If someone asked why I wanted to become an engineer, I would answer without hesitation: “Because I want to solve problems.”
I am fascinated by the moment a problem is solved, whether it is my own problem or someone else's pain point. That is when a piece of software truly shows its value, just as a book begins to live when it finds a reader.
When I looked back at my earliest projects—the 50 Hiragana Test and the 75% alcohol calculator—while making this portfolio, I was not shocked by how simple they were, or by how I had dared to show them to anyone at that age. (All right, maybe a little.) What surprised me more was realizing that I had never really changed along the way. Whenever I find something troublesome or annoying, I think: why not make the solution myself? That remained true for the FFXIV crafting website and the BDSM quiz website that came later.
The rise of AI frightened me at first, too. Now, though, I feel far more excitement. These tools no longer feel too troublesome to make, and AI has even accelerated the pace at which I can bring new things into being. But I also noticed that, in this age of explosive AI productivity, it matters enormously for a work to carry a scent of its own.
My personal website was my first step toward finding that scent. I did not teach AI to speak in my voice; I told it not to touch my words. I wrote every passage that describes me by hand, then arranged them in my own rhythm to guide the flow of the page. The truth is, I think I succeeded. I carried that lesson—and the ability to clear away visual noise—into making the BDSM tool website.
I had wanted to make a portfolio for a long time, but I could never find the right idea. Then one day in the shower, the word “macaron” popped into my head. There was a macaron shop I considered the very best: its designs were distinctive, its fillings generous, every piece had a character of its own, and most importantly—it was never too sweet. Just like the macarons you saw above, I worked that feeling into every corner of this portfolio. The shop has since closed, so placing it here is also my way of giving myself somewhere to remember the six years it gave me.
So let me close with the macaron from my favorite work. This time, you can take your time and look closely. The 3D file is a little large, so please keep that in mind if your connection is limited.