<a href="/zh/blog/useless-things">（點此閱讀中文版）</a>I’ve never understood why I’m so fascinated by <a href="/en/tags/plotter">pen plotters</a>, <a href="/en/tags/letterpress">letterpress printing</a>, and vintage typewriters.
I did notice what these three things have in common: they were all invented to improve human productivity, and then they were completely replaced by more efficient tools.
I consider myself a practical and rational person. I can’t understand why I’m so drawn to these outdated tools—especially when they cost more combined than buying a computer and printer.
A few days ago, I read this quote from <a href="https://sive.rs/">Derek Sivers</a> in <a href="https://wiwi.blog/blog/derek-sivers-quotes#%E6%B2%92%E7%94%A8%E7%9A%84%E8%97%9D%E8%A1%93">Wiwi’s post</a>:
<blockquote>
“Art is useless by definition. If it was useful, it would be a tool.”
</blockquote>
This suddenly made me realize: I’ve been trying to make these useless tools useful.
But here’s the funny thing—I’m using them for artistic creation, so the results are still useless.
Or maybe, I’m empathizing with them.
They were replaced by computers, just like us engineers are being replaced by AI.
So can we—this group who are destined to become obsolete—work together to create something beautiful?
I’m still searching for answers.

Useless things

<a href="/zh/blog/now-202511">（點此閱讀中文版）</a><h2>Recent Status</h2>
<ul>
<li>I work at a software company during the day. I’m grateful to have a full-time job that supports my family and hobbies.</li>
<li>I have two kids. I try to avoid mentioning them online to protect their privacy, <a href="md/blog/kids-drawing.en.md">though sometimes I can’t help myself</a>.</li>
<li>I’ve been putting off our family yearbook for years. I recently started planning again and hope to finally finish the 2022 album.</li>
<li>I finally decided to <a href="md/blog/start-a-personal-website-again/index.en.md">set up this personal website and blog again</a> in early November.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Recent Interests</h2>
<ul>
<li>I’m trying out different tools and workflows to find what works for me. My goal is to build sustainable habits for both creating and documenting my work.</li>
<li>Pen plotter:
<ul>
<li>I bought a <a href="md/blog/uuna-tek-idraw-2/index.en.md">UUNA TEK iDraw 2.0 A4</a> in September, and I’m super excited about it. You can expect more <a href="/en/tags/plotter">pen plotter work</a> from me in the near future.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Letterpress printing:
<ul>
<li>I’ve always wanted to try <a href="/en/tags/letterpress">letterpress printing</a>. I bought a preloved <a href="md/blog/iletterpress-lao-shi-fu-de-pai-ban-zhuo/index.zh.md">《老師傅的排版桌》</a> in November have <a href="md/blog/iletterpress-desk-calendar/index.zh.md">printed a calendar</a> with it.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Favorite Tools Now</h2>
<ul>
<li>Hardware:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://old.pragmatic.com.tw/shop/wu-shi-36ai-zhou-89">Pragmatic Choc36 Split Keyboard</a></li>
<li>Logitech Ergo M575 Wireless Trackball Mouse</li>
<li>MacBook Pro M1 14&quot;</li>
<li>Kobo Libra H2O</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Software:
<ul>
<li>Creating:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://obsidian.md/">Obsidian</a></li>
<li><a href="https://cursor.com/">Cursor</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.affinity.studio/">Affinity</a></li>
<li><a href="https://inkscape.org/">Inkscape</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Reading:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://feedly.com/">Feedly</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Website Setup:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://nextjs.org/">Next.js</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.cloudflare.com/">Cloudflare</a></li>
<li><a href="https://fonts.google.com/">Google Fonts</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://github.com/googlefonts/ms-madi">Ms Madi</a></li>
<li><a href="https://chiron-fonts.github.io/">Chiron Fonts</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Ideas That May or May Not Happen</h2>
<ul>
<li>Exchange handmade postcards with someone.
<ul>
<li>I know about <a href="https://www.postcrossing.com/">Postcrossing</a>, but not everyone on that platform is open to handmade postcards. 😅</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Create something with my mother’s vintage typewriter, the Olivetti Dora.
<ul>
<li>Sadly, I don’t have the space for it right now. I’m looking forward to the day I can bring it home and add it to my creative toolkit.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Write monthly reports compiling and reviewing everything I’ve published and created each month.
<ul>
<li>With a full-time job and kids, I probably won’t tackle this side project anytime soon, but it’s something I’d like to do eventually.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
This post is inspired by Derek Sivers’ <a href="https://nownownow.com/about">Now Page</a>.
Thanks to <a href="https://alexhsu.com/en/first-post">Alex Hsu’s introduction</a> for bringing this to my attention.
</blockquote>

