the end of swimchick?

posted June 13

Recently, you’ve all been noticing that swimchick has been on it’s decline. Yea, that’s what happens when life punches you in the face. I’m going through a trivial part of my life, which doesn’t happen to like owning a website, or waiting for photoshop to load. Of course that’s just my life, I think otherwise.

I love having swimchick. I love blogging, I love writing and creating tutorials and updating with resources. But lately, I haven’t been. My motivation is gone, most of what swimchick was is gone….and though I try to get it back, it’s not coming running home anytime soon.

I do not have any plans to shut swimchick down, ever. I love this site like my own child, you know if I was crazy enough to have one. Sometimes I just need reassurance, like OHHH IS OK SWIMCHICK CAN GET BACK!!!
That doesn’t happen now, ever since I quit the online scene. Hardly visible on that, heh.

BUT, I do have plans. I dooooo!!
I was going to have a message board created, but I’m a bit skeptical about that. I want my visitors to be able to interact with each other, exchange tips and get to know each other. I’m not about ready to jump into a bandwagon full of drama, though. Let me know what you think of a possible message board.

Also, I would like to tell all those who do not care to visit swimchick (to the poster of the previous blog), to not visit, if they do not like it here. This site owes you nothing, as you owe the site nothing. If you think this site is lacking in quality, go make something better. I’m over here trying to juggle a life, job, and school. AND on top of that, always trying to keep photoshop open and practice, even when things at home make it unbearable. So seriously, if you want to come up here and be like OMGGG SWIMCHICK SUX NOW U NEVER UPDATE I AINT EVER BE COMIN HERE NO MO!!!
I don’t really care for it.

I’M FREAKING ON IT YO. I’m gonna update, and I will try to get a new layout up. Dammit people are so unappreciative these days.
Sometimes I just need support. Not a husband.

So yea, go ahead, what do you guys wanna see first? That tutorial? Yea, I’m working on a decent enough graphic to create a tutorial from. This isn’t easy.

Anywho, this whole site adventure has been so crazy and stressful, but I’m going to try my best to pull out from this dumb hole I’m in. Life at home pisses me off so I feel like more than ever the need to rebel and not do anything ‘work related’ online, because no one gives me the time of day to work online, anyway. I literally find myself staying up late so I can work in photoshop, because when no one is awake, there’s no one to interrupt me.

So yea, I’m not going anywhere soon. Thanks for those who are still around, this is not a good time for me, but I’m coming around :) Now, where’s my damn scanner? Lmaoooo.

52 comments | offline life

Comments

All I can say is message boards are hell to moderate. >.< Been there done that. I think it could work if you got a bunch of moderators. :) volunteers self

I have come here for a couple years, as well as bunches of other people. We won’t be leaving.

MK posted this June 13 * # Reply
I’d love to see a message board up here, but it’ll take quite a bit of work. I think that part of your problem could be that you love to plan to do a lot of things, but it gets overwhelming when you have so many great ideas and so many visitors that want to see so many different things. Take one thing at a time would be my best advice.

But in all honesty, I love SwimChick. It’s the number one resource site I check daily and I love reading your blogs. I especially love your style of design, and I always look forward to new tutorials or to other sites that you point to that give you inspiration.

I’d love to see that tutorial. And if you want any advice, I think that you could just pick any deviation from your DeviantArt and make a tutorial out of that. Something like this: http://zerofiction.deviantart.com/art/lovely-120701899 or this http://zerofiction.deviantart.com/art/lies-are-entertaining-120071867 would be a great tutorial, and it’s something fairly different from what you’ve normally done, I think.

Anyhow, good luck with school and work and… life in general. :P

Dani posted this June 14 * # Reply
Aww, Jess I would love to help you any way I could. A message board would defiantly keep this site alive! It would be awesome.

Melissa posted this June 14 * # Reply
I would like to see the tutorial first. The message board sounds cool but I can’t help but think there will be some dram in there. You can’t avoid a “room” full of girls and not expect anything to happen but that is just my opinion.

