Why I keep a messy homepage

A clean homepage is a promise you make to visitors about what kind of person you are. Tidy, organized, intentional. I have tried to keep that promise and failed every time, so I stopped trying.

My homepage is a mess because I am a mess — in the generative sense. I am working on too many things at once. I am interested in subjects that do not obviously connect. I have opinions that contradict each other and half-baked projects in every corner.

I used to think the job of a personal site was to present a coherent version of yourself. Now I think that is the job of a resume. A personal site can be something else. It can be a window into an ongoing process rather than a finished product.

Visitors who want coherence can read the about page. Everyone else is welcome to poke around and see what they find. That feels more honest. It also makes maintenance easier, which is its own kind of virtue.