What I’m Up To Now

<a href="/zh/blog/start-a-personal-website-again">（點此閱讀中文版）</a>I’ve built countless personal websites over the past decades, but most of them fizzled out—I just couldn’t keep them going. (That’s why you’re seeing this “new” website right now.)
This post documents my thoughts on why I decided to build a personal website again. My thinking might change over time, and when it does, I’ll write an update.
<h2>Why build a personal website?</h2>
I’ve had many interests that didn’t last. Over the past few years, I’ve always felt like I was just scratching the surface, and I was too embarrassed to make noise when I only had half a bucket of knowledge. So I stayed quiet.
But as I approach mid-life and look back at the first half of my life, I suddenly realized something: however “easy” the knowledge is, if I don’t review it, I’d forget it completely in less than a year. When I pick it up again, I always have to learn it from scratch. I keep regretting not documenting my learning and creative process.
<h3>The “public sharing” mental block</h3>
When I seriously started thinking about documenting things, I got lost for a while.
If I’m going to spend time documenting, should I find a platform to put my notes so I can easily share them with like-minded people later?
If I’m going to find a platform, should I pick one that makes it easy to reach more people and build upon it? Maybe that account could become a side hustle.
If I’m considering turning this into a side hustle, should I research effective posting strategies?
When I put my work out there, should I present myself professionally so that people will think I’m an expert, pay more attention, and maybe even reach out for collaborations?
The more I researched, the more stuck I felt. If I want to appear professional, I need to become professional first. If I want to become professional, I need to have a learning plan...
I felt like I’d never be ready. I didn’t know where to start.
<h3>Choosing the right way to share</h3>
It wasn’t until <a href="md/blog/rereading-show-your-work-by-austin-kleon/index.en.md">I reread Austin Kleon’s &quot;Show Your Work!&quot; at the end of October</a> that I snapped out of this confusion. This book reminded me: my original intention was simply to document and share my learning process.
Fame is just a lovely side effect that might come from sharing publicly—it wasn’t my goal from the start!
However, at this age, I’ve learned that being honest with myself is the only way to keep going. I can’t pretend I don’t care about money and fame at all. As long as I publish on platforms that could go viral through algorithm recommendations, I’ll inevitably obsess over the best time to post and analyze what content gets good reactions. When a post performs well, I’ll be happy. When the next one gets fewer views than usual, I’ll be disappointed.
<h3>Where no response is normal</h3>
So I chose a middle ground: post publicly, let like-minded people find me, but choose platforms where “not getting a response is normal.”
I try to <a href="md/blog/choosing-sns-platform.zh.md">pick social media platforms like Plurk</a> that don’t use recommendation algorithms to push content. I also build this personal website and blog.
I’ve actually always missed the blog culture from more decades ago. Back then, everyone subscribe to blogs with RSS feeds. We never worried about missing new work from creators we admired, and no one was anxious about platforms not pushing their posts. Sadly, under the influence of social media over the past decade, I thought hardly anyone in Taiwan was still using such old-school ways to publish creative work.
Luckily, I recently discovered that Wiwi’s blog has been updated daily for at least a year. He actively advocates for <a href="https://wiwi.blog/blog/just-blog/">putting content on your own public website rather than social media</a>, which aligns perfectly with what I’ve been wanting to try. I also learned about many bloggers with the same philosophy from his <a href="https://wiwi.blog/blogroll">blogroll</a>. I realized that while my idea is uncommon, it’s not strange—which was hugely encouraging.
The downside of this route is that it’s hard to go viral with a post favored by a platform’s algorithm. On Plurk and personal websites, you have to rely on content that readers genuinely want to share, or content that’s easily discoverable (keywords, SEO, etc.), to be seen by people who didn’t know about you before.
This is also the upside: since it’s so hard to be seen, it’s normal to have zero response. Intentionally choosing platforms that are difficult to gain followers on prevents me from obsessively checking my phone all day after posting.
<h2>Social interaction is still welcome</h2>
If I’m going to post in public anyway, why deliberately choose channels that are hard to reach? That seems stupid and counterintuitive, right?
Well, I’ve had countless experiences of getting too caught up in metrics, and I don’t want to repeat that. Right now, my goal is to keep learning, documenting, creating, and posting. So I’m consciously eliminating everything that might make this habits unsustainable—unwieldy creative tools, platforms that easily lead to excessive attachment, and so on.
After all this, I’m still posting with some hope of being seen and found by like-minded people. If you resonate with what I said and want to <a href="mailto:rayshine.liang@gmail.com">email me</a>, please do. It’ll make my day. 🥰

