I’ve had this feeling for a long time now. I’ve always wanted to write about it, but I never have. It’s 1am in the morning and now I decide to write about it. Great timing rogie. So, I guess it’ll be short based on level of urges that I have to sleep. Let’s get straight to it.
The web needs you. It needs your thoughts, your feelings, your skills and your position on life and your personal creativity, not a clone. The web doesn’t need another designer site that looks like every other designer site. The web doesn’t need another site with CSS badges, valid xhtml badges, get firefox stamps, apple fanboyness and more if it’s not you. Yes, I believe in making sites accessible. I believe in being excellent in what you do, but you don’t have to conform.
I want to encourage you. For years people have told me that my style or what I do would not hack it in the “corporate” world and that is just not true. People admire originality. People respect when others just be themselves. I have noticed that the most important thing is that you represent your dreams and your ideals with the most excellence that you can muster.
What does this mean in the web design and blogging world? Don’t conform. Don’t be average. Be you and be you to your fullest. Pour as much excellence into your site design and articlees as you can. So its a rogue idea? Who cares! Throw yourself into your project or article with as much reckless abandon as you can fathom. So you have a cool idea. Shoot for it!
There’s one thing I’ve learned about the design industry. There is something about design and visual work that draws people to critique it. It’s almost like because most people have vision and can see, they are instantly a design critic. Instantly they talk about what they don’t like about your site, your work, your art. Does this happen for programmers? Not necessarily. Not all people can form an opinion on the effectiveness of code. Because of this reason, it is so important that you take critique with a grain of salt.
Don’t listen to negativity. Be humble and take honest real critiques, but be yourself. You have something to offer. You have something within you that the world hasn’t seen yet. You can bring something to the table that doesn’t conform with everything else out there. The web needs you to bring your skills to the table. The web needs your creativity. The web needs you and not a clone.
These are the feelings that I feel about myself regarding design style and representing my faith. There are so many times when I feel like I need to conform to the populous. In many of my decisions in design and blogging, I have been on the fence, but it is so important that I represent myself and what I bring to the table as well. I want the same from others. We need to represent our own voice and respect the voice of others.
Amen!
Awesome post, Rogie. I totally agree. Everything in this life comes down to authenticity. If you’re fake, people can spot it from a mile away.
I’m glad you didn’t listen to the naysayers. The creativity you’ve shown on this site — your gorgeous illustrations as well as your copywriting — inspires me and I’m sure many other people. If you had followed the trends, you’d just be one of hundreds of other similar designers. You’ve definitely differentiated yourself from the pack.
@Larry Marburger - It inspires me to know that there are people out there that like my style. Let that be a tribute to people so that they in turn can fearlessly express their style.
I remember starting web design, I felt like I needed to be just like everybody else. I felt an overwhelming pressure to conform to the trends at the time. I poured over CSS galleries and other people’s websites hoping to be like them. I think it’s good to have heroes, but at some point you have to step up and claim it for yourself.
Initially when you start out I think we are all like sheep trying to get out the pen as fast as possible. Once the sheep becomes experienced and mature he maybe starts to take his own paths. (Bad example - Sheep. ^^)
Anyway, with experience comes comfort and for alot of us comfort to step outside the box. Wether its code or design.
Amen to that Rogie. Visiting sites where they spam “valid blah blah”, “use this browser” and other junk is really off putting. I’m so glad you don’t listen to the conformists, it’s people like you who are redefining the web and designers alike.
Viva la Rogie!
I love your post, especially that I read it first thing in the morning: a random click-click-click rss feed. It is inspiring, true and came at the right time. We should indeed set the ego aside and be ourselves in the web world.
Viva la Rogie!
Awesome post, inspiration to me and now how I look at future projects.
Given me that push to pursue some personal projects as well, thanks, keep up the good work
Great article. Call-to-action articles like this tend to feel preachy and contrived, but you did a nice job.
Your site is beautiful. Found it via CSS Vault and I’m very impressed. Nice work.
Nicely put, my friend. As one of those people who probably told you that you need to tone it down sometimes, I would just like to say that I admire your work greatly. You are not only a heck of a designer and developer, but that you are so truly dedicated that it is a real inspiration to me. Keep doin’ what you do, man.
@Thurston - Thanks dude, that means a lot. I’ll always miss those evenings at dusk on the veranda…err…I miss hangin’ with you and the time we worked together.
It was a blast :)
Quite an inspirational article.
I think the trick is to strike the balance between making your work show creativity and your own personal style, and making it usable and accessible.
i’m so inspired of what you’ve said… thanks so much!
i like it
2r34r3
Rogie you literally wiped me eyes from the web 2.0 fog hype, Amazing article ill show my fellow developers through this.
I got here thanks to Tyler Diaz, and man. I can’t thank him enough. This article is FANTASTIC. Stupendous.
It really inspired me to keep on blogging and to keep on reading and to keep on with my baby company’s projects.
Thanks once again!
[...] got back to blogging, its not only because I found some free time on my hands but because of this small post from Komodo Media. Read it, its really motivational. Got me back to thinking about my readers. [...]
Excellent, i totally agree. But I also think that creativity just isn’t everybody’s “thing” I mean, as an ex-girlfriend once said: “maybe some people’s ‘thing’ is copying someone else’s stuff”". Anyways, excellent!