Sabina posted this June 14 * # Reply
aww,,jess,,i really apprecite your hard work…i really do. and thank you for showing love to swimchick and your visitors (dont cha worry..we lov ya too ya know!). dont be discouraged by all those haters. you’re doing great. i understand wat you’re trying to say. i hope for you to have your schedule oraganized together with swimchick so you dont get bigger and bigger eye bags whenever ya stay up late trying to work things out for this site ;) and about the message board,,i think that’d be okay as long as no trash talking =_ (dunno how that could be prevented)..and the tut..i know you always come up with something new and even newer for me so anything would be great..thanks so much,, jess!

Lauren posted this June 14 * # Reply
bout time you said something about that. people leave the dumbest comments like that it’s so ridiculous lol. I’m like Jess is not your personal photoshop slave hehe.

a forum isn’t too bad an idea. it might get you excited again somehow lol. don’t ask hehe

clairessa posted this June 14 * # Reply
Trivial ? Like unimportant ?

Mm ..I hope you get your motivation back. This site got me through a lot of long and boring study halls lol

Joyce posted this June 14 * # Reply
What’s the point of keeping a website up if you aren’t going to update it? All you seem to be writing about are entries complaining about things in your life instead of making things in your life seem more interesting. Complaining isn’t interesting, in no matter what form you put it in.

Perhaps you could just have a message board and not have everything up? Get Sumiaya involved with management so you won’t have to do it all.
You’re getting older and RL things are getting in the way which is completely natural. Redesign a layout that is simple to manage, perhaps just have a graphic, blog link, message board link, and the old tutorials and that’s it. Take down your graphics, and other things that people don’t look at anyway.

YOur life comes first not these people who comment on your site. To keep it up or to not keep it up is all up to you and shouldn’t be voted on by the visitors.

Everyone ages and your interests change. Life happens. Sit on it and come back to us. And quite honestly there are other sites on the web that does a good job of putting up tutorials so don’t feel like you have to keep updating it.

Kristi posted this June 14 * # Reply
I agree a lot with this comment. It’s a bit blunt, but in the end, it holds a lot of truth.

Kalilah posted this June 14 * # Reply
Though much of what you said is understandable. I must speak up about her closing the site and her blogs.

She still has great resources weather she updates them or not. a lot of people now and people to come could use them. Close the site and they couldn’t have those resources anymore. That’s simply not fair to anyone.

As for her blogs, she’s honestly free to write anything she wants. She could repeat the exact same things. If you don’t find her writing interesting, don’t read it. A blog isn’t necessarily there for your personal entertainment.

Yes, she’s getting older now, and that’s understandable. We all have lives outside our websites and we’re all free to never update our site again if we don’t want too. We could close it if we want or leave it open and never come back. We don’t have to give you a reason why, explain, or give any warning at all. Its our site and our lives.

Its fine if you don’t think she could continue to run the resource site, but there’s a time, a place, and a topic when its okay to be blunt. This, is not the time, place, or topic.

Kaylen posted this June 15 * # Reply
I really like Swimchick and I visit sometime just to looks at your layouts, lol. I think if you want to shut it down, do as you please. It’s your life and your site. But I can understand how you still want to keep it. You have so many visitors and you’ve worked so hard, that it’s a shame it gets shut down. No way!

You never know, inspiration could be just around the corner. Travel a bit, you never know what can inspire you. Even going for walks out at night can inspire you. Or maybe listening to a new kind of music? Music always inspires me :-)

You never really know what can get you back and ready to update, it just happens. I know that someone like you wouldn’t really loose the inspiration, it’s just hasn’t hit you yet.. you’ll see it’ll come around soon enough ;) And screw those haters, they know they suck and are just envious of your site. Haha, I’m glad you don’t take for them, no one should.

Anyways, the message boards idea sounds great, but it’s good that you think ahead about the drama. It always happens :| Let’s hope if you do go with the idea that it rarely happens. Take care!

