There's probably something important I should be doing, but this is what I've been working on instead.

You might be asking yourself "Is this seriously the website she's using to promote her work?"

Valid question. There are a lot of platforms that allow you to create a professional website in minutes with little to no technical knowledge whatsoever. Why wouldn't I want to promote my work and myself on a platform that promises a polished look with minimal effort?

Honestly? I, unfortunately, like to take pride in everything I do and make. In the past I've used Wix, Shopify, and Squarespace to host my websites and they did look professional with almost no stress involved.

The problem is that it was too easy. The premade templates not only took the reward of accomplishment out of the process, but also boxed me in. I hated how clunky the websites were and the prioritization of fool-proof ease of use actually limited my ability to do anything about it. They stifled my creativity and made me feel like a child who can't be trusted with their personal belongings.

HTML and CSS? That makes me feel like a child whose potential is only limited by their own perseverance and maybe acts of god. I feel encouraged to explore and try new things and see what happens. Who's going to stop me? My only limitations here are my own abilities and I'm pretty good at figuring things out so as soon as I'm done reading this tutorial and figuring out why it's not working for me, watch out.

It also makes me feel empowered. In a time when I am constantly bombarded by messages from people showing how they use generative AI to create on their behalf and how they leverage that as a means to some short-sighted end, I can't help but feel like it's more important than ever to remember how to do things myself. I don't want to rely on some product or service that can make all my dreams come true at the click of a button. I want to make my dreams come true myself because that sense of accomplishment is the payoff, both means and end.

In a time when we are being told to off-load as much as possible to automation in the name of efficiency and churning out more and more and more, it almost feels like an act of rebellion to hone my skills to do better and better and better. When some day comes that the shortcuts aren't available (I have a data center background and I know more outages are coming), I don't want to be stuck unable to create because I forgot how.

So here I am, bumbling around a text-editor and a guide that's telling me the HTML I used in my youth is now deprecated, forcing me to learn the new conventions in what feels like a endangered skill.

If you want to see what that looks like, take a moment to explore.

Insert floppy disk to continue.