There’s something very humbling about breaking your own website and then having to fix it because, well… you’re the only one around to do it. Ottawa Valley Creations has officially moved (again), and this time it’s for keeps — I think. The move is part of my ongoing mission toward internet sovereignty: the idea that creators should own their own platforms, their own data, and their own little patch of the digital earth.
Of course, I say that like I have any formal training in web administration. I do not. Not even a little bit. Every plugin, line of code, and domain migration I’ve done so far has been powered entirely by research, caffeine, and mild panic. But honestly? It’s been kind of amazing to learn how much you can do without a tech degree or a dedicated IT department.
Internet sovereignty, for me, isn’t about building a digital fortress — it’s about independence. It’s about not being beholden to algorithms, ad policies, or corporations that can decide overnight that your livelihood violates their “community standards.” It’s about resilience. It’s about knowing that if something goes wrong, I can roll up my sleeves, poke at the code until it behaves, and keep creating anyway.
And yes, it’s also about the comedy of errors that comes with doing it yourself. Every time I think I’ve mastered my setup, I discover a new button labeled “advanced” that opens an entire new level of chaos. I’ve learned to back up my backups, clear caches like I’m performing an exorcism, and never underestimate the power of turning it off and on again. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.
But through all the chaos, I’ve also learned that the internet — the real, free, independent internet — is still alive and well. It lives in the spaces we build ourselves. So, if you’ve stuck around through the moves, the downtime, and the inevitable “under construction” pages, thank you. This little corner of the web may be held together with duct tape and stubbornness, but it’s ours.
(And if the site goes down again, it’s definitely because I’m doing something very smart and technical. Promise.)
🌱 Support the Current and Keep It Flowing
If you’d like to help keep OVC afloat and support my work as an independent artist and maker, you can contribute to the Mutual Aid Fund — every bit goes toward sustaining the creative current that keeps this space alive. Or, if you’d rather, visit the Shop: Made by Me | Oddity & Convenience.