How This Blog Came to Life

The idea of gathering my thoughts, projects, and photos on my own platform had been floating around in my head for a while. I wasn’t really sure how to best make it happen, but the idea of just posting everything on Instagram never sat quite right with me. At some point it became clear:

I wanted my own website, coded by myself, with a little bit of everything that makes me me: portfolio, photo gallery, sports shooting, and more. All tied together with a blog and a project overview. But also something that doesn’t look like yet another cookie-cutter blog with the same boring design.

WordPress wasn’t really an option either, because a) I wanted full control over the site and didn’t want to adapt to WordPress quirks, b) I HATE WordPress’ plugin jungle, c) I wanted a cost-efficient setup, and d) if I need a feature, I want to just build it myself.

So the only real option was to create it from scratch: technically lightweight, visually clean, and flexible in content. A place where personal stories and professional projects can live side by side.

TBH it’s probably a good thing that you don’t know how much work is waiting for you at the start of such a project. 😅

The Setup: Astro, MDX and a Hint of Madness

After some research, I went with Astro and MDX. Why? Because I wanted to write posts in Markdown but also have the flexibility to include components, whether that’s for image galleries, interactive elements, or just a few nice layout details.

MDX turned out to be perfect for that. It lets me combine text and components seamlessly; ideal for those little extras in blog posts that make the text more engaging and interactive. Maybe a bit nerdy, but honestly, those kinds of experiments are what make it fun.

Example Component

Routing: Order in the Bilingual Chaos

German or English? That was my personal dilemma. And I decided that the best decision was no decision. As you can see, you can switch between German and English on every page – even while reading a post, you can just jump to the other language. All project posts are available in both languages. But with blog posts, I wanted to keep the freedom to sometimes publish only in one language, if that feels right.

All these requirements meant I had to build a slightly complicated routing system. It took a couple of tries (and a lot of clicking through everything) until it finally worked.

Design: Clear, Personal, Mine

From the very beginning, it was important to me that the blog didn’t look like a generic template. I wanted something that felt like me. So I experimented with colors, fonts, and layouts until it felt right. Not perfect, but real.

The style is minimalist, but with personality. Cleanly structured, but not sterile. And very deliberately without 3,000 animations or messy cookie-banner popups.

The Content: Between Shooting Range and Self-Reflection

What defines this blog are the topics that move me – in training, in everyday life, while writing or reflecting. Some posts come about spontaneously (like the “26 Things” list), others grow over weeks. Some are analytical, others more emotional.

And that’s exactly how I want it to stay. I don’t want to be forced into one niche – I want space for all the facets that make me who I am.

The Goal: No Goal.

Okay, that sounds contradictory. What I mean is: I didn’t build this blog because I’m planning an influencer career or want to set up the perfect SEO traffic funnel.

I’m doing this because I like writing. Because I love designing things. And because I wanted a place where everything comes together: my projects, my texts, my thoughts.

Almost Done…

If you’re reading this, the blog is finally online. Not in its final form, but posts can now be written and managed easily, new ideas can be implemented, and the whole thing already feels like me.

And honestly: this will never be “finished.” I’m someone who loves to rethink, improve, sometimes even scrap and rebuild things. Which means I’ll keep changing, adding, or moving things around – simply because new ideas come up or I get tired of something. The blog will grow and evolve alongside me. And that’s exactly what makes it so exciting.

So if you’re reading this: welcome. I’m glad you’re here. And thanks for walking a little part of this journey with me. :)