There are plenty of good reasons why you would want to open a graphic site in the first place:

• It’s a fun thing to do this summer.
• I love designing!
• I want to be really popular on the internet!
• It combines my interest for Anime and the Arts
• It's something I can do on my spare time
• I found my computer has Photoshop!
• and the list goes on…

After a while, you begin to wonder - Is it worth keeping a graphic site anymore? What’s the point of web designing if no one ever uses my graphics or visits my site? I’ll never be as good as those other graphic sites… — Wait! HOLD ON just one second! — This sort of thinking is very unhealthy! So your site isn’t going as well as you first planned it will, but hey! – focus on the positive aspects of this “hobby” and its benefits. Here is a list that will hopefully change your perspective about closing down that site!

• A graphic site is like a portfolio! Everyone can see your work and how far you are progressing. Also, if someone asks you for sample work, they could always log onto your site with one click – its much easier than carrying around a printed portfolio in your backpack.
• More interaction takes place on a graphic site: visitors can give you feedback on your graphics, they can actually use your stuff and spread the word! Most importantly, you meet new online friends that visit your website. Many of my friendships with people across the globe started with a simple tag on my site’s tagboard! We talk almost every day and it feels like I know him/her for years!
• Designing is a very educational past time if you can believe it: you are training yourself to use programs that professionals use and you are also exploring and applying the art forms, elements and principles!
• The more you practice, the better your skills will get and an open graphic site will encourage you to keep adding new stuff, thus, you are improving!
• If you're lucky, you could get hired to do some commissioned work, meaning you could actually get paid once you've practiced web designing! How else could someone find out about you skills if you don't have a site of your past work to show them? A graphic site can definately come in handy when you apply for work too!
• A graphic site doesn’t have to be work for you - it should be fun!

Web designing is a journey that never really ends if you do not want it to! There’s always something new and different to explore! Also, it’s a long journey. Don’t expect to be some great designer overnight – however, it isn’t impossible to do really well over a few months! It is all about attitude, time and patience. This isn’t the easiest thing in the world, so it will take time and effort. By keeping a site, you can document all of your work (from the beginning to the point you are at now). You share your new found talent with others. Many webmasters complain they have no time to keep a site running. The truth is, a site shouldn’t be so ‘time consuming’. The time you put into your site should be balanced with your offline life. Visitors like new updates every now and then, but they do not expect a site to be updated every day! A trick I use when updating, is that when I have time to create graphics (like a weekend or holiday break), I create a few graphics for my site. I don’t add everything the same day – only a few. Let’s say I add one avatar and a few premade signs. I keep the premade layout and textures for next update – which is when I have a few more minutes on the computer at a later date). This way, you add everything gradually and not huge updates every other day. My goal is to usually update three times a month, if not at least twice. My system helps me accomplish that goal!

If you really want to see some improvements in your design skills, I suggest investing some time in reading online tutorials. Here’s a few good Photoshop tutorials sites that have helped me along the way:

Imanimations | Phong Tutorials | Photoshop Star | Good Tutorials

Always try to learn new things, be open minded and curious! I find reading tutorials is a good way to improving and the better you become, the better you feel about your graphics and your site will slowly inch its way to your high expectations. This will, however, take some time, so keeping a site for a longer period will definitely encourage you to design as well as prove to you that you can handle a graphic site!

Another way to improve your design skills is to explore and learn on your own. Open your graphics program, start adding shapes, images, brushes and lines. After, test out all the features it comes with. In Photoshop, you have plenty of blending options that can jazz up a design – test each of them out and see if you can combine them with the Filters features! Become a scientist and experiment different effects and techniques until you find something unique and interesting that you can bring to the table next time you start a graphic!

To end this article, I wanted to let you know that even if you will not pursue a career in web design, the skills you will take out of it will help you in other artistic professions. Believe it or not, but you learn many skills and programs that you can use in the “real world” – like applying visual elements/principles to any design, the use of colours and shape, handling various graphic programs, patience and discipline!…the list goes on. Here are a few jobs that might also interest you and are related to web design:

Well I hope this article gave you second thoughts about doubting having a graphics site! Remember time, patience and curiosity are key! ^_^