Left Bank
I’ve been working on a number of creative projects recently. In addition to my amigurumi crochet blog and store, I have also started selling jewelry that I’ve been making. I started making jewelry when I was in junior high and high school, then set it aside until about 2003 when I began making a few items for myself and for friends. I recently picked up the hobby again and am greatly enjoying it.
My line, Left Bank, is carried by Coupa Cosas in Palo Alto, CA and Renegade Handmade in Chicago. It’s a fun mix of vintage and modern elements. You can see my portfolio on my blog.
10 Tips for Working with Clients BEFORE You have a Signed Contract
The most difficult part of any freelance business is client relations; it’s also the basis for success. If you’re a freelancer, you’ve spent a lot of time trying to woo clients and keep them happy. You’ve probably also dealt with clients who’ve taken advantage of that desire, intentionally or not. Here are ten things that I’ve learned over the years sitting on both sides of the conference table that may help you play nice and run a tight business.
10. Always Use Protection
Most everyone enters into business relationships with good intentions. Along the way, however, things can get complicated. The best protection is a comprehensive contract and adequate insurance. For a freelancer, this can be as simple as running a sample contract (check professional associations or online legal sites) past an attorney to customize it for you and adding to your existing insurance policy to cover business liability. There are a number of companies that specialize in insuring small business owners, so look around to find a competitive rate.
Mortal Plush at Art Whino
Per my previous post, I’ve started a website for my amigurumi crochet hobby at AmyGurumi.com. It can be challenging to find time to design and craft new objects, but I really find it a relaxing and rewarding hobby.
I was lucky enough to have my submission to the Martha Stewart Easter Contest selected as a winner back in April. It was an unexpected accolade, and the Seagate GoDrive was a nice reward. My next large project was for a gallery exhibit in the D.C. area entitled “Mortal Plush: I Am Not Your Toy” at Art Whino. The gallery will feature soft sculpture (“plush”) that expresses emotion. My piece is a pirate monkey (“Bronzebeard”) that hopefully expresses “weltschmerz” (world-weariness). The deadline was extended into June, and I just found out this morning that my submission was accepted. For those in the D.C. area: Opening reception on July 11, 2009 from 6:00 PM to Midnight at Art Whino Gallery 173 Waterfront St., National Harbor, MD 20745. There will be food, drinks and a DJ.
More info at amygurumi.com.
Modifying WordPress Themes
I recently completed another client project using WordPress. Due to the timeline and the client’s budget, I chose to source a freeware theme rather than create something from scratch. After scouting around, I came across CorporateMag, a slick but appropriate theme from WP Junction.
I spent some time modifying the theme to work for my needs, including removing the image carousel and changing the way that posts are displayed on the main page of the site. The way that the plugins were included was a bit wonky, but I think I’ve massage the theme sufficiently to produce a nice result. Just waiting to pour in the content once the client is ready.
I’ve found that modifying existing themes can take almost as much time as designing one from scratch. Sourcing attractive, professional and original themes can be difficult, and the quality of free themes is highly variable. There can be hidden pitfalls, especially with the implementation of sidebar widgets which is broken as often as not.
Here are a few questions to ask when deciding whether to modify or build:
- Does the client have existing imagery or a strong brand? Look for templates that are color rather than image-based or consider creating your own.
- How design-oriented is the project? If design is as important as content, consider working from scratch. You may need just as much time to source one or more options than you would to present a couple of variations on a theme of your own for your client to choose from.
- Does the design have to be absolutely unique? If your client has a problem with any other site using the same template, you’re better off starting with a clean slate rather than trying to strip down an existing template.
Regardless of your client’s preferences, it’s a nice exercise to review themes by other designers. There are some amazing free themes out there for implementation or just inspiration.
Setting Up a Web Development Server on a Mac
I finally got around to getting a proper development server set up on my new MacBook Pro. As a web developer, it’s invaluable to have a local server to test projects before sending them out into the world.
During my time as an engineering manager, I made sure that we had a development, test and staging server set up as part of the QA process. Recreating these exacting conditions as an independent contractor can be challenging, but a local development server is a great place to start.
I’ve used a lot of different rigs in the past, usually involving one or more dual-boot Linux/Windows boxes. I’m now working primarily from my MacBook and enjoy the portability. Having a local server has several advantages, not the least of which is not having to ssh into another box. I also like being able to work offline; this allows me to truly work anywhere.
Now I can get that same LAMP goodness for my Mac without tedious installs of Apache, MySQL and PHP (which replaced Perl for me once blog software became the CMS of choice). Cue the MAMP!
MAMP is Mac, Apache, MySQL and PHP and it is glorious. One download, one install and it works. That’s it. If you can follow an install wizard, you can be up and running with the MAMP in a matter of seconds. There’s an easy control panel that indicates server status, so you always know what’s going on without opening up a terminal. I laid WordPress over it, and was testing a client’s new blog in just a few minutes.
Aren’t Apache and PHP already installed on OS X? Here’s what the MAMP FAQ says about it:
At the moment, when using OS X, only Apache 1.3.x with PHP 4.3.2 is pre-installed. PHP has to be activated by changing the configuration files. The Apache/PHP versions provided by Apple are not always up-to-date, and the Apache-PHP combination is quite slow. In addition, MySQL has to be installed manually.
With one click, and in just a few minutes MAMP will install Apache 2, current PHP 4, current PHP 5 and MySQL. Using the included eAccelerator, PHP-scripts are executed up to ten times faster compared to Apple’s pre-installed Apache/PHP. When you use the MAMP programme, you can easily start and stop the server. Thus, the server does not have to be running in the background all the time, wasting precious resources. To “uninstall” MAMP, you only have to delete the MAMP directory and everything returns to the original state (MAMP does not alter anything on the “normal” OS X).
If your development work involves more than Dreamweaver and Photoshop, I highly recommend checking out the MAMP.