Why I Chose To Say Adios To Web Design: A Life Update

Ashville, North Carolina. "Selfie" 2020

This post will be more of a short rant than anything, but I made a decision that took a very long while for me to come to terms with. I've been hanging onto the idea that I could make a career from my web design business for almost 10 years now. This past year and a half has opened up other opportunities for me to explore, learn, and grow to love. With that being said, I will be transitioning this business back into a photography-focused brand.

I've been on this path since 2010. That was my first college course at Modesto Junior College...Intro to Graphic Design with Dr. John Hagen...and I absolutely loved it. I eventually received my Bachelor's in Graphic Design in 2020 from SNHU, and I felt more accomplished. More qualified. So I thought. I had a few clients here and there, but nothing that helped me quit my day job. I was still struggling with trying to 1. Compete with other local and more established agencies, 2. Competing with sites like Fiverr and Upwork, and 3. Trying to start over in a city and area I had no ties to. Everything was new and going way too fast, yet so slow at the same time. Somewhere between graduating and now makes me feel different about pursuing that same goal.

Graphic and web design programs have also changed the game in the past few years, making it much easier for businesses to build and manage their own accounts. Is it a better option for someone with no knowledge of how to design a website? Work on SEO? Set up hosting and whatnot? Probably not, but if they want to try it out or have the time to work on it, then I guess it works out. I think for this reason, the value of a designer has decreased, which means it has become harder to price myself. Now, I don't want to make that my excuse and sound like I'm giving up on this business. Personally, I think I just lost that spark and drive to want to make this work.

Now, I still have accounts that I manage (website and social media accounts), and I am willing to build a site here and there, but it's not something that I want to continue pushing and marketing myself in. I'm honestly just tired, and if I can have this be a part-time gig where I can choose who to work with rather than accept every offer that comes my way, then so be it. That's how it should be anyway, but I never got to that point with the business.

So, to conclude the life update, I guess I'm just trying to say that sometimes life doesn't work out the way we want it to go, and that's perfectly okay. I'll be much happier behind a camera and designing homes. I love my new line of work that allows me to be much more creative. It's not a loss. I see it as a gain and as myself accepting that I'm not always going to succeed at life. And that's okay too.

Thank you for the read, and I hope you stick around to see what I'm working on next.