This wasn’t easy

“You have a website?” Yes, I do! I’ve always loved web design, but being tasked with creating something for a class truly changed everything for me. This iteration had to be perfect; I had to curate the site I’d always wanted to.

Over the past five months, I’ve struggled to create an e-portfolio that reflects who I truly am. My previous attempts at creating an e-portfolio are documented in one of my earliest blogs. As you can see, a lot has changed since then. Not only are my fonts and overall site-building platform completely different, but my skills and strengths are, too. I’ve learned so much about design and the importance of web-based prose, truly outfitting a screen, not only in my COM-202 class, but in my Intro to Design class as well. This website is the culmination of everything I have learned over the past couple of years, as I bounced from Blogger to Wix to Google Sites and finally to Squarespace. Creating an e-portfolio isn’t easy because you constantly second-guess yourself about whether something is good. Still, when I look at each page of this website, I can’t help but wish a global audience would click through and truly understand who I am today.

As I started navigating the new Squarespace layout, I was so confused why I didn’t just start with this platform to begin with. Wix is a hassle(!) It’s clunky, laggy, and hard to use overall. And no, I’m not being sponsored to say this: I paid for Squarespace from my own pocket, and let me tell you, it was worth it! Everything on this site clicks and works. One of the most challenging things, finding the look of social tags to go in the footer, has always been a struggle, but with this site-building haven, I can literally change the style of those buttons with a click. I don’t have to go on Google and find a random .jpeg of a fictional Instagram logo that’s “almost” it. I am so happy I found Squarespace.

When it came time to transfer my site from Wix to this newer, better platform, it was so simple. I manage my domain using GoDaddy, and have done so since April 14th, 2020 (We’ve had lots of websites since then), and I couldn’t be more impressed by the level of introspection around Squarespace integrations. “So long, Wix,” I happily said.

What’s new?

This is a take two of my 2023 Website built with Google Sites. It’s refined, has some moving parts, and just for the heck of it, I have a snowfall embed so I can really show off my expertise! It’s amazing! I married two sites together, taking the colors and stylism of my 2023 site and matching it to the more modern text style and overall mission of the 2025 Wixsite. I started my journey with five super bright colors, stylized like the New York City Subway Station, and although it may look stylistically pleasing, it was too childish for me; I needed something that was London, not New York. So I did just that, changing my buttons and colors to be more subtle and easier to read. In doing so, I’ve created a cohesive brand identity that I will soon adapt to my YouTube channel to start making videos again. I have a fun, super simple Illustrator-made star logo that I draped around a warped Apple Garamond-style spelling of my name. It looks fun, while clean and cohesive. Furthermore, I want my site to be both a portfolio and my merch store, to stay away from paying for more than one domain, so I’ve strategically placed all “Shop” items on their own page, and kept everything else simple, clean, and professional for potential recuiters to understand my skills with design, rather than order a hoodie (unless they wanted to of course)!

What did I learn?

Change is inevitable. I thought, after creating my last Wix site, that I would be in love with it forever, but it was too loud and didn't accurately reflect all that my skills encompass. This site is the culmination of many sites before it, so I’ve not only learned that change will happen regardless, but also that it’s something to be proud of. Never would I have thought I would need to change my site, but here we are, and I am proud of it. I also learned how to use Squarespace to the fullest in such a short amount of time. It is the best site-building tool I have ever used, and that’s coming from someone who made their own webshow, iLondon, and has a neon sign of it blaring in their eyes as they write. I am also still learning to maintain the habit of posting blogs. It was stressful pulling my projects into one place, but every time I would start editing a blog or even writing one, I felt so much calmer, and this new writing method might be just what I need to keep things off of my friends and more on a viewer who needs a nice read for their morning coffee. I will continue to post blogs as much as possible. I’ve learned a lot, but that doesn't mean the learning is over.

“The only thing that’s left is the manuscript…”

Taylor Swift’s The Manuscript always puts me in a nostalgic mood. I think it’s perfect for this site because that’s precisely what the site is—a time capsule of my learning and work for various projects from past chapters of my life. I want the story to be the viewer’s as well. I want my site to walk them through the progress I’ve made as a designer and, as a student overall. Yes, this was a hard thing to curate. Still, as I sit here writing my final graded reflection (Don’t worry, we’re not done with blogging yet), I can only celebrate its completion and my completion of Digital Storytelling overall. So, as you continue to navigate this site, play some Showgirl, read some blogs, and take in the digital snow while it’s still here. Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me. In the wise words of Taylor Swift, “The story isn’t mine anymore…”