Purpose and Audience

My “exploration of a hobby” should serve users contemplating pursuit of a new hobby. Whether they are interested in collage specifically or in similarly diversifying their own creative pursuits, I hope they can find inspiration and solidarity in my experience. I’m targeting an audience of like minds with this project. My users should be creatives who, like me, find themselves wanting to try something new. I acknowledge, however, that a project like this could just as easily draw the attention of established hobbyists and/or experienced collage artists. I hope my compendium of crafting attempts will charm them, either by reminding them of where they came from or by encouraging them to revisit the foundation of their practice. The site could even grow to elicit advice from artists.

Because the intention of my site is to display visual art, design is going to be a huge development focus. It needs to be appealing while not detracting from the artwork; efficient, but not so minimal that it’s boring to peruse. I’ve done writing for artists, art studios, and museums, and intend to draw on elements of those showcases when designing my site. That said, I am intentionally showcasing something I am in the process of learning, so a little bit of whimsy isn’t off the table. This is a vulnerable endeavor; I want to invite the user to share in that vulnerability. To that end, I want the site to feel like the hobby corner at a local library or a booth at an art fair. It will need to be easy to use, inviting, brief until the user chooses to dig deeper, and consist of not only my work but resources, inspirations, and the work of experts (appropriately sourced). It will be sectioned accordingly, with a strong, interconnected navigation scheme that allows users to “wander” through the site at will, but never so deeply that they become lost or unable to find their way to a disparate topic. I’m excited to combine the structure of a portfolio with reflection and information.