Portfolio websites are a strange thing. They're simultaneously a way to showcase both your work, and yourself. Striking a balance between showing who you are as a worker and as a person more broadly is a tricky balance to make.
You may be thinking that the answer is simple, just keep work and personal life seperate. The problem arises when you consider that as much as you try to avoid it, your work and personal life are intertwined. Your work is a reflection of you, and you are a reflection of your work.
Why I Built This Website
This website serves many purposes, and it is hard to pin down the primary reason for its existence. Firstly, as much as we do not like to talk about it, the primary purpose of a work portfolio is to improve your career. This includes getting a job, improving your work, and simply practicing your craft.
Secondly, having a place on the internet that is mine feels sort of magical to me. It is not a page on some gigantic website where I am at the whims of whatever billionaire owner decides to do today. I am not ever at risk of losing everything I have worked on through no fault of my own. I can truly say or do whatever I want to do here. That freedom which was originally a founding tenant of the early internet is now increasingly rare.
And finally, sharing knowledge, ideas and views is very important to me. Although I often do not feel as though I have anything important to say, I am being the change I want to see in this world and putting stuff out there. If no one ever reads this, it doesn't really matter. But if just one person does and gets something out of this, my time sitting here typing this was worth it. Doubly so if they get some inspiration to do something similar.