#3
Self-Initiated

Personal Portfolio

I built and launched a full portfolio site in one week—registering a custom domain, crafting design and copy with AI assistance, migrating to Astro, and setting up Markdown-based content for easy updates.

Astro Astro Collections API Lovable.dev Tailwind CSS ChatGPT Vercel

Intro

A PDF résumé wasn’t enough—I needed a living portfolio to showcase my work and process. So I bought a custom domain, used Lovable.dev’s AI platform to generate a beautiful base design, and set myself a one-week deadline: launch a fully functional site that I could continue to iterate on.

What I Did

  1. Design & Copy

    • Used Lovable.dev to build the first iteration of the layout and styling, then refined all headlines, blurbs, and CTAs with ChatGPT, iterating prompts until the tone felt authentically “me.”

  2. Development & Migration

    • Fixed initial design quirks and migrated the codebase into Astro, taking advantage of its Markdown Collections API so that blog posts and project case studies live as simple .md files.
    • Styled with Tailwind CSS for ultra-fast, utility-first layouts and enabled MDX support for interactive examples down the line.

  3. Deployment & Domain Setup

    • Configured my first custom domain on Vercel, complete with SSL, redirects, and preview deployments for PRs.
    • Automated Lighthouse performance checks in CI and wired up basic analytics to guide future tweaks.

Key Takeaways

  • Ship Over Perfect: Launching a live MVP in a week gave me immediate feedback and motivation to keep improving.
  • AI as Ally: Lovable.dev and ChatGPT saved hours of design and copywork—success depended on crafting clear, specific prompts.
  • Astro & Markdown: The Collections API makes content management so simple—no heavy CMS required.
  • Full-Stack Launch: I owned the entire process of shipping a site.
  • Continuous Evolution: This portfolio is itself an MVP; I’ll keep shipping incremental enhancements and new case studies as my work grows.