I’ve spent every free moment I’ve had since the new year learning everything I can about web design and development. I’m part of the generation that was on the cusp of the computer age—when I was in college, it still wasn’t clear (to me, at least) that computers were going to become such an integral part of our lives. And since I studied sculpture in school, I didn’t have much use for them anyway. My point is, since I realized at age 27 that graphic and web design was what I wanted to do when I grew up, I’ve had a lot of catching up to do. And with the relaunch of this site, I’ve made the decision that I want to focus my business more on web work, since that’s what I’ve found that I enjoy the most. So I needed to push myself even further.

The major step I took was in learning Expression Engine, and after trying it out on The Periodic Label, I really dove in in applying it to this site. I’ve also been actively searching out more information on web standards and accessibility. And I’ve learned a lot. And I’m overwhelmed by how much more I have to learn.

Which brings me to Mr. T nagging me from within my skull. There’s no humanly possible way I can make this site the apex of functionality, accessibility and aesthetics that I want it to be. I’m just not there yet. But if I step back for a second, I can see that I’m much closer to that point than I was two months ago. I made a promise to myself when I started this business that whenever my website was no longer my favorite site that I had designed and built, then I had to redesign it. When I get over the fact that it’s not my favorite site I’ve ever seen, I can admit that it is once again my favorite site that I have made.

Mr. T graffiti photo is from Imamon’s flickr page