I Built a Blog Without Web Dev Skills By Writing Real Code

A year ago, building a custom website felt out of reach. Today, I’m writing this first post on a blog I built myself.

Choosing the Path

I’ve wanted to start a blog for a while. My main goal was to create a site that’s fast, flexible, and fully mine.

At first, I considered using Webflow. It seemed like the best way to get a super fast website with good customization flexibility. But the $500 per year price tag kept me from committing.

The desire to create my blog was strong, so I asked ChatGPT what to do. One of the suggestions was something I had never considered: building the website from scratch with code using a Next js framework.

Learning to Build From Scratch

I had never built a website from scratch before (no experience with JavaScript), and I wasn’t sure I could. But I was curious and decided to give it a shot.

So I kept asking ChatGPT about every little thing — from how to create a project to more complex topics like architecting my own scalable CMS (content management system) and CDN (content delivery network).

I spent a lot of time simply discussing the best options, and only after narrowing down the right path would I ask for code snippets.

My background in Python helped with some concepts, but JavaScript, TypeScript, and React felt very different from what I was used to. It was a steep learning curve.

My development approach was to ask ChatGPT for code snippets, paste them manually, and see how and why they worked (or didn’t work).

Over time, I noticed a shift. I wasn’t just following instructions anymore. I started to understand how things worked and could make decisions on my own. These days, I’d say it’s about 50/50 between AI’s help and my own problem-solving.

The process showed me how quickly I could learn with the right tools and mindset.

What I Learned About Myself

As I kept building, I realized I can create anything I want. I’ve always had the capacity to do things that once felt impossible.

This project also reminded me of my main weaknesses: procrastination, overthinking, and perfectionism. At times, I became so obsessed with making things pixel-perfect that I felt like I was going to burn out.

But I also noticed some strengths. I’m stubborn when it comes to fixing problems. I’m willing to sacrifice progress to change an architectural direction if I feel a quick hack won’t scale well in the future. I have a strong instinct for what might break down the line, which helps me spot potential scaling issues early (though it often slows down development).

I’ve come to believe that having good challenges in life is what helps us understand ourselves better.

Why This Blog Matters to Me

This blog is more than just a personal project. It’s a space where I can combine two things I enjoy, coding and creating content.

It will be a place to track my progress, share insights, and explore new ideas as I continue learning and building.

One of my biggest challenges has been giving my ideas enough weight. I tend to dismiss them too quickly, thinking they’re not good enough. That mindset has kept me from creating and sharing for a long time.

Writing this first post is my way of breaking that pattern. It’s the start of my journey toward trusting my ideas and moving forward, even when things feel uncertain.

Let’s see where this takes me.