In 2014, I created emilydardaman.com—a simple WordPress portfolio site reflecting my focus at the time, which was primarily photography and public relations. The free Vantage theme served me well for three years, but it was time for something with a bit more, well, pizazz.
A little over a week ago, I switched to a new theme called Void. I chose Void after examining every available theme on the internet for one reason above all: it was FUN. This site should reflect what I do, but more importantly, it should showcase how much I love what I do.
The next week saw me spiral into website hell. What promised to be a simple installation had me sleepless, arguing with my hosting provider and wondering whether I’d made a terrible mistake. Plugins went buggy, content seemed to appear and then disappear at random, and everything I thought I knew about WordPress proved woefully inadequate.
After falling behind in my classes and almost losing my mind, things improved. A talented friend saved me from a bad hosting plan and showed me things I had misunderstood about the site navigation. I decided to carry on with the Void and am continuing to build out the site content.
This experience was quite humbling, as it revealed gaps in my understanding of WordPress that I’m now working hard to close. I am excited to continue moving forward, although if you return to this site to find it look completely different, assume that I bailed on Void after all.