i think my biggest regret re: cohost is not being more open about my interests sooner tbh
i've spent the majority of my life (so far) being incredibly reserved about my interests. the reasons why are complicated, and range from overbearing adults in my early life pressuring me to monetize my hobbies to pathological demand avoidance. whatever the exact reasons are, suffice it to say that sharing my interests with others has always been a point of contention for me
i always thought i'd get laughed off the internet for having a hobby i wasn't already good at. that if i were new at something, i better hide the interest altogether until i had reached an intermediate skill level. only then did i feel comfortable sharing
but here? on cohost?
i saw all sorts of people try things for the first time. people who reached their mid-life picking up art for the first time. established artists branching out into nsfw and/or furry art for the first time. new game devs, musicians, essayists, you name it
and that made me feel like it was okay to be new at something too
and so i started posting about stuff i was struggling with, both in my life and with regards to my new hobbies. people listened and offered me advice and resources
for the first time in my life, i got to slough off the crushing weight of perfectionism in a community space. and that freed me up to actually enjoy the process of learning (both by myself and around others)
and because of that? i'm actually starting to learn a couple programming languages. something i've been wanting to do for YEARS but never felt like i was allowed to because i would be "bad" at it.
thank you everyone, and i hope to keep finding communities like this one. communities where i can keep being new at things, learning new skills around other newbies, share what i've learned, and hopefully even get help/advice from more experienced folks
i'll carry the lessons i learned here for a very long time.