My name is Philipp and you are reading Creativerly, the internet corner where I unpack my musings, curate and write about noteworthy apps and software, and explore the latest trends in design and tech.

Hey and welcome to Creativerly 346 👋

I have been subscribed to a couple of newsletters in the past which did something similar to Creativerly's Mental wealth section, curating articles and blog posts from across the web. But most of the time, those curated articles were not from around the web, but rather from Substack, most, well even all of them were from Substack.

For multiple reasons, I am no longer supporting Substack in any way, and whenever the company pops up for all the wrong reasons in the news again, I spread the word that writers should leave that hellhole behind, and switch to one of the countless alternatives out there.

What fascinated me though with those newsletters and their "curated" articles is that it seems like Substack is not only locking in writers on their platform, but readers as well. Sure, there is still a large number of high-profile journalists and independent writers publishing on Substack, and they draw a lot of attention, but I truly believe we should take a broader view, and open up to the broad internet, which is packed with lovely blogs and writers. I know it can be hard to discover them, but simply sticking to Substack will also not do the trick, so instead of waiting until the posts come your way, it should be more common to head out and look for them. There are dedicated search engines like feedle which can help you with the search. Or you try wiby, Curlie, Marginalia Search, or searchmysite, which all provide you with a gate to the lovely indie web.

But also simply browsing through Mastodon and Bluesky turned my attention to so many great posts, published on independent sites and blogs, rather than one of the hellholes of the internet.

This all brings me to the conclusion, that it is harder to only consume on Substack, instead of exploring what the internet has actually been made for.

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Fresh Updates & News

Vivaldi 7.6 for mobile delivers a faster and smoother browsing experience →

Vivaldi just rolled out version 7.6 for iOS and Android, and it is packed with upgrades that make reading, searching, and multitasking feel like a breeze. Whether you are an iOS user craving a more focused reading experience or an Android fan looking for better bookmark organization, this update delivers thoughtful polish where it matters most. Header over to the linked blog post to get an in-depth overview of what is new and what has been improved.

Webstudio launches Inception beta →

Webstudio, the open-source Framer and Webflow alternative, just dropped the beta of Inception, an AI tool designed to supercharge your web design workflow. It is not just another design tool, it is a creative playground that bridges the gap between ideation and production-ready code, all while keeping your creative juices flowing. Inception reimagines the design process by letting you iterate 10x faster and get pixel-perfect results that translate directly into production. No more lost-in-translation moments between design and code, what you see is what you get, every time.

Mastodon is working on „Packs“ →

With the fragmentation of social media initiated by the exodus of Twitter after Elon Musk took over and turned it into a nazi Bar, loads of User fled to Mastodon and Bluesky, just to find themselves with empty timelines, as they had to build their following list from scratch. Well, this is partially true since Bluesky pioneered a feature called „Starter Packs“, giving users the possibility to curate and share their own collection of recommended accounts, providing a great starting point when joining the platform.

In a recently published blog post, Imani Joy, Product Designer at Mastodon, shared how they are envisioning these kinds of user-generated, curated collections to help people to find their tribe more quickly when they join the Fediverse.

Mental Wealth

❯ Making friends with your past and future selves – “When asked why he didn’t begin writing novels until his 30s, the celebrated Czech author Milan Kundera said he didn’t have the requisite experience when he was younger. “This jerk that I was, I wouldn’t like to see him,” he added.”

❯ Write That Sh*t Down – “Whenever I ask someone where they keep their ideas, they generally point to the same place — their head. Yep, index finger to forehead, “It’s all right here,” they tell me. Your brain is a funny place. On the one hand, it’s a factory, churning out idea after idea.On the other hand, your brain is like a warehouse. It’s where you store all of these ideas.”

❯ Getting Through to People – “I’ve watched good ideas die in conference rooms not because they were wrong, but because they were presented badly. For instance, two executives present the same cost-cutting proposal. One gets immediate buy-in. The other faces twenty minutes of skeptical questions. The data was identical. So what made the difference?”

❯ The Last Days Of Social Media – “At first glance, the feed looks familiar, a seamless carousel of “For You” updates gliding beneath your thumb. But déjà‑vu sets in as 10 posts from 10 different accounts carry the same stock portrait and the same breathless promise — “click here for free pics” or “here is the one productivity hack you need in 2025.” Swipe again and three near‑identical replies appear, each from a pout‑filtered avatar directing you to “free pics.” Between them sits an ad for a cash‑back crypto card.”

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Appendix

❯ ICYMI

Tired of complex note-taking apps? Discover Popt, a smart, simple iOS app that auto-tags contacts, places, and dates, making notes fast, fun, and effortless. You should not have to worry about creating a bunch of backlinks, connections, numerous folders in order to get the most out of your note-taking practice. Note-taking should simple, plain, fast, smart, seamless, and fun. And with this post, I am excited to introduce you to a fresh new app that ticks all those boxes. Let us dive into my newest deep dive about Popt.

❯ Quick Bits

Till next time! 👋‌‌‌‌

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