Why I’m Building a Personal Website Again at 37

<a href="/zh/blog/uuna-tek-idraw-2">（點此閱讀中文版）</a>I finally bought my first pen plotter in September.
I went with UUNA TEK’s <a href="https://uunatek.com/products/uuna-tek-pen-plotter-2-0-a4-size-handwriting-machine-xy-plotter-laser-engraver">iDraw 2.0</a>, which is listed as a legacy model on their website. I originally wanted the newer 3.0 series or the H series, but both of those start at A3 size. I really don’t have space for that at my place.
Even the A4 size was a struggle—I had to rearrange my desk just to make room for it.
<img src="https://ocesnqabnj.rayshineart.com/image/blog/uuna-tek-idraw-2/01.jpg?width=800&quality=80" alt="" title="Most of the machine was already assembled; I just connected the cables">
<h2>Three Years of Hesitation</h2>
I’ve wanted to get a pen plotter for three years, but I could never convince myself.
My rational side kept telling me it’s an awkward device. It’s slower and less precise than a printer, and the lines it draws can look too mechanical compared to hand-drawn work.
But for some reason I couldn’t explain, I kept thinking about buying one.
I tried talking myself out of it, telling myself it was a waste of money...
Finally, I asked myself: Why does it have to be useful?
Can’t I just treat it like a toy? When my husband and kids bought a PS5 and Switch 2, they didn’t stop to consider whether those game consoles were useful, did they?
Can’t I just buy it because it’s fun?
<h2>The Impulse Purchase</h2>
When I saw UUNA TEK’s Halloween discount in September, I finally took the plunge. I ordered on 9/16 and received it on 9/24.
Here are the photos I took on unboxing day.
<img src="https://ocesnqabnj.rayshineart.com/image/blog/uuna-tek-idraw-2/02.jpg?width=800&quality=80" alt="" title="Unboxing">
<img src="https://ocesnqabnj.rayshineart.com/image/blog/uuna-tek-idraw-2/03.jpg?width=800&quality=80" alt="" title="Thank you letter from UUNA TEK ♥ Probably written with one of their writing machines">
<img src="https://ocesnqabnj.rayshineart.com/image/blog/uuna-tek-idraw-2/04.jpg?width=800&quality=80" alt="" title="The envelope is beautiful">
<img src="https://ocesnqabnj.rayshineart.com/image/blog/uuna-tek-idraw-2/05.jpg?width=800&quality=80" alt="" title="The thank you letter is a folded card">
<img src="https://ocesnqabnj.rayshineart.com/image/blog/uuna-tek-idraw-2/06.jpg?width=800&quality=80" alt="" title="20% off on the next order. Looking forward to the day I get a bigger room so I can order an A3 size model 🤣">
I later heard from my friend E that UUNA TEK actually has frequent sales, and I did see them run a Thanksgiving sale right after Halloween. Oh well—at least I got to enjoy it earlier!
I used the 20% discount code from David Mrugala’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzwu9d3gGfA">YouTube video</a> when I placed my order. Even though the video was published three years ago, the code was still valid when I used it. If you’re thinking about purchasing one, you can try the code in the video description. The video also has a detailed review that might help you decide.
<h2>Looking for Fellow Enthusiasts</h2>
Pen plotters seem relatively niche in Taiwan right now. If you know of any communities I could join, I’d really appreciate it if you could let me know. 🫶

Unboxing My First Pen Plotter: UUNA TEK iDraw 2.0 A4

<a href="/zh/blog/curvey-varnished-n-framed">（點此閱讀中文版）</a><img src="https://ocesnqabnj.rayshineart.com/image/blog/curvey-varnished-n-framed/01.jpg?width=800&quality=80" alt="Red Heart Framed">
Varnish vs. Glass? I chose varnish.
I love seeing the texture and strokes up close, and glass always gets in the way of that detail.
<img src="https://ocesnqabnj.rayshineart.com/image/blog/curvey-varnished-n-framed/02.jpg?width=800&quality=80" alt="A close up look of the textures" title="A close up look of the textures">

Varnish vs. Glass?

<a href="/zh/blog/kids-drawing">（點此閱讀中文版）</a>The bittersweet of watching my kids create.
I'm so happy they have this pure fun now. But I know one day the comparison trap will steal their confidence.
All I can do is help them build a strong bank of fond memories.
Maybe they'll stop making art as teens, but I hope the joy helps them find their way back later.
Just like I did.

