthermore, I'm wary of the showcase thread "dying on the vine" by not generating much discussion and thus falling off quickly in Tildes' activity sort and not showing up in people's feeds.
Some people feel this setup splits the event, however, and can make it harder to follow, and I can see the issue there as well.
I want to turn the question over to people here: this year, should the showcase be posted to ~creative.timasomo which keeps it all under one roof, or should it be posted in ~talk where it might generate a bit more discussion?
There's a 300 subscriber difference between the two groups. I don't think it'll matter much.
Good point. Also, weβve got the new group this year, so Iβm thinking keeping it all under one roof is best.
A few days ago I alluded to a WebExtension I'm thinking of making. So, I think π»π°π΄π¨πΊπΆπ΄πΆ (also this is how it should be written) may be the great coincidence to make me do it.
Also also you put October 5th for the showcase, which I think is supposed to be November.Fixed. :DI'm feeling pulled in two directions right now -- and I might go for both?
It's become clear to me that, despite my best intentions, I'll leave my blog to rot if I'm not pressed to actually write for it. Timasomo is a great excuse for that, and I also have the skeleton for a post that I've been wanting to write since last year. Last year I wrote Grades as communication, but what I didn't really share is that I actually intended that to be a "Part One". Part Two was intended to be titled "Grades as garbage" but I never got it off the ground after Timasomo ended. It's been an open door ever since that's bothered me, so this is probably the ideal (and only) time to close it.
On the other hand, I feel like choosing writing for Timasomo is intentionally going with a comfortable lane, and I'd like to push myself a bit out of my comfort zone. In 2019 I did a short "visual novel" in Ren'Py (though it literally had no images, so -- digital novel?) and it was very cool doing something game-adjacent. I loved being able to actually run the program on my computer and point at it and go "I MADE THAT HAPPEN" to myself.
Part of me is considering starting up the Your first 2D game tutorial for Godot and seeing where that takes me. I'm under no illusions that I can get very far in a month and actually make a full game (much less one actually worth playing), but if I can end the month with a hacky game prototype that's at least partly the result of my own efforts, then I'll consider that a success.
Text adventure?
I haven't done it because I always find something else to go do for a bit but I think if you followed that tutorial you could definitely get something done. I'd found a tutorial that was "Pick up a key, unlock a door" and it was pretty straightforward.
Maybe you could do something between making a game and writing a story and use something like rpg maker to do a story in rpg form? I've never used the software before though, so maybe I'm wildly misunderstanding how it works.
I've done a bit with RPG Maker before actually, but the itch I want to scratch isn't actually a story told through a game but a bona fide game itself. Like, if I could eventually make a simple Breakout clone I would be over the moon.
The past two years I've watched people do amazing things, on here, but never had the time.
This time around, I just got laid off, have two months of free time, which fits perfectly, so I'll do something I've been putting off for... way too long:
I'll build an automatic plant-watering system for indoor plants:
Ideally, it's all battery-powered [I've got some small LiPos lying around], but if I have to run some wires, so be it.
If everything turns out great, I'll give myself bonus points for setting up a 433MHz sender on the thing, with a Rasberry Pi receiver, that centrally monitors N potential watering stations throughout the house.
Oh wow! It's Timasomo time again already? Very cool! I have been really busy lately, but I definitely will join and find some time to create something. Don't know what it will be yet, probably some music or a game again, but it will definitely be a "something" :).
It's a bit earlier than last year, since last year it was in November.
Ohhh! I just ordered supplies to crochet a sweater, and π»π°π΄π¨πΊπΆπ΄πΆ is great motivation to actually get it done and not give up halfway through.
π»π°π΄π¨πΊπΆπ΄πΆ πΊπΎπ¬π¨π»π¬πΉ
I love it.
I've made quite a few knives for timasomo in the past but I have recently acquired some new tools (mmm, milling machine, and yummy bandsaw) and I want to try something different. Also I've been making knives for money so now I'm bored of that. This year I shall attempt something which has been floating around in my head for a while now - a camping hammer.
It needs to be lightweight but not so lightweight to be useless. Actually, compact is maybe more important than light, thinking about it. The kind of camping we do involves a car full of gear, so weight is not so much of an issue. Our tent alone takes two to lift... It needs to be of the right material so it doesn't trash mild steel or nylon-headed tent pegs, but also strong enough that the pegs don't trash it in return (lost a few rubber mallets to that). It needs to be damp-proof because there's always damp. It definitely needs a peg-pulling aid of some sort. Additionally the usual good hammer qualities are required - comfortable, weight balance arranged sensibly, shock-absorbing, etc. Also it should look pretty, because everything should look pretty.
I have actual work to do today but I suspect I'm actually going to be spending quite a bit of time at the design whiteboard and ordering parts/tooling..
Iβd love to see this! I have a small hammer I take camping on my bicycle trips, and itβs one of my favorite tools.
I'm not totally sure what I'd like to do this year. It might be a good time to get back on the Maya train or try to finish up some of my projects. I have a lot of outstanding random crafty stuff to complete.
If I come up with something, I'll be sure to post. Otherwise I hope timasomo goes well for everyone! I'll be sure to lurk!
Wine Labels! I went through the process of designing wine labels last year but never completed the project as I needed to find a laser cutter and self adhesive paper. Honestly, I just got lazy. I figure by making it my Timasomo I'll actually follow it all the way through this year!
I've recently moved, and while most of the house has gotten under control there are two big areas under my purview that are still uncontrolled - my office, and the garage. I will probably "make" a space in one of them.
If it is the office, this will be unpacking, getting some storage put together, installing a mini-kitchenette on one end, and generally bringing everything together in a way that I could invite clients or coworkers if needed.
If it is the garage, get everything organized, change the shelving situation all around, and make it so that the cars can be parked inside.
I'm thinking of writing a four-track techno EP, a track a week, just take a forced march approach into some styles I like, but don't like my output of. I think my final goal will be a release on the last Monday of the month with album art and everything. It's pretty rare I actually finish a track, so it would be interesting to see what happens with hard deadlines.
I'm also throwing my hat in the ring! Started working on some music recently but in a bit of a slump. TiMaSoMo proved invaluable last year for getting stuff done so I'm hoping it works again.