My personal digital portfolio

This piece and video were originally made for a post on LinkedIn.




Around two weeks ago I did some personal reflection (and some borderline-whining) about finding an appropriate writing medium in which I could house all of my personally created content. It was pointed out to me by a concerned professional acquaintance, with appropriate bluntness to express the point, that I needed a portfolio. Not only would this catch-all solve the problem at hand if done well, it would also demonstrate both creative and technical acumen.

Since that day, I’ve been building my personal digital portfolio at ShawnSchaller.com (I’ve never felt more conceited than when deciding on this name). It’s a simple website hosted by Google’s Blogger tool. My experience in web design is limited, but with ambition and the powerful aid of the internet, I’ve had success ignoring Blogger’s patronizingly limited design interface and directly editing the HTML code.

My goals as I manipulate the site are three-fold:
·         To create something that resembles a true website (as opposed to a basic blog);
·         To create a portfolio of a professional caliber to legitimately supplement my resume; and
·         To create a digital home versatile enough to capture my personal ventures as well.

It’s a work-in-progress. I seem to have the most trouble getting individual items to move (and stay) exactly where I want them to. Sometimes I’ll spend several minutes finding and writing code for a miniscule detail. I’ll feel extreme gratification when it actually works, but that feeling is often followed by annoyance when I realize how little an impact the change had overall. I still feel that the site’s design gives off an overly-simplistic, amateur design, too.

However, I’m ultimately very proud of where it stands today. I feel as though I can clearly explain the technical side of what I’ve done and how, and even logically why I did it a certain way. More importantly, it’s proving to be an excellent home for my creative ventures, as hoped.

It’s been a tremendous learning experience, and I can easily envision myself proudly demonstrating my work in both personal and professional settings. If you’re in any field related to content-creation, I highly recommend you start your own digital portfolio as well (unless you already have, which is likely, given that I’m apparently a little ways behind-the-times).