It's a big day. One that I've been thinking about for years.
Talking with friends in the design industry, personal site designs are the thing we absolutely love to delay. But I've delayed long enough, and just purchased 3-years worth of hosting, so there's no going back now.
But first, a brief timeline:
April 2010 – Launched a portfolio site when completing my graduate program, in hopes of receiving an internship. One month later, after filling out paperwork with HR, I found that internship. Shortly thereafter, safari couldn't find the server. So long, first-attempt website. I didn't like the domain anyway, and bencroshaw.com wasn't available, yet.
November 2017 (I mentioned this would be brief) – Facebook ads introduced me to Startup Vitamins, inspiration for the office, and I went all-in. Posters displayed on my wall with quotes to celebrate my strengths and weaknesses.
October 2018 – Google alert sounds the alarm, the domain, bencroshaw.com had become available. Pro Tip: Buy the domain and set auto-renew in one step.
July 2019 – Converted a podcast website's design platform for a little more design freedom that was less confined to template spaces. It's never too late to "cut one's teeth" and my adolescent years (ok, including college years) unfortunately didn't include html. But, "Think Bigger."
July 2021 – After designing a whirlwind of projects that fell on my laptop in a home office and feeling like I have a little more control over my after-hours design time, I set out to finish what I had started so long ago. The logistics in place, the teeth somewhat cut (though my cuspids are inexplicably sharp), "Done is Better Than Perfect."
And now, we're live.
3 years of hosting means 3 years of revisions, tests, mobile adaptations, journal entries, and new work samples to submit. "1\Site Launched" is just the beginning.