Christopher Flynn

From data to wisdom, let the power of data science guide you.

3 minute read

From Hesitation to Execution

From the start of my journey into data science, I knew I wanted a website where I could share about myself, my passions, and my projects. Yet, for a long time, I hesitated. I had always assumed that creating a website meant writing everything from scratch in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript—an intimidating and time-consuming prospect.

That changed a few months ago when I discovered the power of Markdown and Markdown-based websites. Markdown’s simplicity meant I could focus on content rather than design or formatting. I quickly realized that Markdown would be the key to building and maintaining an easy-to-manage website.

Choosing Minimal Mistakes

With this realization in mind, I began searching for a Jekyll theme that would suit my needs. That’s when I came across Minimal Mistakes—a theme that matched my vision almost perfectly. It was clean, professional, and well-structured, making it an ideal choice for a portfolio website. Best of all, it was built for Jekyll, meaning I could write all my content in Markdown.

The Setup Process

Installing Minimal Mistakes was relatively easy, though I did run into a few obstacles along the way. At first, I simply cloned the entire repository and copied the files into my personal website’s GitHub repository. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was a mistake. By doing this, I carried over extraneous files that weren’t necessary for a GitHub Pages setup.

Still, I pressed on. I followed the Minimal Mistakes documentation, adding and modifying files as needed. However, as I was wrapping up the setup, I ran into a frustrating issue: my default configurations weren’t applying.

Debugging and an Unexpected Discovery

I spent over an hour troubleshooting, checking all the obvious culprits—YAML formatting, file locations, and Jekyll configurations. Nothing seemed to work. I was about to start manually combing through every unnecessary file I had copied over when I made a realization: the creator of Minimal Mistakes had already provided a remote theme template specifically for GitHub Pages users.

On one hand, I was thrilled—this was a lightweight, low-tech-debt solution that worked out of the box. On the other, I was slightly disappointed. Much of the manual work I had put into setting up the website was now redundant. But after reflecting on the experience, I realized that going through the documentation and manually modifying files had deepened my understanding of how Minimal Mistakes works. In the long run, this would only make it easier for me to customize and expand my website.

Why Jekyll and Minimal Mistakes?

For anyone looking to build a website with little to no prior experience—or anyone who wants to avoid the headache of maintaining a complex codebase—I highly recommend using Jekyll and the Minimal Mistakes theme. The combination allows you to:

  • Write content in Markdown, making updates and new posts incredibly simple.
  • Avoid dealing with CSS and JavaScript unless you want to.
  • Easily manage projects, blog posts, and portfolio pages with minimal overhead.

Thanks to these tools, I actually look forward to adding content to my website. Unlike traditional web development, where each update could mean modifying multiple HTML files and keeping CSS in check, Jekyll and Minimal Mistakes let me focus on what truly matters: sharing my work and ideas.

Final Thoughts

If you’re considering building your own portfolio site, don’t let the fear of web development hold you back. With the right tools, setting up a professional and easy-to-maintain website is easier than ever. My journey wasn’t without its hurdles, but in the end, I’ve built a site I’m truly proud of—one that will grow alongside my career in data science.

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