Web Development Became Fun Again

July 11, 2026 · WordPress, BLOKS

There was a time when I couldn't wait to start a new website.

A blank page meant a new idea, a new challenge, and another opportunity to create something unique.

Somewhere along the way, that changed.

Building websites gradually became less about creating and more about configuring. Every project started with choosing a page builder, installing plugins, tweaking settings, overriding CSS, and hoping the next update wouldn't undo yesterday's work.

I wasn't building websites anymore.

I was managing software.

WordPress itself wasn't the problem. In fact, I still believe it's one of the most capable publishing platforms ever created.

The problem was that my workflow had become so complicated that it was getting in the way of the part I actually enjoyed: building things.

So I decided to start over.

Not by replacing WordPress.

By simplifying it.

Building the Tools I Wanted to Use

That decision led to a series of projects that all grew from the same simple idea.

First came Simpleton, a lightweight theme framework designed to get out of the way and let the content shine.

Then came BoCE (BLOKS Code Editor).

Instead of relying on a traditional page builder, BoCE lets me build pages using lightweight components, reusable sections, Markdown, and just enough HTML when I need it. The result is cleaner pages, cleaner code, and a workflow that feels much closer to writing than assembling.

From there, one project naturally led to another.

As I explored realtime graphics and creative coding, I built Shader Studio for writing GLSL shaders, Shader Builder for generating them visually, Shader Player for viewing and sharing them, and most recently LAVA, which brings realtime GPU-powered visuals directly into WordPress with a simple shortcode.

None of these projects existed because I wanted another plugin.

They exist because each one solved a problem I kept running into.

A Different Philosophy

I've realized something over the past few months.

Good tools shouldn't constantly remind you that you're using them.

They should quietly disappear into the background and let you focus on creating.

That's the philosophy that's gradually connecting everything under the BLOKS name.

Simple themes.

Clean code.

Reusable components.

Realtime graphics.

Creative coding.

Tools that work with you instead of making you fight them.

Having Fun Again

The funny thing is, I didn't expect any of this.

I started out trying to make one website easier to maintain.

Instead, I rediscovered something I'd been missing for quite a while.

I actually look forward to opening my editor again.

Ideas that would have stayed in a notebook a year ago now become working prototypes in an afternoon. New plugins don't feel like chores—they feel like experiments. Even this website has become a place where I can try new ideas instead of simply publishing them.

Somewhere between building BoCE, redesigning my themes, and creating LAVA, web development stopped feeling like work.

It became fun again.

And honestly...

I didn't realize how much I'd missed that.