Being & Thought

Overview

Being & Thought began as a personal site for essays, but quickly became something broader: a space where writing, design, and learning could evolve together. It acts both as an archive of ideas and as a workshop for developing skills across philosophy, behavioural science, and creative practice.

Intent

The core aim is integration. Essays, interactive tools, visuals, and references are treated as parts of the same intellectual project, rather than separate outputs. Writing is not isolated from design or structure, and ideas are allowed to unfold through multiple forms.

Learning through building

This project also marks my first sustained attempt at learning to code. Moving from the Harvard web programming course to designing and maintaining this site was a substantial step, involving early familiarisation with Git, hosting workflows, deployment, and the realities of building something that actually lives on the web.

Over time, the site became a place to practise animation, layout, and foundational frontend logic, with each iteration pushing a little further than the last. Improvements were rarely planned in advance, but emerged from experimentation, mistakes, and gradual confidence. I am now learning the latest web tools and though I wish I knew about React, Next.js and Typescript earlier, I do not at all regret the process!

Creative outlet

Beyond its technical role, Being & Thought functions as a creative outlet. It allows me to explore interests in literature, art, and music, practise skills like drawing, and deliberately expose myself to ideas and domains I might not otherwise encounter. The site grows alongside those interests, rather than being constrained by a fixed format.

Writing and analysis

Writing remains central. The site serves as a space to practise long-form thinking, but also to reflect on writing itself. I have used R and Python to analyse my own essays, exploring stylometry, such as whether different themes produce systematic shifts in language, tone, or structure.

Design philosophy

Design choices prioritise clarity and restraint. Typography, spacing, and subtle interaction are used to support reading rather than distract from it, allowing ideas to remain central while still benefiting from careful visual structure.