Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Hiring a professional web site coder developer designer

Professional carnival entertainer. Very effective at his job!
For a professionally-done job, hire a professional.
I will be honest. Between my main web site (woefully in need of a spa getaway), my blog, my password-protected portfolio site and my Etsy-based shop, I have been living with a case of design whiplash for at least a year. Why have I not hired someone to take care of this for me? Well, here's why. I am a designer. I have done it myself for many years, and it's been okay. But now, I'm at the point where I need help— no if's, and's or but's about it. I'm done trying to do something myself that a web site building professional could do 2,000% times better—at least. My technical skills (or my extremely limited ability to hack code to make it do what I want... sort of) have finally been buffalo-stampeded by my needs. I am not a coder and any past attempts at fooling myself into thinking I can do it have proved flights of frustrating fancy. And there has been a LOT of attempts over the past six years. Oh, I've done it, and most of my work has not been altogether unsuccessful, but each attempt has never resulted in what I truly wished for myself, either.

Just because you CAN does not mean you SHOULD.
Yes, I'm a pro graphic designer and have been gainfully employed doing just that for over 13 years. But coding? Uhhh... NO. building out? Uh-uh. PROGRAMMING? NO WAY! Hey, I am excellent at doing what I love the most. But building my own web sites is NOT on that list. I just don't have the technical talents necessary to detail all of my needs as I want them done. As such, redesigning my site has typically been done, by ME, under duress. It is usually "planned" in a last-minute state of panic, or at least agitation. Needless to say, I don't really look forward to it. I grumble the entire way through it, I cannot wait for it to be done, and in the end, I'm never really 100% happy.

Seeing the forest for the trees.
Have you noticed that sometimes, when you are looking at something too closely for too long, you are not really seeing what it truly looks like anymore? Enough said.

Being decisive.
This year, decisiveness seems to be a running theme. I have decided (...or discovered) that decisiveness is truly one of the keys to success. The ability to make up your mind, make a decision, and stick to that decision. Just to make a decision, already...

So, I now am facing this with an open heart and a lot of enthusiasm. Sometimes, you just gotta let go. Really. For your own good. Just release those white knuckles, the control, and let go. Hand the reins to someone else— someone who will bring something fresh, something exciting, something new, ideas, improvements... See what can happen. I have the sense that working with someone else, whoever it turns out to be, it could potentially unearth some great ideas that I simply never would have thought of myself. Perhaps their design style will merge with my work in a really complimentary way—and be just the thing to make my on-line identity feel even more like me (but all ironed out and polished up)! I have been hemming and hawing on this decision for far too long now. It is time. What does Nike say? Just Do It. So, what am I waiting for? Let's do this!

6 comments:

Swirly Designs said...

We went through the same exact dilemma with our website. Being both designers and control freaks turning something over to a third party was hard for us too.
But It just got to the point where we just started to dread anytime we needed to update the simplest things.
Once we finally bit the bullet we look back now at how much time and energy we save today with the site and it kinda makes all the $$$ worth it. Good Luck!

Unknown said...

Yes Kathy, I totally understand. I have been a one-man band for a long time. It is very hard to let go of the control! I tend to be a micro-manager when it comes to my business. It is tough to trust some else to do the things that you have done for so long. Wish you luck!

My Friend Ronnie said...

When you find somebody that "gets it" and doesn't treat you like an imbecile or an open checkbook, and actually shows up when they say they will,let me know! (yeah...speaking from experience!)
Ronnie

Unknown said...

Ronnie, I will let you know. I've actually been getting some referrals. I can give you some ideas once I go through the list!

Carmen, Yes I hear you. It's kind of complicated, isn't it ;)

Swirly, you give me hope. :) I'm mentally "there". (Horray, biggest hurdle overcome!) Now it is a matter of finding the right fit, and then having them be available within a timeframe I can also commit to.

Thanks for chiming in.

Anonymous said...

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Hat’s off. Well done, as we know that “hard work always pays off”, after a long struggle with sincere effort it’s done.

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