Now, I’m not one to toot my own horn, preferring to “walk modestly on the earth” and all that stuff, but damn, if I couldn’t use help with a big ol’ reality check right about now.

For those of you who may not know it, I’m currently a web designer. My intention is to provide my clients with top-level design and an easy-to-use, highly functional site, while not breaking the bank. And most of the time, it works out fine. My clients are happy, I’m happy I’m providing a good product, and I still get to spend time with my kids. I’m not rich by any means, but we’re paying our bills.

And then I come across something that just totally busts my balls, like I did this morning. I saw a web designer’s site who offers “a one-page website for as little as $895!”, and I almost choked on my tongue.

For reference’s sake (and to save you a click over to my site), my packages start at $795, and there’s no limit to how many pages you can have, how big of a blog you want to create, or any of that. And I’m not even going to get into how ugly this person’s portfolio was, how few features or variations the sites had, or how difficult it must be for their clients to update their sites, because that’s ultimately beside the point.

The point is, am I knuckin’ futs?

I need help here, because this isn’t an isolated incident. I see designers all the time who charge through the teeth for what I’d judge as relatively crappy work, and they obviously have people who take them up on their services. Meanwhile, I work my ass off for my clients, and the sites I give them far outstrip the weak sauce I see way too often. (I also see plenty of incredibly talented designers out there who charge five times what I charge, and they put out consistently fabulous work. I salute these designers, and wish I had their kinds of jedi-graphics-skills.)

So, am I being stupid? Be honest.

Oh, and it wasn’t my intention to rant away like a crazy old cat lady at a kid who rode his bike over her hydrangeas, but I realize I’m just feeling a bit lost here. Is the lesson that I should raise my rates (again), and trust that appropriate clients will show up? Do I need a different pricing structure altogether?

Any and all constructive feedback is most welcomed, believe me.

Image by chizoo.

Well, the designer in me has struck again.

I went ahead and redesigned the site, mainly to give me more impetus to write, to reflect my inner thought process more, and to add some cool features I’ve been wanting.

For anyone familiar with Tumblr, or the amazingly kick-ass WooThemes, their WordPress micro-blogging fascination, or their Tumblr themes themselves, this site is now sporting a customization of their Retreat theme.*

Why?

Because micro-blogging is totally cool – why else? Honestly, though, micro-blogging appeals to me because it takes the pressure off me to craft huge posts, and allows me the freedom to share awesome stuff I’m finding, thinking about, overhearing, or bumping into.

So, drop me a comment and let me know what you think.

* I don’t know how much people are interested in this kinda thing, but if anyone’s interested in knowing what kind of modifications I’ve made to the theme, leave a comment to that effect and I’ll spill the beans.

Yes, it has been a while since I’ve written, I know. It wasn’t intentional on my part to disappear for so long, and I really do want to get back in the swing of writing often… I’ve just been swamped a bit, both with work (thanks everybody!) and with getting clear on the direction for this site.

Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. It’s not that I lack clarity on the direction for this site; it’s Adam-freakin’-Kayce-dot-com, after all — if it’s ain’t unabashedly me, what the heck is it gonna be? What I’m trying to wrap my head around is how to do this whole “social media” thing in a way that doesn’t take over my life.

Because there was a time when I was blogging, tweeting, facebooking, and linked-ing in a lot more than I have been (no new blog posts since 2009, I’ve let twitter pretty much flutter and die, I hardly ever post on FB, and I can’t imagine why I need my Linked In account at all). But that was also the time when my business was suffering. Now that I’m 99% focused on work, business is better than it ever has been, and I don’t really see that as a coincidence.

So why then, am I bothering to write again? Honestly, because I kinda miss it. Writing has always been a tool of self-expression for me, and without it, I don’t feel as if I’m being all I can be. The other big reason is that I want to be one of those people who share, connect, and put themselves out there. I was once upon a time, and I miss that, too.

So, here’s a bit of an update, in regards to my ideas about what to do with this site:

Let it flow.

As many of you (assuming anyone is still reading this!) most likely know, I used to be a personal development blogger. I closed that door long ago, but I suppose all that introspection has taken its toll, because no matter how much the idea of a micro-blogging style appeals to me, I have a history of talking too damn much (I graduated with a degree in Literature/Writing, if that sheds any light on the subject). Historical precedence aside, however, I do intend to transform this site into more of a micro-tumbl-thingy, but I’m guessing it’s going to take a fair amount of practice and editing to get more concise.

For those who don’t know what I’m talking about:

A tumblelog is a quick and dirty stream of consciousness, a bit like a remaindered links style linklog but with more than just links. They remind me of an older style of blogging, back when people did sites by hand… [before] blog entries turned into short magazine articles, and posts belonged to a conversation distributed throughout the entire blogosphere… really just a way to quickly publish the “stuff” that you run across every day on the web. — Jason Kottke

Less talk, more springboards. Less ramble, more sharing. And honestly, I’d much rather interact in snippets than in long, drawn-out monologues, anyhow. More fun for all of us, especially given the fact that we are getting any less busy these days, are we?

Redesign

I can’t help it – being a web designer, it’s hard to look at a site for long without wanting to update/upgrade/change things up. As much as I like what I’ve done with the place, I’ll probably redesign it soon.

Clean it up.

I’ve got posts back here from my Monk at Work days, a foray into Viverati (remember that, anyone?), some webdesign ramblings, etc. It feels like one of those closets in the movies where everything but the dog gets shoved into the thing and the door slammed before it explodes… my categories list looks like Wikipedia barfed. Time to archive, delete, and/or trim the fat just about everywhere.

I do realize this will all be a process, and I have no presumptions about a time frame. I’m not going to promise anything at this point, because I don’t even know myself what’s coming down the pipe. I just know my interest has been piqued.

You have been warned.

Image by Chris Halderman

I know why most people hate going to the gym, and it has nothing to do with exercise, exertion, or getting all sweaty and tired.

Want to know the reason? The way most people do it, it’s boring as hell.

Let me ask you this: are you strapping yourself onto the same machine as the day before, hitting the same buttons you did the day before, and doing the same workout you did the day before? And where did this workout come from?

I’ll bet you it came from one of these three sources:

• an article in a magazine,
• it’s what the person behind the desk showed you on your tour when you signed up, or
• it’s what everyone else is doing.

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Most days, I’d bet most of us feel like drones. Life’s commitments suck you dry, you race from one place to another only to complete seemingly inconsequential tasks half the time, and the phrase, “rat in a maze” comes shockingly close to summing up your daily activities.

Wouldn’t you rather do amazing things with your life? You can. And one of the ways to make sure you do is to preserve your sanity by not acting like a rat, and doing the things that will set you free. How? Genius Time.

Genius Time, in a nutshell, is about building time that’s for you and your most important things into your schedule.

Want to make stuff this cool? Genius time, baby. Genius time.

Sounds simple, huh? Hardly.

I’ve seen this idea talked about most often by “Creatives” — folks who do creative work for other people, like designers, artists, etc. If Creatives aren’t careful, they can spend all their time and energy working on client projects, and not have any juice left over for their own business.

But it’s not just for Creatives. Everyone needs genius time.
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