Steyn Viljoen

Let's start from the basics: can you introduce yourself?

I’m Steyn (pronounced ‘stain’, liked stained glass). I live in Cape Town, South Africa working as a product designer for a UK-based tech startup. I explored quite a few fields before I landed here. I started as a Geologist but made a couple of stops in consciousness coaching, motion design and video editing. I got my first design job in 2010 and I’ve been designing since then.

I love gardening and I often splurge on plants but unlike many other things we can splurge on, this is the one thing that has created more happy moments than anything else in my life. In it, I play with the kids, work on side projects and chill out after work and over weekends.

If I don't garden, I enjoy reading about philosophy, psychology and architecture. It often inspires me to design products that are more human and solve problems—whether professional, personal, or relational—from different perspectives.

What's the story behind your blog?

I first started to blog in 2006 when I was working as a consciousness coach. Back then, I primarily wrote about personal development on public blogging platforms like EzineArticles (blogging platforms have come a long way!).
Over the years, my blog evolved through multiple iterations. I've experimented with nearly every major blogging platform that has emerged in the past 20 years. I started out with Joomla, and, as many, used WordPress for some time, gave Notion with 3rd party extensions a shot, and tried Ghost and Medium as a companion blog. I eventually settled on a custom-built Webflow site. It gives me enough flexibility to use it as a blogging platform and host some of my design case studies.

Interestingly enough, I didn't design my blog in a design tool beforehand. I went straight into Webflow and built what came up in my mind. I’ve been using this version for 5+ years now.

Today, I write mostly about product, philosophy, parenting and gardening.

What does your creative process look like when it comes to blogging?

Most of my writing ideas are inspired by everyday experiences. For example, while working in our garden, I might have a thought like, "Digital products generally don't make us feel as whole and alive as gardens do." These ideas often simmer in the back of mind for weeks as I read various books and blog posts, gradually building a narrative around them.

To organize these ideas better, I've started to use Sublime which is essentially a Pinterest for knowledge. It allows me to collect and curate information related to my thoughts, creating digital mood boards for my posts. For example, I put together this collection while wrestling with the idea about gardens and digital products.

When I feel the story has matured enough and I have a solid grasp on it, I start drafting in Craft. My wife is normally my first reviewer - her ability to sense the general tone of a piece has greatly helped me find my voice and cut out the noise. My second round of reviews is normally from a few colleagues or friends.

Over the past year, I’ve started to use ChatGPT or Claude to review sentence structures or grammar for me, but I'm intentional about limiting their role to not lose my voice.

This entire process can span weeks. For instance, the garden-inspired idea eventually blossomed into my post, Beautiful, boring, and without soul.

Do you have an ideal creative environment? Also do you believe the physical space influences your creativity?

With two tiny humans roaming the house, I've found that the best times to write nowadays are early in the morning (around 5am) or in the evening when they are in bed. I don't have any particular routine around writing; sometimes I put some chill music on in the background; other times, I prefer to write in silence. Fun fact: I built a waterfall in our backyard, which makes for a pretty zen zone while writing.

A question for the techie readers: can you run us through your tech stack?

My tech stack is simple: I use Webflow’s CMS for my blog, which is also hosted on Webflow, and my domain is registered with GoDaddy.

Given your experience, if you were to start a blog today, would you do anything differently?

I don't think so. I'm quite content with how the path has revealed itself as I walked it.

Financial question since the Web is obsessed with money: how much does it cost to run your blog? Is it just a cost, or does it generate some revenue? And what's your position on people monetising personal blogs?

Webflow’s CMS and hosting cost me about $30 per month. Aside from domain renewal, this is my only expense. I don’t generate any revenue from it at the moment and don't have any desire to ever do so. I prefer the freedom to write at my own pace without the pressure of catering to a paying audience. That said, I admire those who manage to build a following by creating good content and asking for support.

Time for some recommendations: any blog you think is worth checking out? And also, who do you think I should be interviewing next?

I open and read every one of Escaping Flatland, The Intrinsic Perspective, and The Map is Mostly Water. They're a blend of philosophy, culture, humanities, and relationships and are quite niche. I appreciate the level of depth and wholeness the authors write with.

For something more broadly accessible, I enjoy Recomendo, Dense Discovery, and readJPEG. They’re lovingly curated, easy to digest, and perfect for a quick read while the kettle boils or between tasks.

Final question: is there anything you want to share with us?

Besides the bloggers I mentioned above, there are a couple of people who have changed my life in immeasurable ways. I often refer back to these 3 authors:

At this stage of my life, three authors stand out. Carl Rogers, author of On Becoming a Person, has given me a more humanistic view of psychology and has helped me build deeper connections with others. David Deutsch, a physicist most famous for The Beginning of Infinity has helped me have a more optimistic approach to life through problem-solving. And Robert Pogue Harrison whose book, Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition, has helped me connect with gardens on a deeper level. If I need to gift books, these would be it.

Then, lastly, Arlo and Micah, my 4 and 6-year-old sons deserve a paragraph by themselves. I am a more complete person because of them. Through their curiosity and lightness, I’m learning to approach life with more wonder and presence.

It is this wonder that inspires me to continue to write in my small corner of the web and I hope it will inspire them and others to do the same.