Portfolio: Mandy Thompson Art
Mandy is one of those people that when you meet her, you like her. Not because she's super bubbly and in your face friendly (those people are fine too!), but because she has this serene feeling of being centered. She is like an emotional spa in person-form, in my opinion. And her art is emotional. It's not just happy or just sad or just...anything. Mandy runs the whole gamut on making your feelz abundant. When I first saw her work at the Brunswick Stewdio, I thought, "Yes. This is good art." I'm not sure what good art is other than it makes me feel things. And there just happens to be a painting of her that is my favorite. You can get a print, but the original is now mine! (See below.)
Mandy, left, is kind of the bomb. And that is my painting.
Working with Mandy was truly a pleasure because not only is she creative, but this woman does work. She put in hours every day and definitely matched my break-neck pace. We got this whole thing done in between creative projects - both hers and mine - in less than 2 months. We deserve a medal or something.
The challenge in particular was moving from her old site - which we both liked the looks of - to a new platform and adding an additional store functionality. Dat store, man, dat store. We also updated some of her old systems for e-courses/downloadables along the way. Sometimes making a new site look like an old site + a couple more things is even a bigger challenge than making a new site. But it was totally worth it and I can't wait to see her metrics!
What was your favorite part of the process?
I most enjoyed the exercise of thinking through some of my site content in order to best engage patrons. You did a great job of asking me the right questions and helping me see what areas would be of most benefit. I learned quite a bit from you, especially in terms of how to inspire participation.
What was the biggest challenge?
At times, I had "word fatigue." As an artist, much of my communication happens visually, so the amount of copy I needed to write could feel overwhelming.
What turned out better than you expected?
The site feels very clean and simple. This is important when creating a visually-based experience. It also feels like "me" -- inviting, engaging, but not overwhelming. As an introvert, it's difficult to show how open I am to forming deep relationships with my people. I think this site does a good job of conveying that desire to connect, as well as making it easy for people to interact with my work.
Do you have any advice for someone who just starting out visualizing their website?
Visualize it. That's a great word for how to approach the process. Visualize it. Listen to what Sydney says. And remember that your site is simply a way for you to connect with your people. Stick with your personality and your brand's personality and it will feel "right" for you and your people.
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