The journey…so far

#109 - Jun.2024

I started writing online back in 2007. At the time I was traveling through South America and Australia and blogging was a way to stay connected with family & friends. 

I wrote about my experience walking in the streets of Santiago de Chile. The chaotic beauty of São Paulo. The mornings in Brisbane.

But also about random topics. Music (I was discovering João Gilberto at the time). Technology (NFC was starting to get traction). Opinions about trending topics (The Stop Online Piracy Act was under debate in the US Congress).

The blog was a way of expression. A channel to speak to myself but that echoed into the ether of the internet. 

And it was fun!

For almost 5 years I posted all kinds of ideas. But around 2012 I stopped. I can’t really remember why. Blogging as a way of broadcasting my news to friends was less direct than sending a WhatsApp message. I lost the drive.

I went on & off with online writing platforms like Medium. While I was focusing on the content, I also felt the lack of personalization. These tools were either too complex or too simple. 

I need to have a site where I could experiment. 

In 2014, I opened a personal site. At the time, I was consulting companies as a Service Designer and the site served as a blog and as a company homepage. The content was focused on design tools, best practices, and my own experience. I also started exploring digital sketching as a way of conveying ideas:

I was interested in logo design. I wanted to find a simple logo that could represent the core of the work I was doing at the time. Innovation, technology, and user-centric design: 

The company-of-one never really scaled (topic for a different post) so with the closing of the business I also deprecated the site. 

Was until 2021 that I reignited the flame of writing. This time I wanted to use my writing as a way of capturing learnings from my experience. A public journal where I could reconnect with the passion of starting with a white page and creating a narrative. Turning the abstract into concrete.

From a design perspective, this time I was more interested in colors. My sister gave me a book as a present that changed completely what I knew about color theory. 

The Colour Bible became a rich source of inspiration. Through small stories and practical application examples, the book navigates through the complex world of colors and how they are connected to our human experience. 

I needed to find the right colors for my site!

I explored different combinations, trying to connect the colors with the spirit of my work. After testing different options, I found two colors that resonated with what I was looking for. 

Yellow-red is an orange-nish hue compromised by equal amounts of red and yellow. Is used in canvas by artists for semi-abstract horizons. It expresses hope, energy and life. In contrast, I went with Obsidian. Is a form of volcanic glass used since the Stone Age for tools. The Aztecs honored their gods with Obsidian stones. Is mystical and amorphous. It creates a sense of curiosity. 

The curiosity that keeps me writing the next post every week.