Marvin posted this June 14 * # Reply
Hi Jess, I’ve been visiting your site for probably a year now.
I love your site and I can understand your problem. But I think it’s a phase. I have that problem, too. I used to make so many graphics or at least try to in my spare time. But now school demands so much time and I had to give up a lot of things.
However, if I were you, I’d never quit. I mean, you’ve been doing this for so many years. You can’t just give this all up.
Even if you don’t update too often, keep this site running. Please don’t let us down :).

Caroline posted this June 14 * # Reply
Pleeeeeeeeease don’t shut the site down! I absoloutley love it, I spend like… forever on it!

Angel posted this June 14 * # Reply
A message board would be amazing. Especially if _cough I were to be a moderator. Just kidding. Kinda.

There are enough people who LOVE this site. It doesn’t matter if you update every day or not. We keep coming back for the content that’s already here. (Well at least I do.)

btw, if you ever even think about shutting this site down, I will probably cry for a few hours and then possibly run away from home to come find you.

Bec posted this June 14 * # Reply
You should never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever shut swimchick down… ever. <3

Bee posted this June 14 * # Reply
a message board would be very great :) tutorials too

Do posted this June 14 * # Reply
don’t shut swimchick down! i love it and it is one of the few sites i try to visit almost every day. i don’t care if there are fewer updates now, i love reading the blogs and using the old resources (they’re so awesome!) haha hope you get your motivation back. you’re a great designer and i’d hate to see swimchick close….

natalie posted this June 14 * # Reply
Moderators are a must.

VOLUNTEER!!

Justice posted this June 14 * # Reply
I found swimchick awhile ago when I was still in the piczo.com-addiction phase and needed some help from your tutorials. I became addicted to your advanced picture tutorials, and visited almost every day.

I started reading your blogs, and I loved them! They were funny, amusing, and always offered up a dose of real life with a comedic edge:)

On my own site, however, I became tired of fighting for visitors, continually updating, the drama, the pressure of adding new tutorials, etc. and I shut it down. I kept visiting your site, though. Even though I didn’t really have a use for your tutorials, I found your blogs hilarious, & read them just to make my day a little more lighthearted. :)

So, my point is, even though I quit my own site, and even though I don’t really need any of the tutorials on yours, I still visit swimchick because it’s funny, unique, and all you. I know there’s no superficiality to anything I read. A lot of people come to swimchick just to read your blogs – which is something to be proud of. Not many site owners can keep up the number of visitors your site has just by writing about their day!

I suggest you keep doing it! Write when you’re pissed off, happy, inspired, reflective, whatever. And when you don’t feel like it, don’t. But don’t feel pressured to keep updating with tutorials, etc. all the time – a majority of us love this site because YOU own it!

Don’t give up! :)

Diana posted this June 14 * # Reply
dude it’s really up to u. Most of the year i dont have time to update my site…hence i abandoned it. Now i just have a LJ which i update when i feel like it. Regular blogging/updating take way too much energy which most college students dont have. It’s ur site, ur time. It’s up to you if you wanna take out time to keep it up. I’m sure ppl really do find this place useful. I mean every time i come here there are at least 15 people online. So they must be doing something. If u wanna change it into a message board and divide up the responsibilities to other people, u can do that. But I’ll tell u right now, it wont be “swimchick” anymore. No matter how much people say they will be here and “moderate” etc…it wont be the same. I’ve tried that before with a successful board. It was all fine when i was there and put in the time and energy, but once i left other ppl incharge, everything went down the drain. So, if that doesn’t matter to you (cuz I just had no time to give a damn about it) then do it.
Anyway, dont sweat about being busy. It’s ur site and ur life. Ur visitors don’t have that kinda control over it.

Serenity posted this June 14 * # Reply
Ive been visiting this site for a while now, and its one of my favourite sites! While your graphics may not be the best in the world, their great because you can tell you put alot of effort into them, and that you dont just make them in 10 minutes.

Personally I dont expect your site to be updated as regularly as it used to be. You’re older now, you have things ofline to worry about. I used to update my site alot, but now I can only update it every now and then. Ive got school, a job (soon to be 2 hopefully), I have 2 other sites and I have friends. Sometimes, people don’t realise that it does take alot of time to make a graphic or tutorial, and that this time could sometimes be better spent ofline.

