Delivering multiple projects in a timely manner at the end of every week has challenged me in many ways. The process of starting with a blank page and creating something is intimidating. I have found that once you are able to get that first thought down though, the process of transforming it into something tangible begins and you can’t get enough.
My first project was building this very website, a totally new and eye-opening experience for me. I spent every hour I could learning the ins-and-outs of WordPress. By formatting the content, styling the layout, and bringing everything together I ended up with a product that I was proud of.
It was a fantastic experience. I racked up over 30 hours that week on the creation of the site.
I started working 40 hours at Barnes and Noble during the next week. I quickly realized I could not use the same approach without sacrificing something. My time management abilities needed to improve rapidly for the next project I would face.
I found the whole website-building experience so enjoyable that when it came time to produce a portfolio project, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I would create a website for my business: thesnow-ball.com. This is a formal dance that I created last year and was in the early stages of planning again this year. I knew having another outlet where people could find out more about the Snow Ball, as well as having another way of getting in touch with me and the rest of the planning team would help in growing the event. I received multiple ticket requests from the site in its first week, and that made the long hours worth it.
The Snow Ball website presented new challenges: reaching out to a customer base, creating email addresses for my team through the site server, and searching for—and activating—plug-ins that best served my purposes.
I pushed myself especially hard, averaging about six hours each night, after work at the bookstore, focused entirely on getting the site up and running. I wanted to see just how far I can push myself and still get the results I was looking for.