Starting Over: How I Found Purpose (Again) Through Web Design

Starting over can be a powerful decision, especially when it leads you back to your roots. After eight months of navigating a challenging job market in tech and gaming, I found myself at a crossroads.

Starting over can be a powerful decision, especially when it leads you back to your roots. After eight months of navigating a challenging job market in tech and gaming, I found myself at a crossroads. Despite my best efforts applying, interviewing, and waiting—the market wasn’t improving, and it started to take a toll on my mental health. As someone who prioritizes overall well-being, I knew I needed a change.

I decided to pivot back to something familiar yet fulfilling: web design. I originally studied graphic design and digital media in college before joining Zynga, and now I’ve found myself returning to those foundational skills. The technological advancements over the years have made it easier for one person to create comprehensive, visually stunning websites and produce high-quality content.

To regain a sense of purpose, I started offering free website services to artists in my community. The joy and gratitude I received were incredibly rewarding. Seeing these artists thrive with their new digital presence, and knowing I was helping them showcase their pottery, gave me a renewed sense of fulfillment. This wasn’t just about building websites; it was about giving back to a community that supported my own pottery journey.

So I kept going. With my first client, I not only did all the web development and design but also noticed she struggled with product photography. I knew how to take photos, so I did that too. I told her, “Pick 30 or so pieces you really like, and I’ll take photos of them for you.” That’s what I did. I also noticed she didn’t have any pictures of herself doing pottery or videos of her making work, so I brought my camera to the studio and shot a few. This became the baseline for my offering.

This was shot for Wendy Friedman Ceramics, she is a retired teacher and has been doing pottery for over 10 years

From there, word got out. People started asking me for help with their sites, migrating to Squarespace, or just photographing their work. I started to see the demand. This was so exciting because, if you’ve been following my journey, you know I’ve tried many things in the past and none of them really landed. This felt like a huge win.

Now I’m in the next phase: building sites for people at a discount. Charging for my work was one of the biggest hurdles for me personally. As artists, we’re so self-critical we never know when to start charging as beginners or how much to charge as professionals. It’s never-ending imposter syndrome. Can I actually charge for this? YES. Of course you can. If people want it, they’ll pay for it. So, I did some rough math and came up with a 50% off rate for the first wave of customers, with the understanding that they’d give me testimonials and referrals if they were happy with the service.

(above is Joan Pinto Ceramics my first paying customer)

At this point, I’ve got around six main clients. I’ve been doing about two projects a month, and their needs varied, but we did it. I finished all the sites, everyone’s happy, and they all look fantastic. For some, we also did logo and branding work, had incredible brainstorms about future plans, and mapped out marketing strategies. It was a fantastic experience.

I started doing onsite product photography for more lifestyle branded looking sites. This one is from Krysta Mae Ceramics and was shot in her house.

The key here and if you haven’t read The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life, you should is following the tracks. The author talks about finding the last track that made sense to you as an individual. I asked myself, What was the last thing I did that really let my star shine bright? I kept going further back until I found it. Then I dove into it hard, trying to find that magical crossover on the Venn diagram where my passion meets market demand with a product people will actually pay for.

Anyway, I digress. This is really just the story of me and my journey through this insane market and economy. I thought I’d either be a founder or an executive by now (not starting over gah!). But the silver lining is that when you’ve lost everything (okay, just a job I’m being dramatic for entertainment purposes, bear with me), you become dangerous in the best way. You’ve got nothing left to lose, so you might as well try. And with freelancing or self-employment, the only person being dragged through the journey is you (well, and your spouse, so make sure they’re bought in and supportive if you’re lucky enough to have one).

Now, I’m proud to say I have a growing roster of clients fine artists with custom websites on platforms like Squarespace and Wix, complete with professional photography and tailored content. My goal now is to continue scaling this into a full-fledged freelance web design and marketing firm, helping more creatives bring their work to the digital world.

I do location shoots for headshots and about sections too. This was with Nancy Takaichi and was shot in Aptos, California on location.

For anyone considering a similar path, here’s a simple framework rooted in Ikigai, the Japanese principle of finding purpose, to help you pivot and find fulfillment:

• Identify Your Ikigai: Reflect on what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. That intersection will guide you. For me, it was returning to web design and helping artists showcase their work.

• Assess the Market and Community Needs: Look around your network to see where your Ikigai aligns with a real need. I saw a gap for artists needing an online presence.

• Start Small and Provide Value: Don’t be afraid to begin with small or free projects to build your portfolio and confidence. It helps you connect with your purpose and test your direction.

• Leverage Your Network and Accept Feedback: Engage with your community and seek feedback. That loop of improvement and support strengthens relationships and your offerings.

• Scale Thoughtfully: Once you’ve found your Ikigai and built a foundation, grow sustainably. For me, it’s expanding my client base and turning this into a full-fledged freelance business.

Starting over isn’t a step back—it’s a chance to realign with your Ikigai and use your talents in a way that makes an impact.

If you’ve made it this far and want to see all of my projects they are linked here.