I think that a message board would be a great idea. As long as you can get people you trust to help you moderate it should do well. I think it would be a great way for you visitors to all interact and get to know each other. I know I would definatly sign up if you where to start one. I used to be on an amazing one but it had to close :(

Anyway, the main thing is, you know you love this site and you know that you are trying your best with it. Its not as if you have loads of spare time and just cant be bothered updating. So dont listen to those visitors who moan and complain.

Lauren posted this June 14 * # Reply
If you lost motivation or your bored, i’d just take a break. A big long break. When I get sick of doing something, or can’t look at my photoshop I just quit for a while and take a break, then when i’m ready I come back. I love your site, but I don’t mind waiting for you. Most people wont be on because of the summer anyways. I’m usaully at vacation or camps and stuff during this time. You don’t have to close down the site or anything, you can just keep it like this so if someone wants to use something they can. Just put a notice or something up saying you wont be on much, you’re on break. : D

Bri posted this June 14 * # Reply
We all love Swimchick, and there’s always going to be that weird, humorless person who disagrees with everyone.

I’m not so sure on message boards, but it seems like everyone here is chill enough not to be jerks, so I’m sure it’s a good idea ( :

Hayley posted this June 14 * # Reply
I know exactly what you’re going through. My life stuff, school and work have been getting in the way of my site too for almost a year. Now, granted my site was never as good or popular as yours, there was a time when I did have a fair amount of traffic. Now, I don’t have any at all which depresses me at times but I’m trying really hard to bring it back. You on the other hand, don’t give yourself enough credit. You update a lot more than most people do, especially considering all of your life stuff getting in the way. I’m sure you’ll find the time soon to make those tutorials, put up the new layout, etc. Just don’t get yourself down too much. Swimchik is a great site and I don’t think it’s close to the end at all.

Kristen posted this June 14 * # Reply
Even though I haven’t commented here that I can remember, whenever I’m stuck making a layout, or need inspiration, I visit Swimchick. Many of the other blogs that inspired my old website (an actual subdomain, not a blogspot) have vanished, and I’m glad to know that you are still around and not going anywhere!

Kelly posted this June 14 * # Reply
I think a message board would be a cool feature but I also agree with ‘Serenity’ ^^^ who stated it wouldnt quite be Swimchick anymore.
The fact of the matter is, the people who love your site, who love your work are able to understand that inspiration and motivation isn’t always going to be there every second of every day. We all understand that it’s hard to keep up with it, especially as you are getting older, with more responsibilities etc. But I think, as long as you don’t write it off completely…like, don’t always have in your mind “Gaaaawd I need to update but I just don’t have anything”, thinking like that will make it worse if anything….anyways, I’m rambling. All in all, keep a positive head (even though its hard) and know that there are A LOT of folk who love this site and respect you and your work. We aren’t going away any time soon and we hope you aren’t either. :)

Ailsa posted this June 14 * # Reply
Swimchick is GREAT! I lÃ³ve it!
Just say **** to mean people! What do they think they are? Or who do they think you are? Their personal ps slave? It’s not even as if they’re paying you! And if you’re bored, just take a break, people will survive without updates Â¬Â¬

NadÃ¨ge posted this June 15 * # Reply
I love Swimchick, the main reason being, is that its one of the most unique and original sites still around.. Unlike all these newer sites coming around with their non-realistic site names, bad coding, bad edited graphics and not to mention they’re lack of knowing anything about owning a site.. Yours is just original, your OWN ideas, your own way of photoshop-ing stuff and your own way of expressing yourself which i love.. your site is where ive learnt alot about photoshop and coding.. etc and i would hate to see all the effort and creativity go to waste.

Its your life, you do what you feel be best.. this site is way too good for drama and the silly little “13-16” year olds that think they know how to create something better.

