This new LuciWest site has been a work-in-progress long enough, and it doesn’t seem I’ll ever get it “just right”. Therefore, I’m now officially declaring it launched – or relaunched.
This website merges two very different sites; different in content, style, and backbone. This new LuciWest.com website is a combination of my GoodHardWorkingPeople blog (previously hosted for 14 years on Blogger) and my photography website (previously hosted on smugmug).
Even though Smugmug is a slick website for publishing, organizing, and even selling photos. I never quite warmed up to the url structure, lack of control, and the cost. It was time to dissolve that set-up.
And I wanted to have one consolidated landing spot, where my personal + behind-the-scenes writing, my photography, and videos could be found. Also: links to all my stand-alone projects.
Moving from Blogger to WordPress
While I hadn’t been writing personal blog posts often in the last few years (instead writing for MovingPostcard.com, Happier.Place and my Patreon page), I’d been wanting to move the entire blog over to the more enticing WordPress platform, and maybe even write more again. However, that kind of a move seemed intimidating, foolish, if not even impossible.
Turns out it wasn’t impossible. It became less intimidating as I worked with WordPress more. However, the jury is still out on how foolish the move was.
Because now that I have moved over 1,270 blog posts, representing 14 years of expressing my perspective as a creator and culture-consumer… I’ve turned into a re-uploader of photos, ghost-in-the-machine chaser, and bug-fixer. Moving all those blog posts over has caused so much more work than anticipated – and so much more needs to be done.
But for now I shall stop tweaking / fixing and get back to creating. It’s been a bit of a bumpy landing – but nonetheless, the new LuciWest website now officially exists in its structure and home!
New Structure: Blog + Photography
The blog side of this website holds every blog post I published on the old platform since 2006… and I plan on creating new posts again on a more regular basis. The old posts still have all kinds of formatting issues, incorrect photo links, and even some missing videos. I’m stepping away from trying to fix it all right now, but please do let me know if you come across a post with something missing.
On the photography side of this website, I have only just begun re-uploading the photos that were on the smugmug page. There are so many more photos coming. Let me know which ones you’d like to see.
More About Photos
The photography section is set up in themed photo albums. While at a glance they may look similar to blog posts, they are not:
1. They don’t have a distracting side bar (so no social media, links, ads, etc.).
2. Each of these albums my frequently change with more photos being added or others being taken away.
3. The album photos won’t be accompanied by much text.
4. Ideally, whenever a new photo album is published, I’ll also write a related blog post with a few of the photos and more context and information.
In the future, I may go with a gallery / slide show set-up for the albums. But after many tests, I haven’t found one that is both free and functional the way I’d like it. Have a non-subscription gallery to recommend? Please do!
At some point, it may be possible to purchase photos through this website. But until then, you can get my photos as postcards, folded greeting cards, and calendars from Happier Place and as stunning metal prints via LocalShops.
Oh, and yes, there will be lots of bird photos – since obviously that’s what I see as most interesting in my current home of seaside Florida. Seabirds are to the Florida coast, as street art is to Berlin, and landscapes are to Colorado.
Old and New
I hope some of you will enjoy going down memory lanes while exploring blog posts of our shared past (Judith and Hana – how about that apartment scam post?). But I hope, like me, you’re excited about what’s to come. To not miss a thing, I encourage you to sign up to get blog posts via email.
Hey, thanks for reading this far. And welcome (back) to my blog and photography website! Please use the “Leave a Reply” comment section freely to let me know what you think or would like to know.
The three photos in this post were taken last week on the fishing pier at Fort De Soto park in Florida.
I love the new site, Luci.
I’m so happy read that – and to hear from you. Thank you, Beth. I hope you’re staying healthy and safe through all this insanity. Can’t wait for us to meet you and Brian at Salt Rock. One day…
xx Luci