Logo from Vipoo Srivalasa's website
I am a Ceramic Artist and a Web Developer!
I started designing professional websites in 1998. Though my main interest is ceramic arts, I slowly developed a keen interest in building web sites for myself and others. It is the need of showing my work in an inexpensive way and the ability to control and up date information regularly with out spending a fortune. Here are some requirements that I want to have and I think the web site can offer me.
- Quick and easy way to display my work to galleries, shops and/or costumers.
- Showcasing my work worldwide 24 hour a day, 7 day a week
- Alternative Contact Point for gallery/costumer
- Increase Sales
- Add to my Professional profile
- Show exhibitions schedule, news or important information
Most of my computer skills are self-taught. I also have professional advice from my partner who is a computer programmer. I learn a lot from books and internet. I brought lots of computer and design books. Some books are very useful but some are not. I have to shop around. I find the best way to research about what book to buy is go to amazon.com and read the review (submitted by readers) of what people think about those books and choose one that suits my need.
Some books are easy to read and get me right where I want to but some are more complicate and hard to understand and most of difficult book are still sitting on my shelf, waiting for me to read.
Internet is another easy and cheap way to learn about building a web site. I log on to Yahoo or Google and search for what ever topic I want to learn. The bad bit about internet is sometimes it can be very slow (if you don’t have broadband connection) and it has so many options to choose or too many lesson to learn. It could be overwhelming.
I used to work with a program called Microsoft FrontPage
to build most of my sites. However, I am now using Macromedia
Dreamweaver. FrontPage can be very limited once you reach
to a certain point. I found Dreamweaver offer a better option
and more professional coding as well, but it may not be
as easy as FrontPage. I use Fireworks and Photo Element
for graphic need and now slowly learning Illustrator.
Here are just some of the good things that my web site does
for me.
I often approach gallery by sending them my web address to find out if they interested in my work before I send them a big portfolio package. This saves time and money.
Quite often I was invited by gallery and curator to submit my work for their show. They found me via my web site and found my web site via search engine. I would miss a few shows if I don’t have a web site.
Many many times students from around the world use my work for their art report or assignment. I found it quite rewarding to know that someone likes my work enough to do a report on it. Again, only web sites can provide such a world wide audience.
A few times I was approached by a writer and a ceramic magazine. They want to do an article on my work and publish in the local ceramic magazine (from China and Israel).
I found a very good friend through my web site. She was interested in my work and found out that I will demonstrate at the Melbourne Show so she went there and saw me. We have become really good friends since then.
A few times that people email me and said they want to
buy my works. The problem is they are in USA and the cost
of transport is more expensive than the work itself!!!
This are just a few sample of what web page can bring to
you. I hope this little article would make you understand
about the web site more and I strongly believe that all
artists should have their website. I think technology should
be used to serve our need; we should not have to serve the
needs of technology.
