For several months I’ve been wanting to change the look of the blog. I searched high and low for a theme that would have a simple, uncluttered look. I wanted compatability with WordPress 2.7’s new features as well as image pages and a larger content area to display larger images.
Then, inspired by Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (see my post about Zen and the Art and its impact on this blog), I decided that it would be of higher Quality to learn CSS and do the theme myself.
I used some pieces of my old Gila theme (which I had heavily modified over the years), but rather than thinking thoughts like “what can I make Gila do?” I tried to focus on making the site look how I want it and then learning how to do it myself.
More than anything, I wanted something that had a clean and simple design, if not exactly minimalist. The home page, my book page, stories & poems page, and the about me page reflect that. The blog page differs because there’s just more that I like on the sidebar there.
Click the photo below for a look at the image page. Most of the photos I’ve posted since mid-November will link to their own pages now.
Additionally, I wanted to minimize sidebar clutter and focus on sidebar info that’s actually used by people who visit this site. Archives and most of the links on the blogroll now have their own page (friends/family/favorite links are staying in the sidebar). I also rewrote the about me page to make it more personal.
I’m pleased with the end result, but I’ll probably tinker with it a bit more as things come to mind.
Please let me know if anything looks wonky in your browser or if there’s something obvious that seems to be missing.
James Brush is a teacher and writer who lives in Austin, TX. He tries to get outside as much as possible.
HNY. The new look is great and I’m honored to still be on the homepage links list.
Here’s to a happy, healthy, word-full, bird-full 2009!