Rebuilding This Website

This version of my website is a departure from my old philosophy. I have shifted from performance to experience. Shu Ding's website heavily inspired this redesign—I borrowed many details, including layout, font choices, and transition animations. I find it elegant and timeless.

I chose to build this using Next.js, without MDX or any other content layer. Each post is written in React, allowing me to embed any component anywhere—creating an interactive medium through which I can express my ideas. My last website, built in Ghost, felt stifling. Adding custom pages was impossible. Interactivity was a challenge. I considered Substack, but it was limited too. Custom React feels right. Handcrafted. Simple. Expressive. A blank canvas for my thoughts.

I am inspired to create. I've enjoyed sifting through my old notes, finding gems to cut and polish. I have aspirations for what I might make. But there is fear too. Fear of being judged. Fear of failing. Fear of doing something new.

At worst, that fear consumes me—leaving me stranded between my old life and my new self. At best, I alchemize it into motivation. Faced with the choice between the pain of conformity and the pain of individuation, I choose the latter.

You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.

I don't know what lies on the other side of this experience. But I'm excited to find out. If you're here, I hope you'll stick around. There's more to come—whatever it ends up becoming.