Journey of Building a Personal Website: A Two-Year Tale of Creativity and Persistence
Creating a simple yet meaningful website often seems straightforward, but sometimes it becomes a journey of discovery, patience, and self-expression. After two years of dedicated effort, I am thrilled to unveil a project that embodies these principlesโcrafted entirely for myself, free from the constraints of complex technology stacks or external pressures.
The Motivation Behind the Project
Throughout my career, Iโve accumulated the skills and ideas necessary to build. However, I realized that certain barriersโwhether internal doubts or external constraintsโdelayed my progress. Working within corporate environments that claimed to prioritize “innovation” often proved frustrating, especially when faced with the reality of navigating focus groups and resisting superficial demands. This experience inspired me to create something purely for my own fulfillmentโa platform that truly reflects myVoice and vision.
A Minimalist Approach with Purpose
The final product isnโt driven by elaborate frameworks or layers of analytics. Instead, it emphasizes simplicity, quality, and personal meaning. The core technology stack includes:
- React.js for interactivity
- Markdown for content management
- Minimal to no CSS frameworks, trackers, or SEO optimization
Using this streamlined setup, I aimed to focus on what truly mattersโclean design, meaningful content, and creative expression.
Key Features and Creative Touches
Hereโs a glimpse into what Iโve thoughtfully integrated into this site:
- Customized Markdown Styling: Personalized presentation for a distinctive reading experience.
- Procedural Backgrounds: Dynamic visuals generated in real-time, currently CPU-bound but exploring GPU acceleration for smoother performance.
- Theme Awareness: Supporting light and dark modes, with ongoing tweaks to improve contrast and readability across browsers, especially WebKit-based ones.
- Integrated PDF Viewer: Utilizing pdf.js for in-browser document viewing; seeking ways to refine style consistency across platforms.
- Easter Eggs & Hidden Surprises: Small playful elementsโlet me know if you stumblะต upon one or two!
- Content as Commits: Posts are presented as code commits, hinting at future possibilities for a custom content management system.
- Dynamic Motion: Bold animations and transitionsโthough Iโm considering a โlow motionโ mode to make the experience more accessible.
The Road Ahead
Admittedly, the site remains a work in progressโglitches, experimental features, and all. Yet, itโs alive, and I