As I was reviewing a few example portfolio sites while looking for inspiration for my own site, It was easy to become overwhelmed by all the diversity and differences. My initial reaction was to worry that I wouldn't include everything that I was supposed to. Truth be known, I still worry that I will forget something. However, I decided to allow my personal reaction to the other sites to guide some of my decision making for my own site. I had strong reactions to some of the example sites. I found that I loved the layout and design of some of the sites and others I didn’t care for. However, that is only one person’s opinion. I do agree that a clearly organized structure is important so that your readers can navigate through your site easily, however the aesthetics of the site is solely personal opinion. One of the things I did decide after looking through the examples, is to use my site as a platform to hopefully connect readers to other thought leaders that have inspired me. I have often thought “I wish everyone could read this” or “if only my district could hear these inspiring ideas”, so what better way to share that inspiration than through my website.
The other thought I had was that I need to think of my site not so much as a way to impress others, but as a tool for my own learning. It will be okay if someone doesn’t care for what I have created as long as I have learned from the process. I plan to make this the primary focus as I move forward. I look forward to seeing everyone’s work as well as sharing my own, but I plan to keep in mind that everyone will most definitely have different reactions and opinions depending on personal preference and that is all part of the process.
