It has been a long time since I updated this blog. I’ve been somewhat less active with coding in the sense of learning, and more focused on the application of and creating. A little update:
Since my last post, I started to focus on making things. I was working on projects with FreeCodeCamp, and was enjoying it, but then there came the project for a portfolio site. I already wanted a portfolio to show people what I know so that I could apply to a job should the opportunity present itself. But what content would I use to fill the portfolio site? My blog? That’s it? If I wanted to switch my career into web design and development, a spiffy site would help my chances.
I started to research portfolio sites and design company sites for ideas. I had a few, but the idea of showing actual work continued to be a problem, as I didn’t feel I had enough experience to showoff on a site. There would be a gaping hole on the site once I tried to link to work experience. I knew I needed to fill that spot with content.
I think finding or creating content for a start up designer can be tough. I know I have the skills to make something look nice, but what is it that I’ll be making look nice? I’ve had some … “interesting learning experiences” from working with people before I was ready. I’m 90% sure I’m ready to make a site, but that other 10% comes from those voices of doubt in my head. Turns out, that 10% can be much louder than the silent majority in my head.
Bending to the will of doubt, I started to look to myself to see what I had to offer for content. I went to school for art education, and I’ve made a lot of art over my life, but a few months ago I made the conscious decision to abandon drawing and painting. I am sure I’ll return to it one day. It’s hard to completely turn your back on something that you’ve been doing since before you can remember. Two reasons led to this decision: unhappiness with the work I was making, and to focus more attention on coding and my goals for a career change. I donated many of my remaining supplies to the neighborhood school, and got rid of a lot of my earlier work. But I didn’t get rid of my camera.
Photography has become my sole source of artistic expression over the past year or so. While eliminating drawing and painting, I’ve been able to focus my attention on photography. I work with digital, and take a lot of photos. Enough that I realize I had the content I was looking for. What I thought would be a quick lead up to organizing some photographs for a site became a much larger project that I endeavored.
I’ve spent well over two weeks going through photographs, trying to figure out how to organize it. In doing so, I learned a lot about myself as a photographer. I rarely ever go back and look at my old photos; the joy of shooting something was enough for me. Going back over years of photographs was a illuminating activity for me.
Before organizing my photographs, I also did some research. I found many photographers’ sites that gave me ideas on how to present my work. I’ve also looked at sites that might not be as obvious as others: sites like Philly.com and other news sites. I wanted to see how to present photographs in a more functional, rather than formal context. Extrapolating ideas from unlikely sources has given me a better sense of how I want to present my work.
By now, you may be wondering where the site is. Currently, it’s on paper and in my head. There is functionality I don’t know how to create. Yet. Over the next couple days and weeks, I plan to pour over web site source codes to start to take apart and tinker with ideas. I know I’m making it harder on myself to start from scratch, but what I learn from this process will help me to finally have something to place into my web designer portfolio site.
Pat Woods 