After months of delays and interruptions, I’ve finally been able to deploy my personal website. It’s a work in progress, so I imagine the purpose and principles for this site will evolve over time as well. But in general I hope it can become a growing repository to showcase my work, experiments, projects, thoughts, code, etc.
The basic structure and design of this site had been implemented about four months ago, but I’ve added and removed some parts and components since then. You can check out the source code if you’re so inclined.
Overall Purpose
So, what are some of my motivations for this site? Currently, I’d like to keep this somewhat broad. But the overall goal is for me to become a better designer, front-end developer, thinker and a writer.
I’d like to enrich my professional skills by utilizing “writing as thinking,” so to speak. To essay, to try out new ideas, concepts, codes, experiments, etc. Writing as a process of externalizing thinking, self-directed pedagogy and conscious formulation of ideas.
The other goal of writing is to learn—actively, not passively—through self-directed projects and reading. One of the best ways to understand concepts, particularly difficult ones, is to try to explain them.
Topics of Inquiry
So, expect to see articles from me on design, development, showcases of projects, experiments in code, and more. Smaller notes, experiments and marginalia will be published in my notes scratchpad. This writing area will allow for more formalized, longer-form content than the scratchpad.
In terms of design, I will be focusing on sharpening my skills in UX design, web application design, illustration and more. Alongside that will be work done in CSS, HTML, SCSS/LESS, etc. I hope to write more on the history of design and art too — to help focus on design theory informing color, composition, typography, etc.
In terms of coding and development, I will be experimenting with JavaScript and JS frameworks (jQuery, Angular, Meteor, etc) primarily. But that may change. I may even dabble in another programming language or paradigm if time permits.
But I hope that’s not all — focusing only in one’s speciality can lead to a dull narrowness. I’d like to allow this space to be a place where I can write on my other interests as well: literature, film, art, music, history, science, typography, design history, etc. Stay tuned.