Website Redesign
Flowcharts, Artist Statements, Trust, and Possibility
Large projects are often daunting and may seem impossible to finish when perceived from the start line. I find this is true both in my art and in my business.
Over the years I have learned that while taking that first step is important, the last step can be even bigger. I have also learned to trust myself and be willing to accept mistakes and make corrections while being grateful for the opportunities and possibilities that find their way to me.
First step
As I apply to more shows as a mixed media artist, I realized that my website (which was originally built around my painting career more than a decade ago) no longer reflected the artist I am becoming. I needed a way to better represent the various aspects of my art-making while still showcasing my paintings too. To begin the process, I decided to start with a “simple” task: stating the purpose of this project.
Provide a single source of context for my various forms of art while directing the viewer to additional information, products, or publications related to their area of interest.
Current content Review
Next, I needed to evaluate my current online locations and activities to develop ways to more efficiently tie them together.
I created a list of current online locations (i.e. JenniferLommers.com, JenniferLommersFeaturedArt.com, Bio.com, Substack, Patreon, Instagram, etc.)
I then charted the overall website relationships (including between the individual pages from my main website).
From these I mapped out general areas of improvement (e.g. consolidating information from multiple pages/sources, creating naming conventions to reduce page maintenance issues, targeting outdated information/pages for edit/removal, and ways to streamline the overall experience).
New Content Creation
I now had an overview of my current website but I still needed to figure out how to organize that into new content.
First, I determined my areas of focus which I would use as the portals on my homepage to dive deeper into the various aspects of my art-making. My inspiration came from this lovely website by composer Abby Kellems: abbykellems.com. (Full disclosure, I am lucky to know Abby personally, and would highly recommend checking out her music and website.) I didn’t quite capture the fun and playful nature of her website homepage - but maybe someday! Most importantly, at this time, my goal was to provide an easily understandable way for a viewer to find what brought them to my art and website. For now, I’m happy with how I was able to achieve my initial goal by laying out the design in a 9 part grid, as showcased in Abby’s website.
Next, I chose one area on which to focus which would provide the basis/template for the rest of the portals. I wanted to keep the design fairly uniform while allowing for slight alterations to fit the topic and/or images being presented.
Then, it was just a matter of writing artist statements, uploading and categorizing images, adding appropriate links, and repeating the process for each of the 9 portals.
Review, Test, and Share
Next, I tested the pages, and then I asked family to do the same. When I was relatively confident that pages made sense and links were working, I then sent out a preview to select customers requesting feedback.
While recognizing that more could ALWAYS be done, I also needed to move onward with other projects before this one consumed me completely. I decided to trust in my work thus far while knowing there will be mistakes and corrections will be needed. So (maybe a little hastily), I launched the re-designed website today!
Notes: A big update like this does not happen overnight. Especially in the beginning, I took my time and created pages piece by piece (in an offline unpublished mode) in order to not overwhelm myself with the work at hand. If I got stuck, or couldn’t figure out what I wanted to say on a page, I saved my work and took a break. As I uploaded and labeled images, I would stop when I became tired of the activity or my eyes became screen-weary. I worked one little section or paragraph at a time whenever I felt motivated to do so.
However, as each piece of the puzzle was added to the new site, and my finish line became closer, I also became more intent on completing the project. I stayed on task longer and longer, until I eventually surprised myself by finishing earlier than I expected!
While art-making itself brings me such satisfaction in being immersed in the creative process, sharing my art is what pushes me to strive to be a better artist, craftswoman, and more effective communicator. I am excited and grateful to be able to share my artwork with the world in this way, and I look forward to all the conversations and possibilities yet to come from this amazing online adventure.
Cheers ~ Jennifer
p.s. as a bonus celebration for launching the new website, I am also having a Flash Sale in my Studio Store. Feel free to check out the link at bio.site/JenniferLommers