The new website is finally complete after many months of indecision and nitpicking. I like the idea of starting anew in the new year and being unsure of where this next year will take me. I started this project back in early summer 2014 and was hoping it would be ready sooner, but you can't really put a time limit on art. It’s done when you are satisfied and often times that is never (but you learn to let go). The last version of my website started out as an exploration of some new skills with no intention of ever staying up very long. Turns out it lasted 3 years and gave me plenty of time to hone those skills into something I could use in the next iteration. I don’t necessarily believe that the wheel has to be reinvented every time. I’m a firm believer in working at something until you master it. I use that mantra in many aspects of my life such as cooking, where I’d rather perfect a single dish than continually churn out new recipes that aren’t quite right. This new website does indeed contain some remnants of the past 2 versions. Sometimes you don’t know where the strengths and weaknesses in your work lay until you let them sit on the shelf a while. As for the inspiration to build this website, I still have an attraction towards websites that give you everything up front like a newspaper. The other component was looking into wireframes and the beauty that comes with planning a nice grid. I like the look of a website skeleton before the contents get put in place and I wanted to use that somehow. And there you have it. Hope you enjoy and if you don’t please feel free to tell me why in 5 words or less.

This website is about two years old and I’m rather bored of it by now. My first website actually hung around for almost four years before that. I would normally tell someone that three years seems like a good lifespan for a website. By the end of that time, technology has made some nice strides and starting fresh will have it's benefits. If you just spent a fortune on a new website this might seem too soon and I imagine depending on the scale of the project you can make that assessment. I have some earlier clients who have not redone their website in 8+ years. If it still works and you are happy with it, why not ride it out. For me, my personal website is an amalgamation of all my skills and current knowledge. It almost feels out of date months after its done because I am constantly learning. It must be the same for companies looking to sell modern products that rely on being at the forefront of technology. Similar to the cell phone dilemma when you get a new one its never quite new or current enough. Before long its old news. The website industry isn’t quite that bad, but the web does follow trends and if you are caught in the middle, your site could feel dated very soon. I say as long as you incorporate some of the time-tested principles of design (nice typography, ease of use) your website will live a long and healthy life. As for me, the brainstorming begins and a new JLern.com is on the way… hopefully sometime this year.