Why did you start blogging in the first place?

I started blogging when I was still learning front-end development—specifically CSS—back in 2012. I was learning a lot and writing what I was learning as a way to organize my thoughts and solidify my learnings, and at some point I realized that my notes can help others learn and understand the same.

So, I created my blog a few months later in order to share my knowledge with the community.

I love writing and I love teaching, and I found blogging to be one way I can bring together two things I love, and to give a little back to the web community.

What platform are you using to manage your blog and why did you choose it? Have you blogged on other platforms before?

I use Eleventy.

Before Eleventy I used Jekyll.

I don’t choose my tools based on what’s most popular at any given moment. I choose the tool or platform that works for me and stick with it until I find myself in need of something else.

I moved from Jekyll to Eleventy when I needed more flexibility with how I wanted to structure my website’s source code and with how I style the different pages on the website. Eleventy still fits my needs perfectly until this day.

How do you write your posts? For example, in a local editing tool, or in a panel/dashboard that’s part of your blog?

I collect ideas, plan blog posts, and start drafting them in Obsidian. When a draft becomes close enough to publishing, I move it into my code editor where I will refine and polish it before I finally hit Deploy.

I write in Markdown (.md) files in both Obsidian and my code editor, so moving from one tool to the other is quite effortless.

When do you feel most inspired to write?

When I want to turn the chaos in my head into order. This typically happens when I’m learning a new topic or idea, or when I’m teaching and helping others understand new topics or ideas.

I’m most inspired by helping others understand what is otherwise a complex or confusing topic, and seeing other people’s eyes light up when they finally get that “ah-ha” moment. ✨ I mostly get to see this when I speak or run workshops in person, but the same also happens through writing as well.

Do you publish immediately after writing, or do you let it simmer a bit as a draft?

I publish immediately. Once a post is out there, it’s out there; and then I can move on and start working on the next thing.

What are you generally interested in writing about?

HTML, CSS, SVG, web accessibility, progressive enhancement, and how to use Web platform features to create inclusive Web user interfaces.

What’s your favorite post on your blog?

Understanding SVG Coordinate Systems and Transformations (Part 1) — The viewport, viewBox, and preserveAspectRatio, hands down!

This post was the result of two weeks of deep-diving into the gnarly SVG specification, which resulted in me creating the interactive demo by which I got my first SVG epiphany! 💡 SVG became my niche for years after that.

This post is also the reason hundreds (probably thousands!) of developers finally grapsed SVG coordinate systems and got their own SVG lightbulb moment. 💡 This one will always hold a special place in my heart.

Who are you writing for?

I started blogging for myself and for my future self. Now, I also write more for the community.

I start the writing process for myself; but I publish what I write for the community.

Any future plans for your blog? Maybe a redesign, a move to another platform, or adding a new feature?

I’m taking a comprehensive design course at the moment (ShiftNudge, in case you’re wondering) and am planning on redesigning my website as I go through the course. I will also be refactoring the code from the ground up this year. I’ll add new features during all of this, and will announce them in due time.

Next?

The format dictates I nominate other people to write a post like this. However, instead of nominating someone who may or may not be interested in joining the chain letter and who may instead feel pressured into doing so, I’m going to nominate you, dear reader, if you have a blog are keen to join us and share some about it.

If you don’t have a blog, I hope this series of posts by people like you will inspire you to start writing, and sharing what you write with the world. Just write, and great things may follow.