Quick Bio
I'm passionate about creating great user experiences through tasteful and intuitive UIs that look stunning on both desktop and mobile screens. Even though my focus is on front-end development, I still took the time to immerse myself in backend technologies so I could build full-stack applications for my clients who need them.
Take a look at my work
artistmattdavis.com
Source Code
A MERN stack, e-commerce application for an artist to not only display their favorite works, but also sell prints and original artwork. He has the ability to log in and make changes to the art for sale, as well as update his gallery, which also doubles as his portfolio. This site will generate passive income for the artist, as well as spark interest in future commission work, so all he needs to do is update his stock and keep creating.
Technologies used: MongoDB, Express, React.js, Node.js, Google Cloud Storage, and PayPal SDK.
kaylakossajda.com
Source Code
A full stack application for an artist to keep her works from different media in one place. She is a painter, illustrator, photographer, and graphic designer, and social media just wasn't fitting the bill. Now she can direct any potential client to her website so they can easily see everything she has done. She can log in and make changes to the content by adding, deleting, or editing images.
Technologies used: Node/Express backend, Google Cloud Storage, EJS templating, CSS, Bootstrap, and JavaScript.
chef-horror-mini-stories.com
Source Code
A site for a chef-author who writes imaginative novellas with a horror motif. I adapted the concept from a cobbled together SquareSpace site to a unified and seamless thematic site that not only showcases his books, but also gives the user a peek into the mind of the author.
Technologies used: Only HTML and CSS. No JavaScript needed!
leather-journal.onrender.com
Source Code
Another full stack application with a calming and tactile feel. The UI emulates a leather-bound day planner where the user can select any date and start writing activities for the day. Once completed, the list items can be crossed-off with the click of the mouse, and the database keeps track of every user's lists and the completed items.
Technologies used: Node/Express backend, MongoDB, React.js frontend framework, JavaScript ES6, JSX, Material-UI, Materialize, and CSS
Skills and Qualifications
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MERN Stack - My focus is on JavaScript based web development, and this
technology stack unifies the process from database to user-interface with one, universal
language. JS is not a perfect language, but its improvements and additions over the years make
it a leading contender to dominate the web, and I'm proud to be a part of it.
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React.js - I am competent in the latest, best, and enterprise level practices
used in this frontend framework. Using functional components, managing global app state with
Context API and Redux, as well as working with pre-built component libraries like Material-UI
and Materialize give me the ability to create complex and responsive web-apps in a relatively
short amount of time.
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Node.js - Thanks to Google with their development of the V8 JavaScript
engine, developers like me have access to building powerful backends while taking advantage of
the same logic-flow and syntax we are already familiar with on the client side. I use Node
exclusively and I know its quirks, as well as the most commonly used modules in its package
library.
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CSS3 - CSS is not a difficult language, in fact any developer knows how to
use it to some degree. However, many of them don't take the time to dive deep on not only the
core concepts, but also the advanced and latest features like I did. My focused study of the
language gives me insight into high-performance selectors, complex specifity, and intuitive
class naming.
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JavaScript ES6 - This latest, stable version of JS is a miracle
worker. I like it because it takes the more repetitive and frequently used methods, and shortens
them into cleaner, easier code. Many times, writing JS can feel like Sisyphus rolling his stone
up the hill, but with ES6 I can move through workflow with ease, making me more efficient at
producing results.
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Git, Github - Version control is extremely important, and I use the Command
Line to make steady commits to my local and remote repositories, and make sure to include
detailed messages with each one. I may not be 'hacker-level' good with the CLI, but I do know
how to create new directories, start and return to projects, and push or pull from Github with
just a few keystrokes.
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MongoDB - This database fits in perfectly with my development style. The Node
package Mongoose takes care of a lot of heavy lifting so I can easily create data schema, and
make relationships between different collections of data. It makes use of JSON for data
structuring which is second nature for a JavaScript programmer like myself.
My other valuable skills include...
- jQuery
- Bootstrap
- APIs
- Google Cloud Storage
- JSON Web Token
- SCSS preprocessor
- Domain registry
- Web Hosting
My History
I'm a classically trained musician who earned a degree in classical guitar performance, and a former chef of fine dining restaurants. Both of these skills contribute to my ability to understand user experience in a fundamental way.
My previous experience studying music gave me an eye for detail that allows me to spot errors in code, as well as create pixel-perfect layouts. This comes from years of analyzing musical scores for the slightest marks of ink on the page that can convey a completely different meaning. I also learned the value of presenting polished works to my audience through hours of honing and perfecting my craft.
In the chef world, I had to learn how to communicate quickly and effectively with my team to get the desired results. In the kitchen everything is "on-the-fly" and every deadline is immediate! Working in fine-dining gave me the ability to take something as chaotic as a bustling kitchen, and display it in a neat, beautiful package to deliver to the guests, and do it hundreds of times a night.
Web Development and Me
The pandemic unfortunately left me jobless almost immediately. But this was the perfect opportunity I needed to transition into a career with longevity and stability, even in an uncertain ecomony.
I took it upon myself to learn web development, and I knew I wanted to focus on front-end. I taught myself with the help of many online courses, bootcamps, and tutorials until I became adept in best practices using modern CSS, JavaScript, and one of the most in-demand front-end frameworks: React.js.
My learning continues every day. I'm always looking for new tricks and tips, and building constantly, even if they are only personal projects for my own development. Aside from that, I have had a handful of real-world clients that I was able to help build websites for, and it has been extremely rewarding.
Ultimately, I would like to join a team of developers so I can advance to the next stage of my new career.
Hobbies and Interests
Food has always been a passion of mine. When I was young I used to crack open my grandmother's cookbook and proceed to make a giant mess in the kitchen trying to recreate her famous fudge recipe, or bake a loaf of bread. I love playing with food science, and making complex recipes from scratch. Some of my favorite celebrity chefs are Alton Brown, Anthony Bourdain, and Marco Pierre White.
Ever since I found my father's old guitar in a closet one day, I was smitten by the instrument and music in general. The mainstream industry doesn't really hold my attention, but I always acknowledge the classics (and instant classics) while searching for the deep-cuts, or the hidden gems. My favorite part of going to church as a child was the hymns, especially around Christmas time. Learning the depths of music theory was fun for me where it would send the average person begging for calculus.
Sports and games of skill are my forte. I'm a halfway decent bowler, and in my prime I could hustle 9-ball with the best of my local pool hall. Now, I'm bent on becoming an adequate golfer no matter how many putters I break! I don't always put up the best scores but on my good days I can smack a 300 yard drive. My goal is to one day shoot an 80 or less on a regulation 18, but that's a long way off. I'm just happy if I can get a couple hours out on the golf course.
Growing up, video games were always my favorite escape. We had an original NES in the garage and my brother and I would take turns playing Mario 3 with all the neighbor kids. When I finally got my first gameboy I played Pokemon Red ad nauseam, and I still get the occasional nostalgia about it. Now that I have a gaming PC, I still find myself playing older classics like Halo and Minecraft, but my favorite games right now are Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Mario Maker 2
