Journey of Crafting a Personal Website: A Reflection on Dedication and Simplicity
After two years of development, I am thrilled to unveil a project that embodies persistence, creativity, and a desire for authentic expression. While the process wasn’t hindered by technical challenges, it demanded patience and unwavering commitment—something I am immensely proud of achieving.
Note: This is a detailed account, so grab a coffee. If you’re short on time, a quick summary might be helpful, though I can’t promise one.
Throughout my career, I possessed the necessary skills and ideas but lacked the right mindset to bring this project to fruition. My previous experiences working with companies that championed “innovation” often led to disillusionment, especially when the focus shifted away from genuine creativity to superficial obligations. It became an exhausting cycle.
Deciding to shift gears, I built this site explicitly for myself—a customized platform that allows my true voice and personality to shine through.
You can view the live site here: ujjwalvivek.com. It’s intentionally simple, intentionally stripped down, and a deliberate departure from complex tech stacks. I embraced minimalism, aiming for authenticity over ornate features.
Technology Choices
- A straightforward React.js setup
- Markdown for content management
- No CSS frameworks, no tracking tools, no SEO optimizations
- No cookie-cutting analytics or invasive scripts
Key Features and Customizations
- Styled Markdown: Personalized and tailored for a clean, minimalist aesthetic.
- Procedural Backgrounds: Generating dynamic backgrounds on the fly. Currently CPU-bound, but exploring GPU acceleration via WebGPU for enhanced performance.
- Theme Awareness: The site adapts to light and dark modes. Achieving consistent effects across browsers (like WebKit) has been a challenge—tips are welcome!
- PDF Viewer: Integrated with pdf.js, though I’m seeking more robust methods to customize styles uniformly across platforms.
- Easter Egg & Hidden Content: A little surprise awaits curious visitors—if you happen to stumble upon it, I’d love to hear your thoughts or playful roast.
- Posts as Commits: Each post is styled as a code commit, hinting at potential future integration with a more comprehensive CMS.
- Motion and Animation: Currently quite lively, with plans for a “low chaos” mode for visitors sensitive to motion.
Reflections & Future Plans
While the site remains a work
