I'll be completely transparent on this one: I really don't understand how to make a website.
Don't get me wrong. I can <!DOCTYPE html> with the best of them. But if there's one thing I'm not, it's a designer. Everything I draw tends to look more like something you would want to hang up on the fridge rather than in the Louvre, and that (lack of) artistic ability extends all the way out to design documents, color schemes, and page layouts. I didn't know where to start, and I didn't have a goal in mind beyond "making something that looks nice". So, if you're in the market to get your own website started up, then this post is for you. I made some mistakes, and I got some things right, and I'd like to talk about all of them to you, the starry-eyed voice actor looking to make their own little corner of the internet something that's truly special.
1. There are plenty of tools to help you design your website.
I've always had it in the back of my mind that all of the website-building programs out there would be able to take a lot of stress out of designing your website, but it wasn't until I actually used one for myself that I realized just how streamlined they've become. I tried a few of them right when they came out a few years back, and I wasn't really impressed with the results. Everything seemed kinda plain, and boring. Definitely not something you would want to use to show off your creative abilities, regardless of whether you're an illustrator or not.
Fortunately, just about every one of these website-builders comes with hundreds upon hundreds of templates for you to work from now, based off of factors such as your logo, your preferred choice of color schemes, the moods you want to convey, and your own personality quirks. You'll have to do a lot of legwork to make them, well...not look like you pulled your website directly off of a template, but the end result is more than rewarding enough to make up for it. You get to add your own personal touch and flourish without needing to worry about the hassle of building everything up from scratch. Win/win!
2. The hardest parts will be the ones you least expect.
Writing about yourself is hard. Really hard.
The "About" section, and, really, the entirety of your homepage, is designed to sell you. Your demo reels sell your voice, mostly, but you want whoever's looking at your website to get a good sense of who you are. It's important to put your best foot forward, but it feels like introducing yourself to a classroom of infinite people.
It's nerve-racking to say the least. Making yourself sound good without resorting to corporate buzzwords ("A diligent team-player that always seeks to maximize profit margins!" isn't exactly personable) is difficult. But, like any good character building exercise, it's about recognizing your strengths. What do you do best, that someone else might not? Don't brag about it, or turn your nose up at the people who don't or can't do the same things as you, but don't be shy to carve out your niche. Something that's unique to you and few others is going to be your personal edge, and it's what sets you apart from everyone else. Everybody has their own talents, strengths, and weaknesses, and being able to recognize yours is an absolutely invaluable skill.
3. For all of the headache, it's still a lot of fun.
This has been a very sleepless week for me. I've had a lot of assignments I've needed to hand in, I've written a few tests, and I'm preparing for a big networking event at my college. It's been difficult to find time to rest between printing business cards, recording my new commercial demo, and getting this entire website set up. Needless to say, I'm totally exhausted.
But it's rewarding, and that's the most important part for me. I'm glad to be doing all of this.
Sure, it's stressful right now, but I'm incredibly excited to be able to show this to all of the people that I've been teasing it to. I really love doing work that you can see manifest, like washing the dishes. You start with a big pile, work through them, and by the end, you have clean plates and an empty sink. It's a good feeling to slowly watch your workload get whittled down farther and farther, and that's what building a website feels like. You can really see it all start coming together as you chip away at it, and it's a fantastic feeling.
Anyway, I hope this has helped to assuage some of your own concerns about building a website of your own, or that it was just entertaining to read my rant-y ramblings about design theory. It's easier than you think, but there are a lot of hidden difficulties to consider, too. If you can strike the perfect balance between designing your website and writing all of the material that needs to go on those pages, then you've got yourself a recipe for something that represents you in the best ways possible.
And, hey. At least we're not using Angelfire anymore.
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