You're probably here because you landed on my site, saw a sneaky little banner or sidebar ad, and thought: Who TF puts ads on a portfolio? Like, isn’t the whole point of a portfolio to look pristine, professional, untouchable? A sacred space of pure creativity where money never dares to show its face?
Yeah… that person is me. Hi. Guilty. Unapologetically.
The "Purity" Myth
Portfolios have become these hyper-curated temples. Minimalist hero sections, perfect spacing, fancy cursor effects, dark mode that actually works. Everyone wants to signal: “I’m so good at design I don’t need to sell anything.” But here’s the raw truth — most of us do need to sell something. Time. Skills. Availability. Or at the very least, keep the domain and hosting paid while we wait for the next freelance gig.
“A portfolio without revenue is just an expensive hobby page.”
Why Ads Actually Make Sense (for some of us)
I’m not running Google Adsense with pop-unders and auto-play video banners (come on, have some dignity). The ads you see here are deliberate, low-key, relevant-ish placements:
- They fund late-night chai runs and server bills
- They rarely break the design because I hand-pick and style them
- They start conversations — people DM me like “bro why ads??” and we end up talking shop
- They remind visitors I’m a real human trying to make a living, not a design robot
In 2026 we have AI generating entire sites, yet many creators still can’t afford to keep side projects alive without some kind of monetization. A few non-intrusive ads feel honest compared to newsletter pop-ups every 30 seconds or “premium” locked content.
The Backlash Is Hilarious (and Useful)
I’ve gotten everything from polite roasts to full-on cancellation threads. Some say it makes me look desperate. Others say it’s genius anti-perfectionism. Both are right in different moods.
The best part? It filters. The people who bounce because of an ad probably weren’t going to hire me anyway. The ones who stay, laugh, or even click sometimes? They’re usually the collaborators, the curious ones, the humans. That’s who I want in my orbit.
So… Am I Wrong?
Maybe. Probably. Definitely to some people. But I’m okay with that.
In a world obsessed with looking expensive while secretly stressing about Stripe invoices, putting a small ad on my portfolio feels like wearing an “I’m trying” t-shirt to a black-tie event. It’s honest. It’s a little messy. It’s very 2026.
If it bugs you that much — fair. Close the tab. No hard feelings.
But if you’re still reading… thanks for sticking around. Want to talk about it? Drop a comment, roast me in the guestbook, or just say hi. The ad revenue might buy us both a coffee one day. ☕