My name is Ari (she/they) and I've spent the last few years being sad and not doing much at all. In 2019 I graduated with my bachelor's degree in web design & development and, without a job, moved back home to Minnesota.

 A lot of good and bad has happened since moving home, but things are getting better, I think. It turns out that nearly 4 years of sadness takes a lot out of you. Bear with me as I'm going to share some not super happy things that have happened to me, but I'll follow up with some great things

Some bad things:

• I thought I had forgotten how to make websites after being depressed for so long
• Moving back to Minnesota meant that most of my friends are in different parts of the country
• In early 2021 I got COVID and it has disabled me so I haven't had a job since then.

Some good things:

• I moved out of my parents house in 2021 and my partner who I had been long distance with for 2 years joined me in Minnesota
• I discovered some new hobbies like crochet
• My partner and I got married in October 2022!
• The wedding was almost entirely DIY and a lot of it was essentially a huge design project for me to work on, and that was good for my mental health.

 But most importantly, I was inspired to make this website and found quickly that I actually do remember a lot of the web skills I thought I had lost forever.

 I created this website as an effort to reclaim my identity. I've felt for a long time that I wasn't myself anymore and I didn't think that I could get that back until recently. I want this site to exist to remind me of what I love to do and what I care about the most. And I wouldn't mind sharing those things with other people as well. If you've made it this far, thank you for reading and please remember to care for yourself. It really helps.