How my digital life is constructed.
A colophon is a note, usually tucked at the back of a book, that explains how the thing was made. The fonts used, the tools involved, the people who helped bring it to life. I always liked that tradition, so I brought it here.This site is powered by Micro.blog. If you are not familiar with Micro.blog, it’s an independent, ad-free platform built for the open web. It supports short posts, long posts, photos, and all the building blocks of a real blog, without the noise and distractions of the algorithmic social media experience.
The design is a blend of ideas gathered over several years of obsessing over other people’s personal sites. Specific credit is owed to my own sites, Maggie Appleton, Matt Widmann, Andy Matuschak, Michael Sass and a lot from Sean Voisen.
At some point, being online stopped feeling like discovery and started feeling like obligation. This site is my answer to that. A place I control, on my terms, without an algorithm deciding what it’s worth.
Guiding Principles
This site is meant to be read, not performed. Everything here is written for an audience of one first — me — and then for whoever finds their way in. If it's not something I'd want to read, it doesn't belong here.I write like myself. Not like a brand or a content creator optimizing for engagement. I have a voice I’ve spent years developing. This is it.
The personal is the point. I’m a husband, a father, an Illini fan, a lifelong reader, a professional copywriter, and a person with opinions about Easter candy. All of it belongs here. I don’t segment myself for different audiences.
Every page is a living document. I reserve the right to change my mind, add something, remove something, or completely rethink a page. The date something was written matters less than whether it’s still true.
This is not a platform. It’s a home. I’ve been online since 2001. I’ve watched platforms rise, pivot, and disappear. This domain is the one constant. I own it. I control it. No algorithm decides what shows up or who sees it.
Whimsy is welcome. A Top 4 list of Mall Food Court restaurants belongs on the same site as an essay about being a better husband or what it means to pay attention. Seriousness and playfulness are not opposites. Both are honest.
Community over audience. I’m trying to grow a group of people who read the same kinds of things I read, think about the same things I do, and would actually enjoy a conversation. If that’s you, my email is on the About page.
I am not the content. I am the person who made it. What you read here is what I actually thought, actually wrote, and actually meant.