Regarding Firsts.

Written 4/6/25

I did not like HTML before I started this project. I've somewhat dreaded the process of web development all my life and thought a project like this would be at the bottom of my mental to do list. Something to do when my skills got better, when time got longer.

As I write this post in VS Code of all places, I'm starting to appreciate its nuances and simplicity compared to other options I could have gone with for this site.
As you read this, you may or may not be asking in your head – "F2K2! Why are you telling me this?"

Good question, Possibly Curious Reader. I am making the point that...

You have to start somewhere!

A lot of skilled people sucked at something they are now good at. To be frank, it can feel like the opposite is true in this day and age with internet media being a highly directed and tailor made affair. On top of this, we as earth inhabitants are praised when we have ambitions and ideas, but are chastised for the mistakes we make on the path to executing those ideas. These factors hold us in deadlock, pushing our dreams out of our grasp.

You have to start somewhere. Learning anything (especially if that “anything” has a creative or tangible yield) and accepting the imperfections in your work as future action items - instead of present obstacles you need to tackle immediately - will pay heavy dividends during your learning journey. Practically 100% of this planet’s population isn’t going to be rocking a piano like prime Mozart after their first lesson. Excellence in any craft requires time, effort, and a lot of screwing up. You will probably look and feel like an idiot at the start of (and even during) your journey toward excellence.

It's okay to look and feel like an idiot, especially when you're learning something new.

This is something I am still learning myself. Is it nice to look or feel stupid? Not really. Is looking or feeling stupid while you're learning a good enough reason to give up entirely?
In my opinion, hell to the no.

Give yourself grace. If you don't know the answer to something or you can't figure it out, Google it. If you can't find the answer, ask someone who knows. Learning is a lifelong journey, not a first class plane ticket to knowledge. It's okay to not get it right the first time, second time, or even the tenth time. When honing a new skill, all that matters is that you know why you failed, how you can adjust, and that you execute those adjustments.
This project is a testament to that fact.