My Christmas List

I need a makeover.

OK. Scratch that. My website needs a makeover. (Although some may argue for the former!).

My family has been asking for my Christmas list. But I can't think of anything (except the new Blackberry Storm, but I don't want to have to pay $250/month just for access!) I really want. Maybe I'm at that age where I don't really want much anymore. I already have a great family and a job and a house.

But what I do want is a decent website for my pastels.

In reading art books, magazines, and blogs, my website is embarassingly amateur. I found this place that was cheap, and they hooked me by saying they had these templates that made it easy to make your own, professional-looking website. HA! I just remember several chat sessions with the techies, phone calls, and late nights filled with cursing.

That was 10 months ago, as part of my 2008 New Year's Resolution.

Now, I see that there are several sites that are designed especially for artists. From having had a website for almost a year now, I have come up with a wish list - the requirements of a perfect host, if you will:

1. They will still accept my domain name. I don't want my domain name to have to be tacked onto the beginning of the hosting site, as in my Etsy store, www.studio206.etsy.com. People should be able to type in www.matthewweld.com, and go directly there.
2. It should have a cart, so I don't have to go to PayPal, make a button, copy it, and then paste it onto my page FOR EVERY PAINTING! However, I need to be able to disable this feature if my work is at my gallery and only available through them.
3. Easily adjustable/customizable templates, like blogger.com. I like this site, and I would use it exclusively, but there's nowhere to show all my work.
4. When visitors click on a thumbnail, it will take them to a page with an enlarged version. I shouldn't have to set that up. It should do it automatically. I can't do that with my current site, so I haven't taken the time to figure out a page address and all for each enlarged picture.
5. A place for reader comments, like a blog. There should be some way for the vistors to interact with my site and my work.
6. Simple Flash capabilites, like the Flickr Gadget on this blog that shows a slideshow of my jewelry and recent work. I don't want it to be so complicated that it takes forever to load. I've been to some websites that I X out of before it has finished loading, because I'm impetuous like that. And I have cable internet.

Six wishes isn't so much, is it?

If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. If you have visited another artist's website that you think is amazing, leave their link in the comments section.

Thanks in advance,

PastelGuy

www.matthewweld.com - pastels

www.studio206.etsy.com - jewelry store