Freelance wordpress developer designing custom websites

Freelance WordPress developer - Stacey Boardman

The beginning

Of my freelance journey

These days I specialize as a website designer, freelance WordPress developer and video editor but it did take me a while to find those specialties.

When I graduated from the Multimedia Program at Humber College more than a decade ago, I knew one thing for sure about myself. I loved to design, program and edit video. These were all of the things I had focused on for the past couple of years and I had found a passion and talent in all of these areas. In most cases, taking a full-time job in the industry, meant that you had to specialize in one of these skills.

I didn’t want to choose one speciality, so I made the decision to freelance and to always learn and educate myself, in order to keep my skills fresh.

See My Work

The Forever-Changing Life

Of a freelancer

A lot has changed since I started freelancing over a decade ago. I genuinely believe that I would not be where I am today if I didn’t go to college but the honest truth is that since then, I have never stopped learning. And that is what makes me successful as a freelancer.

I am not only a freelance WordPress developer but I am constantly learning new programming languages and new software. I have to keep up with social channels and digital marketing. It is a non-stop journey of discovery. This is truly, one of my favourite parts of the job. I love learning new things and I thrive on change.

Not only am i always educating myself in the ever-changing technologies of the internet, but I also grow and change regularly in the world of design and video.

Design and video trends are forever evolving. What looks “high-end” today, will look “dated” in five years. So it’s important that I keep on experimenting with new design and new design tools.

A.I (Artificial Intelligence)

Tools I Use

With the invention of A.I and all of the new A.I tools, I have been learning and executing a lot of new projects. In terms of content I will use A.I for things like sitemap breakdowns, content ideas and marketing ideas. Having access to A.I is like having access to all of the information online with one search query. It can expediate some of my tasks greatly. The content is often well-written but I don’t rely on AI for content writing. I do feel like the writing can be generic and lacks a personal “flair”. The ideas can be helpful though.

In terms of development , I have used A.I tools for things like an “AI powered search engine” which I built into one of my websites and I have also used A.I tools in websites for SEO. A.I can also be greatly helpful in writing code when you are trying to connect one platform to another. APIs that would take me hours to research are now found in one A.I search query.

I am currently loving the new A.I tools in Photoshop and Premiere for design and video editing. These tools have simplified things that used to take a designer hours to accomplish. Things like erasing backgrounds from photos or extending photos are AI tools that I use daily. Generative extend is an A.I tool inside Adobe Premiere that has also saved me lots of time.

While I do feel for the illustrators that may have to change their business model, I do appreciate that I can now use A.I engines to generate illustrations and animations for a FRACTION of the cost that things used to be. This has made the animation that I can deliver to my clients much more extensive. Projects that had budgets they couldn’t afford in the past are now affordable. On top of that, I have been using A.I to generate voiceovers as well and the voices sound as human as human voices sound. These are exciting times!

Growing & Changing

With Technology

Programming

websites

design & art direction

html

css

sass

php

javascript

javascript frameworks

git

gulp

wordpress

Joomla

server maintenance

Shopify

Squarespace

WIX

DNS records

Bootstrap

VIDEO

conceptualization

graphic design

video editing

sound editing

special effects

compression

vimeo channels

youtube channels

social media delivery

E-Learning

conceptualization

graphic design

programming

animation

h5p

learndash

grassblade LRS

WordPress LMS

PROJECT PLANNING

Content Writing/Editing

Sitemaps

Storyboards

Draw I.O

Figma

slack

Trello

Teams

Monday

Canva

Digital Marketing

Newsletter Design

Newsletter Programming

Campaign Design

Mailchimp

Constant Contact

Hubspot

Fun Facts

About Me

I spend most of my time with my family of 4
we have a cat and a golden retriever
I volunteered as a Girl Guide Leader and a Scout Leader for many years

I have my Divemaster license and I taught diving for years in the cold lakes of Canada
I played competitive volleyball for many years
I love working out and lifting weights

Who I Work For

Over the years, I have found that I don’t have to do much marketing. I generally have kept busy with repeat clients and new clients that have either found me online, or have heard about me from a colleague.

My clients choose to hire me as a freelance wordpress developer, website designer, brand and concept designer or video editor.

I work for a variety of different types of companies but overall my clients are: