It's probably not news that I've been meaning to set up a (proper) website for yarnscape for quite some time now. Currently, the domain just points at my yarnscape blog (which is on blogger, and is in a state of serious neglect), and the blog links to my Etsy shop. I like having an Etsy shop for various reasons, but I'd like to have my own shop, too.
But... I've been resisting actually doing anything about it. Sure, there are about a million things that are clamouring for my attention at any given moment, and sure, a lot of them are more fun than hacking code, but this website is an important stepping stone to the life I would like to be leading, so I should be prioritising it, don't you think? More, I should be excited about it. But I'm not. I'm stressed, and anxious, and resisting it like crazy.
Enter Havi. I know I've mentioned her a few times before, but seriously, she is a special kind of genius. I read her blog avidly, though I've not yet infiltrated the community of commenters there. She gives me many things to think about. And this time, I'm going to try asking the help of Metaphor Mouse! - a sneaky-superhero kind of technique for investigating the things that are not working for you in an idea, and, hopefully, finding the qualities that you want to associated with the idea (or project, or...) and helping you to build a metaphor that allows you to approach the whole thing with less resistance. Clear as mud? OK, in steps (the italicised bits are taken directly from Havi's blog, which I strongly recommend reading. This is a great Metaphor Mouse post):
1) List the qualities, aspects and attributes of the thing that isn’t working (including what *is* working, if anything).
Right. What does 'setting up a website' mean to me?
- Intimidating
- Don't know how
- Stuffy
- Grownup
- Boring
- Serious
- Frustrating
- Must be perfect first time
- Permanence
- Public exposure
- Point of no return
ooh. Now you put it like that, I can kind of see why I'm avoiding working on it. There's pretty much nothing in there that sounds good, to be honest. About the only thing I even slightly want to keep is the 'public' bit, because a private website wouldn't be all that much use. The 'exposure' bit, though? No, thanks. It reminds me of those dreams I got when I was a kid, where I'd showed up to school in only my undies, and spent the entire day shivering with cold and trying to hide behind my briefcase. (As an aside, I did once walk out of the school changing rooms wearing only my vest and slip. I was about 8, and I realised before I was back in the classroom, but the memory is still vivid. Different story.) Bring on the next step!
2) What sort of qualities, aspects and feelings does the thing I want contain?
- Fun
- Excitement
- Adventure
- Inspiration
- Performance!
- Flexibility
- Safety
- Support
- Hiding in plain sight
3) Reminds me of?
Being on stage. My website is a stage?? No! - it's a whole theatre. With costumes and rehearsals and greasepaint and people shifting scenery and sorting out the lighting, and being front of house. And of course, it has a stage. Where I can perform to my audience. Where rehearsal is not only OK, it's necessary.
4) So, do we have our metaphor?
Without a doubt. I love this idea more than I can describe. I love it so much I kindof want to cry. I'm not making a website, I'm running a theatre (and I think I'm probably the director/producer, too).
5) What needs to happen next?
I need to ask for help. A theatre doesn't run on a one-man team, and neither does any kind of performance, even if only one person is on stage. Luckily, I know a few people I can call on for this.
And I need to keep this fun. By:
- Staying light and easeful;
- Sharing (and celebrating!) my progress with you;
- Remembering that websites can change.
Also, I need to listen to Havi more.
[Final note: I had intended to publish this on Saturday, but I'm changing my mind. It might sound crazy, but I'm so excited about this that I have to publish it today. Happy Friday, everyone!]
Alison, here's who took all the fear out of website design for me - Boogiejack http://www.boogiejack.com/ His "Website Design Made Easy" was so much fun to read and do. Of course, my copy is very outdated, but if I ever have to design another website, I'll get the latest edition!
Posted by: Leigh | October 25, 2010 at 01:55 PM
A good metaphor will do it every time! There's a really good book called "The Art of Theological Reflection" (Killen & de Beer) which I recommend to anyone and everyone of whatever theological persuasion including atheological: although it is written primarily for using within the Christian tradition, its essence is about ways of using metaphor to get to the heart of a situation and think more deeply about it. I'm seriously tempted to spend the next x hours googling for related resources, but I must do some of that work stuff. However, it sounds as though your worries about developing a website are very similar to mine - about the whole public identity thing rather than the technology - so I'm with you all the way (though slightly offstage behind this nice big curtain...)
Posted by: Cally | October 26, 2010 at 01:22 PM