The "Serious Work" of Web Creation
As the first post on this blog, I feel this should have something of a welcoming quality to it, so, "Welcome!" Whatever your reasons for stumbling across this space, I'm glad you're here, and I hope you find something of value, whether it's simply learning a little more about who I am or perhaps hiring me on to officiate your wedding ceremony.
This is not my first attempt at carving out a personal corner of the internet to call my own; myriad sites, services, and blogs have preceded it. This is, however, the first time I feel like I've created something substantive that reflects my intent. Whether it was only my concerns about content generation, the limitations of previous platforms, or my own lack of knowledge on design and coding, I feel as though a number of hurdles are being overcome with the creation of this site.
The technical hurdles are certainly far from the least of these. Squarespace has been a remarkable tool, especially for a less-technically-adroit user like myself, and I am grateful that such services now exist to facilitate my web presence. It's been a remarkable teaching tool, too, leading me down many a web forum rabbit hole in an attempt to "hide x menu function on y page" or otherwise manipulate the base product. In doing so, I've picked up more knowledge of HTML and CSS than I'd yet accrued previously; moreover, it's been an inspiration to educate myself further, and I've begun to delve into Javascript and J-Query as well. In this, Jon Duckett's books on the subject have been invaluable, for a book-loving individual like myself; they are beautifully-designed, thorough, and so far I couldn't recommend them more.
More than anything, though, the tinkering approach to web design has guided me. By playing around with CSS, HTML, Markdown, and other languages, I've begun to learn how to express content in a way that I find, at the very least, satisfactory. With this, I've had the full range of joys and frustrations when the process veers from "successful" to "unstoppable-train wreck"; it been a fascinating process, though, and I'm glad to finally be tackling it in a serious manner.
So, keep your eyes on this space, and expect some further updates on all manner of subjects, from weddings to ethics to international trade and beyond. I'm looking forward to writing a little more, and hopefully somebody else out there will enjoy the process as much as I will; if nothing else, a little feedback is always welcome!
