A Passion Overlooked by V. Nguyen

If you get to know me, you’ll realize that I’m very imaginative and creative.  My mind is always traversing worlds you couldn’t even fathom.  Yet, I was stuck in a mundane, mediocre reality.  Like many I’ve given up on my dreams one too many times.  The voice of self doubt is a force so great that it takes fortunate people years to overcome while most never do.  The ones that ignore their calling and take no action continue on with a stagnant life void of realizing their true potential.  To me, that’s a life of despair.

This new journey that I’m on is one I’ve dreamt of for many years.  Constantly beckoning me to take action, this “thing” in the back of my mind simply wouldn’t let me be content.  The voice that comes from it is one that continuously reverberate these words, “fulfill your destiny” in my mind even as I sleep.   Now, you may think I’m crazy, but I assure you, wait, who exactly is perfectly sane? 

Throughout life, many signs pointed me towards Digital Media as the keeper of the key to a brilliant future; one of creative freedom and personal success.  But, I was confused as to where to start.  Fortunately, after a series of events, I decided to pursue Web Design.  My first course in Web Design introduced me to a new culture, new ways of thinking, and a mystic language.

As I take you along on this voyage, you'll meet characters in this story of life that have made an impact in reality far greater than you've imagined.  The photo of the man below is that of a person that's nothing short of incredible.  The people of this world should be thankful for his contribution and generosity; as a matter of fact, I think we should have a universal holiday in his name, Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the world wide web.  

Not only did he invent the internet, but he made it available for all people.  Did you know that the internet was originally created to be used by institutions such as universities and the military to transfer data?

Can you imagine a world without the internet, and the only people that can use it are those that work for select institutions?  I wonder how different our world would be had the internet not been made available to all people.  Speaking of all people, did you know when creating a website, a designer must ensure that the site is accessible.  It means that a site is usable even by people with disabilities.

A lot goes into the creation of a website just as much thought goes into the development of a building.  Once you’ve laid the foundation and built your structure (HTML), you have to make it look nice to attract people to come “pay a visit.”  That’s where Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) comes in.  They’re like the interior decorators that make homes beautiful. 

Most people know about HTML, but more than likely have never heard of CSS.  The majority of your time in Web Design I is spent learning about CSS because it makes creating websites more efficient and effective.  But, to use CSS properly you have to learn a bit about color and design theory.  Isn’t it fascinating how everything relates to art?  Now, imagine a world without art.  It’s impossible to do.

Here's a site that I created for my extra credit project.  The instructions were rather simple, but knowing me I had to complicate myself.  But, I like the challenge.  I wasn't quite sure how to create a three column site, and had told the instructor that I'd learn how to do it by next semester.  It bothered me to no end as I just had to know how to design a three column page.  The end result?  This.

http://aziaelion.byethost8.com/

All that was required of that project was two pictures one of the lead actor and one of the lead actress, a picture of a favorite scene, a synopsis, and contrasting colors for two areas of the page.  Quite simple, right?  Simple isn't really in my vocabulary, haha!  By the way, it took half a day to code that one page.  Another goal in creating it was to design a page different from any of my other projects.

If you're into Web Design, don't think, just do!

Twitter: @aziaelion