Celebrating a Personal Milestone: Unveiling a Handmade Website After Two Years of Dedication
After two years of persistent craftsmanship, I am thrilled to present my latest personal project—a website built entirely for myself. This journey was driven not by technological complexity but by a desire for authentic expression and creative fulfillment. Today, I want to share the story behind this endeavor, the technical choices made, and the lessons learned along the way.
The Journey Beyond Technical Challenges
While I possessed the necessary skills and ideas, I often found myself held back by internal doubts and external expectations. Many years were spent contributing to organizations that championed innovation, only to encounter hurdles when it came to executing focused projects or confronting challenging questions. This made the process draining and, at times, nauseating.
So, I decided to shift gears. Instead of fitting into someone else’s mold, I created a platform tailored exclusively for my personal voice—a handcrafted space where I can be seen and heard on my own terms.
A Minimalist Approach with a Personal Touch
This website doesn’t rely on a sprawling tech stack. Instead, I opted for simplicity, emphasizing core functionality and personal expression. Technologies used include:
- Basic React.js setup
- Markdown for content formatting
- No CSS frameworks
- No analytics or trackers
- No SEO optimizations (because, honestly, this site is for me)
Key Features and Innovations
Despite its minimalist foundation, this site incorporates several custom and experimental features:
- Styled Markdown: Enhancing readability and aesthetic appeal.
- Procedural Backgrounds: Generating backgrounds dynamically, initially through CPU-based computations. I’m exploring WebGPU to offload rendering to the GPU for smoother visuals.
- Theme Awareness: Implementing a theme switcher capable of adapting across browsers. Achieving consistency across WebKit was particularly challenging, especially ensuring readability and contrast.
- PDF Integration: Using pdf.js for embedded PDF viewing. I’m seeking advice on customizing viewer styles to match the site’s vibe uniformly across platforms.
- Easter Eggs: Hidden surprises that invite exploration. If you stumble upon them, I’d love to hear your thoughts or humorous roasts.
- Content as Commits: Organizing posts like version control commits, hinting at potential future integration with a more traditional CMS.
- Enhanced Motion Controls: Currently quite animated, there’s consideration for implementing a “low chaos” mode to accommodate viewers sensitive to motion.
Reflection and Future Directions
