Random Musings

Making the best of things

Sean — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:05:27 +0000

Not long ago I made the mistake of working by spec. That is a mistake I won’t make again. Basically I did work on the off chance I may get a job. Long story short, I didn’t get the job so the work I did was for free. Instead of complaining, I decided to make the most out of what I had designed.

I re-packaged the template and sold it as is. I was upfront and honest about the template, I even gave the guy a discount. He was happy, I am happy and the lesson is learned.

That lesson? I will never work on spec again.

Because I can

Sean — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 21:23:36 +0000

I’ve been playing around with a new layout for my website. Instead of redesigning the existing site, I plan on making a new template and experimenting with HTML 5. The current version will stay while the new site will reside in the Experiments area.

No time for love Dr. Jones

Sean — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:03:51 +0000

I really should write more. I just don’t have the time. I am keeping a rather hectic schedule. Too bad I’m not getting paid for most of it…

I’m trying to break back into the field of Web Design after a long absence. The good thing is I’ve gotten some freelance projects recently, although small, they help immensely. I’m trying to add to my skill set. XHTML/HTML and CSS are easy for me. I know them like the back of my hand. JS and PHP are a little more difficult, just because the way my brain works. Thanks to Jquery I know a lot more about JavaScript and thanks to Wordpress I know a lot more about PHP.

Now add social networking to the list. I’ve been experimenting with the twitter, flickr and facebook api’s. I’ve also been experimenting with FBML (facebook mark up language)

Now put all those together; keeping up with the resume/cv, reading design articles, hunting for a full time gig, doing freelance work, working any odd jobs I can get, interviews etc… You get the point.

Maybe if I had 25 hours in a day, that would help. So would a full time gig.

Re-inventing the wheel

Sean — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:54:53 +0000

After another long coding session I have decided that I’m no longer going to make my own framework for Wordpress. Why? Because there is no point in re-inventing the wheel. Currently I am using the Thematic Framework, which I was basing my work off of. I figured why make a new one when I already have a feature packed one to begin with. Instead I plan on incorporating what I’ve learned into Thematic.

I’ve learned quite a bit about Wordpress and PHP in general in the past few months. I’ll admit it probably took me longer than some. Only for the simple fact that I am a visual learner. When it comes to XHTML and CSS, I can make a change and instantly see the results. I can see those results even if I make an error. PHP on the other hand… doesn’t often work that easily. It’s the artist in me. I am an artist first and a coder second. Linear vs The Whole. I digress…

I know I mentioned (for the few who actually read this) that I was close to finishing my new site. This has taken a back seat since I have gotten several freelance requests. So now it will take longer than anticipated.

Forever and a day

Sean — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:56:12 +0000

This is taking slightly longer than I expected. I’m hoping to be done within the next week or so. *crossing fingers*

I’m thinking I should have gone with an incremental upgrade instead of doing it all at once. That’s something I’ll keep in mind for next time.

Patiently awaiting the New Year

Sean — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:16:37 +0000

It’s been a rough year all around. I’ve decided to take this blog in a new direction. I have deleted all the posts I’ve made over the past several months and plan on focusing on things that are more in tune with what I love.

Stay tuned…

I’ve been working on a new template and new styles. I plan to utilize this site as one big experiment, seeing how far I can push the limits of WordPress.