Wanting to Get Active Again After the Pandemic
During my university years, I once built a writing community called Akara Mind, officially formed on 5 March 2022. To me, Akara Mind was never just a community or a platform for publishing writing. It became one of the journeys that taught me how a simple idea can grow into something real.
It all started after the COVID-19 pandemic, when campus activities began returning to in-person classes. After spending a long stretch of student life in a limited way, I started wanting to get active again and join organizations. I felt that university wasn't only about attending lectures, but also about finding experiences, meeting people, and building something outside the classroom.
Why Not the Student Press
At the time, I was interested in joining the Student Press Institute (LPM). The world of writing and media felt close to my own interests. But after seeing the state of the organization, I felt its activities weren't running the way I'd hoped. I also thought that if I joined, there would be a lot to fix before things could really work.
That's where the idea of building something of my own came from.
From a Personal Blog to Blogging Together
Around that time, I had already started writing and building a personal blog. I enjoyed the process, from writing and managing posts to publishing work online. From that experience came a simple idea: what if I invited a few friends to learn and blog together?
I started gathering friends who shared the same interest. At first, there were only four of us: me, Fiqri, Jofan, and Nisa. We didn't start with a big organizational structure or a fully thought-out concept. Everything began from a simple wish to have a shared space to write, exchange ideas, and learn.
Over time, Aghnia and Retno joined us. Our small group began to grow and slowly took on its own identity. From that process, the name Akara Mind was born.
What "Akara Mind" Means
The name Akara Mind blends Sanskrit and English. Akara means form or shape, while Mind speaks for itself. The name captures the idea we wanted to carry from the start: that every thought and idea deserves the chance to take shape.
Through writing, an idea that once only existed in someone's head can become something real, something that can be shared with others.
More Than Writing: Managing Posts and People
Akara Mind grew into a platform that gave space to its contributors' work. Everyone carries a different point of view, a different story, a different way of thinking. We tried to give all of that room to take shape through writing.
But building Akara Mind ended up teaching me far more than writing ever could.
From this small community, I learned about managing posts, keeping publishing consistent. I learned about managing people, working alongside others with different personalities and different schedules. I also started picking up design, blogging, platform management, and a range of other creative and technical skills.
Much of what I learned didn't come from theory. It came directly from the process of building and running the thing itself.
Learning Through the Process, Not a Perfect Plan
There was a lot we figured out while doing it. Not everything worked smoothly from the start. But it was exactly that process that taught me something important: building anything doesn't mean you need to have it all figured out from day one.
Sometimes, you just need to start with an idea.
Then bring in the right people.
Learn as you go.
And let the process shape the journey itself.
To me, Akara Mind is proof of that.
More Than a Writing Community
A community that began from my own wish to get active again after the pandemic, an interest in blogging, and a simple invitation to a few friends to write together. From that small group, we tried to build a space that could hold both thought and work.
Akara Mind was never just a writing community.
To me, Akara Mind is one of the first places where I learned to build something together with other people. A journey that taught me about creativity, management, collaboration, and the courage to start.
And true to what its name means, Akara Mind will always remind me that a thought can find its shape, once we're brave enough to start giving it one.