I’ve often used the word ‘beautiful’ in my copy when describing the websites that I’ve created but it always sits a little uneasily with me. We have such ingrained reverence for beauty that to tamper with it feels almost sinful.
The Beauty Paradox
Beauty has always been considered both an opportunity and a cage. You can’t always control the directions it opens and it can feel restrictive and ill fitting.
One of the most important lessons I learned when I started to paint in my 40’s was to “wreck the page” before starting. The first thing I do is scribble randomly, drop ink or otherwise take that pristine, white perfection off the page before me.
Don’t worry, I am not considering this for your website but what I am asking you to consider is – has your beautiful website become a cage that you struggle to escape from. Does that message, so perfectly articulated when you created it, now feel jarring but you are not sure why?
Or perhaps, it never felt quite right but the process of getting your website created was so exhausting that you can’t bear to think of revisiting it.
What is wrong with perfection?
After years of building ‘perfect’ and ‘beautiful’ websites for my clients, I came to the realisation that they often ended up becoming museums to a clients business in that moment in time.
That is a big part of why I changed to co-creation – building the websites, live, with my clients. By seeing the process, the mystery of the One True Web Master was removed. The goal is not perfection with co-creation, it is alignment.
Alignment is only possible when your message and website evolves with your thinking and experience. It is that sense of calm and ease you feel when you see your website with fresh eyes and it still resonates deeply.
Of course, your website is not just for you. It is also for your audience and this is where an experienced hand can help find and tie together the threads of who you are, what your message is, what your audience wants and what what your commercial objectives are.
Breaking free from your cage
This doesn’t have to lead to a major overhaul. For the vast majority of my clients, the biggest value comes from being listened to and helped to find clarity of direction and message. From there, the technical work can be minimal – quick changes that have an outsized impact.
When we work together, it’s not about creating another beautiful cage. It’s about evolving your website into a living, breathing space that grows with you. One that feels aligned with who you are today, while being flexible enough to grow with you and your business.
I know how daunting it can feel to think about changing your website, especially if you’ve had challenging experiences before. That’s why I’d love to have a relaxed chat about where you’re at and what feels misaligned. No pressure, no sales pitch – just an honest conversation about whether we might be a good fit to work together and an exploration of how co-creation works.
If this sounds interesting, let’s grab a virtual coffee and talk about it. Book a free 30-minute discovery call and tell me what’s on your mind: www.orlafitz.com/chat