The FollySoft Manifesto

An indefinitely in-progress document.

I’ve noticed this pattern in my own creative life - I float around playing with ideas until one sticks.  I pursue that idea until I lose interest in it.  I spend a lot of time wondering why I bother with these small creative pursuits.  Then, from some of the oddest places, I find some little nugget of truth that reminds me of the importance of what I do.  This manifesto is an effort to collect those nuggets in one place, so that I (or maybe others like me) can come back to them when I’m feeling a bit lost.

In August of 2024, I changed many of my online handles to FollySoft, this living manifesto will hopefully help explain why.  These are reflections of myself and my own creative practice, but perhaps you can uncover your own truths in it as well.

Folly offers a taste of the salt of the earth.

You’re allowed to recognize the pinky toe as a rather silly appendage, but an important one to maintain balance.  


You’re encouraged to be neither over wise nor over foolish.

You’re allowed to embrace immediacy, and achieve it through simplicity.

You’re encouraged to celebrate imperfections in yourself and in your work.

You need not be ashamed to feel like an amateur, for it brings you freedom that professionals are deprived of.

It’s ok to simply trust, rather than find reason, in the creative process.  This opens us up to a more playful mindset and allows meaning to arise where it will.

Dial down self-interest, or remove it completely, in an effort to better trust and better play.

You should embrace laughter throughout the process.

It’s alright if your work isn’t making any statements - that can be a statement in and of itself.

Don’t forget that subversion is a powerful tool.

There’s a great big world beyond your fences and boundary lines, but don’t underestimate the value of what you have in your own backyard.

Folly shouldn’t necessitate a manifesto, but here you are looking at one anyway.