I normally do a recap every month about what I did during those weeks. Now I look back a bit (already) at everything I’ve had the opportunity to do this year, as well as what my plans are for next year. Maybe a little early but I felt like writing this off my chest so that is why I am doing it now. That’s allowed, right?
Some fun facts about Deliciae Design
- Since I started blogging again, I have posted a total of 102 articles. This is article #103! Maybe not much for a blogger, but I’m proud of it. I still have so many ideas to post and next year – when I have more hours to devote to Deliciae Design – I also want to try a month of daily blogging. Ideas aplenty, just that time lol! Remains a stumbling block, but that will change next year!
- In total, on these 102 articles, I received 411 responses! Wow! How super! Thank you very much!
- The articles I received the most responses to were, of course, my Fix-It Saturdays, but the articles Is Blogging Dead?, 30 WordPress plugins that increase productivity and enjoyment in blogging and Blog Advice What I Refuse to Follow were also well liked.
- I got to make a total of 25 projects this year! 25! WOW! And that’s from March because the first three months of 2015 I didn’t do anything, haha. Not everything can be found in my portfolio because although these were fun projects one by one, again I don’t want to make my portfolio too big. Scrolling between 50+ projects isn’t really nice anymore, so it’s just a selection of some projects from the past few years. By the way, there are some that I did for free, such as the logo of Miese Muis.
- Of all those projects, I have 5 personalized widgets encoded, four portfolios designed and I’m not counting mine, one recipe index and other index pages with filter, sneeze-pages created by means of a custom script AND loop allowing me to create a new one with two clicks without coding anything at all, worked with custom loops/queries and actually much more…. Everything is also responsive including the videos, I have also created a code that allows videos to be added as a Featured Video instead of an image (saved another plugin!) My knowledge of PHP (and jQuery) has doubled compared to last year and even though I think I’m just a beginner, I’m told by other web designers that I do work that some can’t even do. Yes, I may pat myself on the back a bit more so I’ll do just that before I take refuge behind my computer again and disappear from the face of the earth because my insecurity takes over.
Deliciae Design gets a redesign and webshop
- I’m going to try to blog part-time (maybe full-time) and work on Deliciae Design next year. Why? My contract in healthcare will be reduced to fewer hours. Finding another job is very difficult (especially when every healthcare facility is cutting back) and actually I don’t want to leave my current employer. This gives me the opportunity to devote the remaining hours to Deliciae Design – something I thoroughly enjoy and where my passion also lies.
- I will finally open my long-awaited webshop next year! FINALLY! It had been a goal for this year but due to a lot of private events i.c.w. my other job and all the fun projects (and tad of uncertainty), I’ve been putting it off. I have already purchased the necessary plugins, everything has also been installed, only the design still needs to be designed. But that there is going to be a webshop that is a fact! Now just a few more fun themes to create (both for WordPress and Blogger that are also responsive!) and then everything will go online. I’m looking forward to it, are you?
- And then I come to the next point – the plan is to have all my current projects completed around Christmas so I can spend the last two weeks on my redesign. The idea is there, just the coding. Plan is to launch Jan. 1. The plan huh? If you know me a little bit, all sorts of things always come up but I really want to make this a reality now and stop my procrastination which stems from my insecurity. Just shouldn’t do it anymore because it only benefits me. If I wasn’t grumbling so much, that webshop would have been there a long time ago (read: two years back when I already had the plan). Anyway, that’s too late now. Maybe it’s also a good thing that I took the time to gain even more knowledge so that I can start 2016 rock hard with fun, original and challenging projects.
Pretty much become my life motto, so had to make a fun graphic of it.
Falling and getting up
Now this may feel like an article in which I briefly extol myself…. and maybe it is. I realized today that I have more up my sleeve than I had always thought. I have always been insecure about everything I do/did but after graduation this got worse because I then fell into a giant hole where nothing seemed to work out.
At that time, I was not much into web design, but just wanted a fun job in the leisure industry (like marketing, for example). I was always rejected during job applications because on paper I had the right qualities, but when I was allowed to go for an interview, I completely shut down and couldn’t get out of my words. Then try to persuade the person that you can do it all! Because I did have the qualities, I just have a very poor ability to “sell” myself.
After yet another failed interview, I began to doubt myself. Could I really do it all? From all the group projects and my internships, it appeared that I did (both internships completed with an 8), but there was still a little voice in the back of my head calling me a failure. That I had failed. Going into a job interview in that state of mind is not very good either. Especially when all you hear in your head is that you can’t do it anyway and had better give up. And your loved ones actually confirm this feeling a little bit….
Eventually I ended up in healthcare and little by little, the little voices went away. I think it was because of the frequent social contact, that the dear old ladies told me not to worry so much. That all will be well. The little voices are still there now, you know, but fortunately I can suppress them and persevere. When someone asks me to make something special that I’ve never done, I don’t say no either. Then I honestly admit that I’m not familiar with it yet, but would like to figure it out AND learn so I can still complete the project. Because saying no to a challenge I don’t like to do that. Especially not because saying yes to the best moment of my life – participating in Walt Disney World’s College Program – left me with unforgettable memories. Memories I will never forget and an experience that improved me in a positive way. I learned that a challenge is not scary at all. Not even when you are alone (in the beginning).
In fact, at the beginning of my web design “career,” my family didn’t really know what to do with me because, of course, they wanted me to have a steady job, something with more security (although with this economy, you never know). Until I was allowed to do projects that gave my self-confidence back a bit and they saw me becoming more and more cheerful, enthusiastic and spontaneous. They saw the old “me” again. And as time went on, it was no longer of ‘oh she’s already at the computer again…’ but more of ‘oh nice! already doing another project? What fun can you make next?’ I changed because I had finally found my passion. Realizing that web designer and developer is something I wanted to do took a while, mostly because of outside pressures. People often prefer someone with permanent employment and a freelancer still has a negative image – especially someone who spends a lot of time on the computer – and you are then quickly perceived as lazy…. And I am most certainly not!
The realization that this is my dream and passion really took hold early this year. So a lot has preceded this but because of nice visitors, that is you, but also all the clients I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years and of course my family and friends, because of you I’m still here. And for that I want to take a moment to thank you. So thanks everyone! Without you, Deliciae Design would no longer exist. We still have a few more weeks to go until the new year, but since there are a few busy weeks coming up and I don’t know if I will have that much time to share this by then ánd purely because I needed to get this off my chest, I put this article online.
Don’t give up!
Actually, with this I also want to say that you shouldn’t give up, don’t shy away from a challenge but try to bang on. Whether it fails the first few times or you think you can’t do it…. everything works out in the end. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help or ask questions because most people who are pursuing the same dream really aren’t shy about helping you with it. That’s why I love Fix-It Saturday, I can help others through my knowledge and experience so that their little problems are solved. Super is that, right? And besides, I learn from it again so it’s a win-win situation.
The (blogging) world can be terribly nasty and competitive but just do your own thing where you feel good and don’t ignore your values. Try to help others, whether they appreciate it and/or thank you for it doesn’t matter. You keep the credit to yourself and you will eventually kick it further.
Believe in yourself (no matter how hard it is) but you are the only one who can make something of your life and that takes time and energy. And whether it takes 1 year or 10, it doesn’t matter. You are in the process of realizing your dream and that is already worth a pat on the back!
And after a time, look back at what you have accomplished and be proud of it. Because no one can take that away from you anymore. No one.
