📼 Curate

A lot of my friendships begin with art.

There's something really special about a shared appreciation for creative work. Music, film, television, literature... nothing makes me feel seen like finding someone else who already knows my "deep cuts," who recommends shows I love, or who shares new movies that remind me of my old favorites. Curate began with a desire to capture that magic.

Most of my friendships are still scored by a steady stream of recommendations: you've got to listen to this new album. Did you catch the new season? I read this and thought of you. They're dropped into a conversation or message or dm, present for a moment, then slowly disappear into history as everyday chatting takes their place.

The people I surround myself with could really use a dedicated space for these kind of recommendations. What if, the next time I had an evening and didn't know how to spend it, that list of experiences was waiting for me? At its most simple, that's what Curate is: a way for me and the people I trust to keep track of the art we share with one another. At its most ambitious, it lets anyone be that friend for people they'll never meet, spreading the art they love so everyone else can enjoy it too.

My partner John and I designed the core experience in late 2018 and I spent early 2019 prototyping the experience with React. I revisit it about once a year with a fresh eye and some new technology to try out (like implementing the core UI in React Native in early 2021).

We've set it aside for the time being while we solve more pressing challenges, but the itch it scratches isn't going away. Maybe we'll be back at it again soon. In the meantime, you can see a few screens in action below: