v2.0 (Post One)

Recently I built a new blog. It’s called As Topography, and it was built with a specific intention. It’s still in its infancy, so a lot will be changing as it comes into its own¹, but it will be a blog about the intersection of cognition and design.

As I’ve been sitting down to write posts, I’ve come to the realization that there are more ideas I’d like to explore that don’t really fit that theme without making some leaps of imagination.

This website, as you may or may not be aware, is where my first blog² used to live. I’ve become better at coding since then, and decided to put together a new version, built on Astro instead of WordPress. There’s something so much more conducive to creativity about working out of the simplicity of a code editor instead of a web centered control panel. * sigh of relief… *

This website is a sandbox for my creative endeavors. It’s also a safe space, where I can be a little vulnerable and talk about whatever I want.

Lately I’ve spent a lot of time recovering from neurodivergent burnout. I’m talking to a psychologist once a week and it’s been nice to have someone else to talk to about it, but there is more I have to say. By putting it online there’s a chance it could potentially help someone else through their struggle. I’m for it.

I’m doing a lot better these days thanks to techniques gleaned from the neurodivergent community, but my baseline is still a lot lower than I’d like it to be. I’ve seen steady improvement over the course of this year and it gives me hope that I will actually have more energy again soon. I’m having little successes and learning new tricks all the time. That alone is enough to make me happy.

Burnout has played a significant part of my adult life, so I’m bound to end up writing some posts about it. At the same time I’m definitely healing, so this is also a period of re-emergence. As such, this website is where I will showcase the creative work I’ve been doing: design, illustration, type design, creative code.

As if I needed another hobby, I’ve also taken up block printing recently, which fills me with a zen like joy. My hope is to start printing on fabric as well, and eventually I plan to set up a little shop with my prints and perhaps some apparel. Exciting!

Anyway, welcome to kidCalico v2.0!