blood: Behind the scenes of creative work, by neat focus.

I guess it was inevitable. Every few months, I create a new blog. And I’ve been doing “website stuff“ (web design & development) for almost a decade. But I’ve resisted creating a blog about web design & development until now.

My biggest reason for not writing about the very craft that has consumed nearly half my life: talking about this stuff bores me.

The conflict

I love doing stuff. Making things better. But having lengthy discussions about what web standards “means” and debating HTML5 tags is not how I dream of spending my free time. These discussions should take place (and I observe them every now and then), but for me, writing about other subjects is much more satisfying.

Most of my friends don’t work in the web industry. They don’t write CSS, debug javascript or set up servers. Some don’t even use email. And when uttered in their presence, a phrase like, “unit test” quickly reveals itself as a dirty, double entendre. So instead, we talk about food, commercialism, education, 3rd world countries, the hierarchy of Disneyland characters, religion, music & nearly everything except the inner workings of websites.

And talking about those other subjects is much more satisfying.

The catalyst

At age 17, I risked everything (what little I had) on a passion, when I decided to skip college and freelance. Since then,

• I’ve helped build great sites for an amazing range of clients.
• I’ve worked with some very talented people.
• I’ve witnessed the inner workings of both small/medium businesses & Fortune 500 companies.
• I’ve completed projects for brands that I would’ve happily worked with for free, when I was first starting out in this industry.

Well, it’s time to risk it all again. Soon, I’ll be starting several new projects that will consume all my waking moments.

The resolution

I’ve decided to take a break from a design agency that has given me some fantastic opportunities. I’m laying everything on the line for my addiction to create new things and execute ideas of mine that have been sitting around, gathering dust. I’m rolling the dice on my career, yet again, prepared to go down as a small success story or a huge tragic tale.

With this mindset, I’m creating this website. It’s all about doing stuff and making things happen. I’ll keep you updated with what I’m currently working on and give an inside look at design, development & business decisions. It’ll also showcase other people who are putting their blood, sweat & tears into projects they feel passionately about.

And now… writing about this subject is much more satisfying.