{"id":756,"date":"2016-01-05T11:45:50","date_gmt":"2016-01-05T02:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/n8finch.com\/?p=756"},"modified":"2016-08-25T11:04:03","modified_gmt":"2016-08-25T02:04:03","slug":"creating-a-body-of-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/n8finch2024.local\/creating-a-body-of-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating a Body of Work"},"content":{"rendered":"
I’ve only just begun to write consistently, but why?\u00a0Why\u00a0now<\/strong>??<\/em><\/p>\n Podcasts are a big part of my weekly routine. I usually absorb them at 2x speed while working, running errands, running, or\u00a0whenever I have a spare moment. I love listening to people talk about ideas, get some tips about business, web development and life, and occasionally get my motivation engine lubed up.<\/p>\n About a month ago, I was listening to this Fizzle podcast<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>about the true definition of success, and this line came up:<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you want your body of work to look like in five years?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n That really stopped me in my tracks.<\/p>\n For the last year and a half, I’ve mostly been looking for work on a monthly basis,\u00a0pretty much whatever I could find. Honestly, I’m pretty proud and satisfied with what I’ve been able to accomplish, build and participate in as far as my portfolio<\/a><\/strong>. I’ve been averaging about 1.4 website builds a month. Not all of these have ended up in my portfolio, and that’s ok. The portfolio should be not only a reflection of\u00a0what I’ve done<\/em><\/strong> but also\u00a0the type of work I’d like to achieve and be asked to build.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n That said, looking back over the past year and a half, these are the type of projects I’m looking for\u00a0and<\/em><\/strong> what I would like to be known for.<\/p>\n I’m not a designer by any stretch of the imagination. I probably couldn’t design my way out of a paper bag to a gun to my head (maybe I could). Regardless, I’m more concern about the answer to the question, “Does it work like it should?” vs. “Does it look pretty?”. While I’d like both of these answers to be a resounding “YES!<\/em><\/strong>“, this isn’t always the case.<\/p>\n Now, I’ll be the first to say that UX\/UI is definitely important, and maybe I need to focus on user experience over and above artistic design, but I definitely come down more on the functionality side of things.<\/p>\n Working with WordPress, that means being able to develop custom plugins<\/strong> for added site functionality. Getting the site to\u00a0do something<\/strong><\/em> specific is exciting. I think this has traditionally meant a division between front-end and back-end, but with Javascript becoming more of a tool to use in WordPress, there’s probably room for overlap when it comes to functionality. TBD, moving on…<\/p>\n Perhaps this comes from the same feeling of not being artistic, but I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily innovative either. My first reaction is to see what other people are already doing and then try to improve on it. Why re-invent the wheel? In this regard, I’m more of a Samsung than an Apple (ha!).<\/p>\n Maybe a better comparison is the I’m more of a 1997 Hyundi Accent (the car we drive) than a hoverboard. With the Accent, I know it’s going to get me from point A to point B, consistently, with very little maintenance, and it going to do so over and over again. A hoverboard is awesome, super cool, and can wow your friends, but don’t work on water (unless you’ve got power<\/a><\/strong>). That can get you into trouble, McFly.<\/p>\n So, I’m interested in best-practices<\/strong>, and using a framework, CMS, or any other tool that has a good\u00a0eye on future development<\/strong>, not in the sense of being innovative, but in the sense of “skating to where to puck is going to be.”<\/p>\n Finally, I have a serious sense of responsibility. If something goes wrong with a project, I do everything in my power to make it right. If something breaks, I try to fix it. If I don’t know the answer to a question, or if I can’t develop a needed feature, I tend to pay for that consulting or development out of my own pocket. There are definitely positives to this kind of responsibility as well.<\/p>\n However, when the buck stops with me, that can be a draining experience. I’ve enjoyed working with subcontractors on projects; people who know more than me, and I’d like to do that on a more regular basis.<\/p>\n\n
Function over Form<\/h2>\n
Well-Built over Innovative<\/h2>\n
Team over Solo Work<\/h2>\n