I finally updated my personal website, and you can actually "dye" your own canvas on it! 🎨 I've been experimenting with how to bring something physical into a digital space. The idea came from my growing interest in natural dyes and traditional textile-making, which I've been exploring a lot lately. I designed and built the whole experience in one day using Figma, Claude and Netlify. It's been pretty exciting to see how AI makes ideas that once felt technically out of reach something I can now experiment with and build on my own. I'm also open to fractional creative director roles, so if you know a team building something meaningful, I'd love to connect! Come play with it, and please let me know if you find any bugs 🐛 mya-nguyen.com

dyeing your own canvas on a personal site is such a nice idea. most portfolios just sit there, this one lets you play

MOTIF — From Words to Pixels to Code

What if you could see your dream website before writing a single line of code, then turn that vision into something real?

That's why I built Motif, an AI-powered visual design and website creation studio, built on Base44.

We turn words into pixels. Then we turn those pixels into real HTML and CSS.

Most AI website builders take a prompt and immediately generate a website. You get what the AI decides, and often spend ages prompting, regenerating and fighting to get something that resembles what you originally imagined.

I wanted to change that.

Motif puts visual creativity before code.

You start by describing your idea in plain English. Motif explores different visual directions, generating concepts that let you actually see what's possible before committing to a design.

Once you find something you love, Motif transforms that approved visual into a real, responsive website built with HTML and CSS. Not a flattened image pretending to be a website, but actual editable elements.

And that's where Motif becomes more than an AI generator.

Inside the visual studio, you can select elements, change typography, colours, spacing, imagery and layouts, preview desktop and mobile versions, and refine the design without starting over.

One of my favourite features is Shuffle, which can dramatically reimagine a design's composition and styling, allowing you to explore new creative possibilities without writing another lengthy prompt.

I also wanted people to understand what Motif could do before signing up or waiting for AI generation. So I built a product-focused homepage featuring real application footage, an explainer video and editable sample projects visitors can explore.

Why I built it

I've spent years working across software development, 3D design and interactive experiences, and I've always been fascinated by the gap between having a creative vision and actually bringing it to life.

AI has made building software more accessible, but great design still requires exploration, experimentation and creative control.

I believe AI should expand your imagination, not replace your creativity.

Motif is my attempt to bring those worlds together: the freedom of visual design, the intelligence of AI and the flexibility of real web development.

It's designed for entrepreneurs, developers, designers and anyone who's ever had a great idea but struggled to make it look the way they imagined.

Built with Base44, Motif demonstrates how far a creative application can go beyond traditional no-code tools.

Motif isn't about generating another template. It's about making something unmistakably yours.

Imagine it. Shape it. Make it real.

#Base44Challenge

Great idea, great output Mellis - goated