Michael Jordan and Web Design

Spoiler alert: this article is especially for me. A reminder to continue to push to be better.

Michael Jordan is my favorite basketball player of all time. Allen Iverson is a close second. But, both players exemplify a competitive desire that is surpassed by very few. A desire to be good. Rather, to be great.

The thing is — we all want to be great, but we don’t want the pain that comes with it. The pain of consistency and self-discipline.

What I want more than being great — it’s being helpful. A web designer that is a valuable asset. Being great and helpful kind of go hand-in-hand, but there’s a point where being great can override being helpful.

That’s why my new aim is to not be the Michael Jordan of web design, but rather the Phil Jackson of web design (the coach, and not the GM version of Phil). Just as competitive, with a touch more helpfulness than greatness.

Reaching the Zen Goal

My plan to reach that goal is as follows (yes, I’ve got bullet points):

• Study web design templates at https://webflow.com/templates as my current skillset is not up-to-par with the designers that do create the templates, and therefore studying these templates will improve my visual design as will as my storytelling skills.
• Completely read Atomic Design by Brad Frost as component-based design is the only way to create designs that are manageable, consistent, and beautiful.
• Create a photography based template using Webflow. This step is something that I want to do because for many years I was a professional photographer, and creating a template for photographers would be a way for me to give back to this great community.
• Continue working on my freelance projects for Masters Choice, WHO Worship, and Dream Big Fort Worth.
• Challenge myself at Hunter Engineering to push the envelope of my design skills by integrating a compatible design language into all apps and websites that I help design.

It’s Not Easy, but It’s Worth It

My ultimate goal is to create enough remote opportunities that I can work from home, and coach basketball for a local team. That is my ultimate goal. To give back to the community that gave so much to me.

It won’t be easy though.

This article was originally written as part of the “My Journey to Be Hired by Webflow” series that you can read at https://medium.com/series/my-journey-to-be-hired-by-webflow-934793746c13