Building a Personal Website from Scratch: A Two-Year Journey of Simplicity and Innovation

Creating a straightforward yet meaningful website took me two years—not because of technical challenges, but because of personal growth and perseverance. Today, I’m excited to share this project with you, reflecting on the process and the lessons learned along the way.

A Reflection on the Creative Process

Having the skills and ideas was never the issue. The real hurdle was cultivating the right mindset to see this vision through. After years of attempting to develop projects for organizations that championed “innovation” but often backed away from difficult questions or focused execution, I realized I needed to build something solely for myself.

This website represents a tailored space—a handcrafted platform for the version of me that simply wants to be seen and heard. It’s not loaded with complex tech stacks or unnecessary features but instead emphasizes authenticity and simplicity.

Technology Choices

My goal was to keep things lightweight and avoid the clutter often associated with modern web development. Consequently, I chose a minimalist approach:

• Core Framework: Classic React.js for dynamic functionality.
• Content Format: Markdown for easy content management.
• Additional Features: None of the usual additions like CSS frameworks, analytics, or tracking scripts—just pure, clean code.

Innovative Elements Incorporated

Despite the minimalism, I pushed the boundaries of typical static sites by integrating several custom features:

• Styled Markdown: Enhanced the visual presentation of markdown content for better readability.
• Procedural Backgrounds: Generated dynamic backgrounds on the fly. Currently CPU-based, with future plans to leverage WebGPU for smoother rendering.
• Theme Sensitivity: Built to adapt across light and dark modes, though adjusting certain visual effects like blurring across all browsers has been challenging. Advice on making theme awareness more seamless would be appreciated.
• PDF Integration: Used pdf.js to embed PDFs directly into the site. I’m exploring methods to modify default viewer styles for a more cohesive aesthetic.
• Easter Egg: Hidden surprises that invite exploration—feedback or discoveries are welcome!
• Commit-Style Posts: Content arranged as commit messages, hinting at a version-controlled storytelling approach. Considering a full-fledged CMS upgrade in the future.
• Motion Effects: An abundance of animations and transitions—though I’m contemplating a “minimal motion” mode for accessibility and user comfort.

Progress and Goals

This project remains a work in progress—glitchy at times, continually evolving, but