You know, the one whose children never had shoes? Similar to the plumber with leaky pipes and the doctor who smokes a pack a day. I know I don’t need to explain my lack of a decent website, but I feel that I should. I like to comment on blog posts, and I have been leaving my twitter page as my website. Shameful, I know. But the truth is, I have been busy swamped completely overwhelmed by all of my life’s priorities, commitments, and challenges.
I started freelancing/my web design business (really, people, what is the difference?) a year and a half ago, with one skill set in my backpack: html. That’s it. Just the one. Ok I was getting the hang of CSS as well, but by no means did I have enough knowledge to consider it a skill. I started this business while I was still in school at Rochester Institute of Technology, while my daughter had just turned two, and her dad, my husband, Wayne had just left for this third tour in Iraq. Why would I inflict such a demanding and crazy life upon myself? Because when I returned to my html hobby after 5 years, and started learning CSS, I absolutely, positively fell in love with the concept of web design, web development, and the web as a marketing tool. I wanted to do what ever I could, however much time it might take, to become a “professional” “web designer”. I was addicted to learning, to advancing, to achieving, and most of all, addicted to creating a life for myself and my family that I would love living.
Back to the Cobbler thing.
My website sucks. It really does. It probably always will. Every time I sit down to really do something great with it, I am confused about what direction it should go, design-wise. I see sites by Obox Design and think, “Wow, yah! LOTS of graphics, LOTS of effects, LOTS of depth. That’s what I’ll do!” Then I stumble upon more minimalistic designs where its all just clean lines and beautiful typography. I struggle between displaying a website showing what I can do, and displaying a website that really represent my own personal design, inspiration, and personality.
So instead of struggling with a direction and decision making, I hereby make the decision to not do some big, whopping, hoopla of a website. Digg? Float? Stumble? CSS-loaf? Pattern Tap? I don’t need that crap. This isn’t a popularity contest, and my professional goals are not centered around impressing my colleagues. Well, maybe just a little.
I am now a full-time, employed web designer/graphic designer/problem solver/information organizer for a small local company called The Birkett Mills who is actually way bigger than they appear. I haven’t stopped freelancing, or doing pro-bono work for the Keuka Comfort Care Home.