My journey to becoming a CSS pro with Keith Grant

#webdev #css #frontend #computerscience

ọmọ, I just started reading CSS In-Depth: 2nd Edition by Keith Grant, and honestly, it’s been great so far.

One thing hit me like a well-placed box-shadow; a solid understanding of the cascade, relative units, document flow, and the box model is foundational to everything else in this book and beyond.

That’s my stage set right there. I need to pay very close attention to these fundamentals and revisit them constantly as I progress, because they are the bedrock of everything CSS.

Before Keith dives deep into the technical wizardry, he reminds me:

CSS isn’t a programming language in the conventional sense, but it demands abstract thought.
It’s not purely a design tool, but it calls for creativity.

So far, two things stand out: CSS requires abstract thought and creativity, and I must fully grasp those core foundations.

CSS actually reminds me of the JavaScript library p5.js. I’ve never enjoyed writing it, but I’ve always loved the results. It’s an artist’s tool, but the artist must submit to the learning. I think anyone can become a CSS pro. Picasso even agrees: “Every child is an artist; the problem is how to remain one when we grow up.” The answer? Training, honing that innate creative muscle.

CSS is like the pigment of your skin, it’s what gives melanin its magic. It’s the flesh over your skeleton. It’s the paint on a building. The beauty of a Lamborghini. The precision in Nike’s leather designs. CSS is form meeting function, style meeting structure.

And so, I’ve decided. CSS should be mastered. And therefore, I am.

Day 1 of 100, styling begins.