The bittersweet of watching my kids create

<a href="/zh/blog/curvey-a-red-heart">（點此閱讀中文版）</a><img src="https://ocesnqabnj.rayshineart.com/image/blog/curvey-a-red-heart/01.jpg?width=800&quality=80" alt="Drawing the red heart" title="Layering red marker on the still-wet black marker">
Happy accident on my plotter base plate ❤️
I thought layering red marker on the still-wet black marker ruined the piece. Instead, it gave me a desaturated dark red I was looking for.
Sometimes the “mistakes” are the best part. 😉
<img src="https://ocesnqabnj.rayshineart.com/image/blog/curvey-a-red-heart/02.jpg?width=800&quality=80" alt="Final drawing with all the pens used" title="Final drawing with all the pens used">
<ul>
<li>Lines created with an algorithm I wrote using <a href="http://paperjs.org/">Paper.js</a>.</li>
<li>Drawn with UUNA TEK iDraw Pen Plotter 2.0:
<ul>
<li>Touchmark Acrylic Marker (10 Black, 36 Red)</li>
<li>uni-ball Signo broad UM-153 (silver, gold)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Paper: UMAE Watercolour Paper, 100% Cotton, Cold Press, 300gsm</li>
</ul>

(WIP) A Red Heart

<a href="/zh/blog/curvey-orange-n-purple">（點此閱讀中文版）</a>Experimenting my new pen plotter with different pens. I wish the orange &amp; purple were more saturated. Guess I've got some excuses to buy more markers. 😆
<img src="https://ocesnqabnj.rayshineart.com/image/blog/curvey-orange-n-purple/01.jpg?width=800&quality=80" alt="">
Lines created with an algorithm I wrote using <a href="http://paperjs.org/">Paper.js</a>.
<ul>
<li>Hand painted:
<ul>
<li>Holbein Gouache G658 (black)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Drawn with UUNA TEK iDraw Pen Plotter 2.0:
<ul>
<li>Touchmark Acrylic Marker (23 Orange, 51 Purple)</li>
<li>uni-ball Signo broad UM-153 (silver, gold)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Paper: UMAE Watercolour Paper, 100% Cotton, Cold Press, 300gsm</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://ocesnqabnj.rayshineart.com/image/blog/curvey-orange-n-purple/02.jpg?width=800&quality=80" alt="A close up look of the strokes." title="A close up look. I love the texture created by different strokes.">

(WIP) Orange & Purple

<img src="https://ocesnqabnj.rayshineart.com/image/blog/rereading-show-your-work-by-austin-kleon/01.jpg?width=800&amp;quality=80" alt="" title="Rereading SHOW YOUR WORK! on my Kobo Libra H2O">
I first read Austin Kleon’s Show Your Work! in 2022. I re-read it recently, and the same content resonates with me even more.
With the current social media trends, I can’t help but feel everything is for monetization. You need to be strategic about what and when you post to make the most of the algorithm. And that makes me hesitant to even get started since I don’t think I can manage it with my busy lifestyle. The more strategies I learn, the more paralyzed I become.
Show Your Work! reminds me of the good old days when we mostly wrote to document our lives and/or share our passion with like-minded people. We were proud of being amateurs. We shared our learnings and supported those who shared the same hobbies.
I forgot I can still do the same today.
I can create just for fun and document my learnings for my own future reference. I should write for myself rather than for views/likes on social media. This is so much better for my mental health.
I will just create. Write about what I’ve done. Observe how much I grow. See how far I can go.
And if anyone participates in my journey along the way? That would be a delightful surprise.
<blockquote>
Update on 2025-11-19: I love this book so much that I <a href="md/blog/show-your-work-by-austin-kleon-zh-version/index.zh.md">purchased another copy in Chinese</a> :)
</blockquote>

Rereading “Show Your Work!” by Austin Kleon

<a href="/zh/blog/curvey-a-pink-heart">（點此閱讀中文版）</a>Experimenting my new pen plotter with different pens.
<img src="https://ocesnqabnj.rayshineart.com/image/blog/curvey-a-pink-heart/01.jpg?width=800&quality=80" alt="">
<ul>
<li>Lines created with an algorithm I wrote using <a href="http://paperjs.org/">Paper.js</a>.</li>
<li>Hand painted:
<ul>
<li>Holbein Gouache G658 (black)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Drawn with UUNA TEK iDraw Pen Plotter 2.0:
<ul>
<li>Nora Acrylic Marker (pink)</li>
<li>Copic acrea (silver)</li>
<li>uni-ball Signo broad UM-153 (gold)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Paper: UMAE Watercolour Paper, 100% Cotton, Cold Press, 300gsm</li>
</ul>
<img src="https://ocesnqabnj.rayshineart.com/image/blog/curvey-a-pink-heart/02.jpg?width=800&quality=80" alt="A close up look of the strokes." title="A close up look. I love the texture created by different strokes.">