Your one of a kind and so is your site. Swimchick would have to be one of the best in offering everything.. You just cant get anybetter.. :)

Christay posted this June 15 * # Reply
Ohmigosh, I <3 Swimchick. Do go! <3 <3 <3

Rita posted this June 15 * # Reply
i love this website. it is a really famous one,and most sites know about it. ive been using this site for ages and ill forever be a viewer:)

nadine(candy-crazy.com) posted this June 15 * # Reply
oh, I know how you feel… I haven’t done anything to my site since the end of April… APRIL! I am actually going to get rid of like 80% of my site, and just blog… that’s it. No graphics (except for a pretty layout, of course), no tutorials, no resources. Just blog. So it might be boring, but it’s all I have time for in my life. I just don’t have the time and patience to do graphics anymore, even though I love it.

But I must pipe in and say no to a message board. I just shut mine down because NO ONE was participating. Granted, I’m sure you’d get a little more traffic, but message boards are honestly a thing of the past.

Anyway, my comment is so not of any sort of help, but merely to say hang in there, lots of us are in the same rut.

Christine posted this June 15 * # Reply
Hey, I just thought I would spend 5 mins of my time which should be spent revising [oops] by telling you that I completely respect you for creating such an amazing website, donating your time for others whilst, like you said, working, studying and having a life.

To be honest, if people can’t understand that then they should just leave instead of moaning. By the way, in my opinion, message boards are a breeding ground for aurguments but if you put in the time to moderate, they can be great places to learn.

Concentrate on life right now and see how you feel later on.

Rachel posted this June 15 * # Reply
Hey Jess, well I do think that it must be hard to manage the site when you have lots of other things to do, personally I don’t know if I could find enough time and ideas etc etc to have a site… But i really do hope you continue with it cause i really enjoy visiting SC ;) I like the tutorials, I use PSP but i can usually do most of the effects and stuff that you show on your photoshop tutorials. I also like your brushes and textures! so in my opinion you should keep CS running! hehe take care and just take your time with the site ;)

Anna posted this June 15 * # Reply
Jess,
I have the same problem. I do all my updating at night when everyone’s asleep. I lack inspiration and motivation to get myself there. I miss those days when it used to come
so easy. I was excited. But now it just feels like WORK. So yeah, anyone can understand that. You work all day, so when you come on, of course you don’t want to work anymore.
But one thing is different for you, you get tons of visitors who actually DO care enough to read your blogs. Look at all these comments. Have you checked how many people are on your site, recently? Right now there are 34. Geez, the most I see for the “online now” are 4 for my site. You’re so lucky.
You were the first person to inspire all of us.
I mean, have you checked out all your visitors credits page? Credits:
swimchick.net

You’re very lucky. So don’t let this go. :)

Lexy posted this June 16 * # Reply
I love Swimchick. Just because you’re having a hard time adding content doesn’t mean you should shut down. As many have said, the majority of visits are spent reading your blog.

If you’re in a sort of creativity rut, just wait for inspiration to come; there’s no rush! ;D As you said, you don’t owe your visitors anything!

As for the message board, I think it would be a good idea, but I think you should keep it on a smaller scale. If there’s too many forums and sub-categories, it’ll end up burning out quickly.

Eka posted this June 16 * # Reply
The message board sounds great! Just.. a lot of work. However TOTALLY up to you whether or not you decide to do it. And the content never has to come as one big bang, then it just becomes a bit TOO much. The people who leave those rude comments are those that get bored easily and can’t appreciate your content for what it is :]

Jackie posted this June 16 * # Reply
WOAH! Don’t even think about closing your site Jess! I literally love it and have been visiting it for a PRETTY LONG TIME. I know when times are tough then it’s difficult to keep things together but I KNOW YOU’LL MANAGE THROUGH !! :) GOOD LUCK!

Zaeema posted this June 17 * # Reply
Dnt leave I love Swimchick and I love you tutorials,If you go then there would be no more swimchick and I would be sad :9

Ray posted this June 17 * # Reply
i would love a message board, but i’m worried that some dumb people would just randomly come here and post some vulgar/inappropriate stuff, which could be a pain in the butt to try and clean up.

and, jessica, dont you dare even think of closing down swimchick. or else i’ll go and snap my fingers in a z-formationn 0:
hahhh, lmao.

and the site’s layout should be the least of your worries right now, so dont put anything aside to make a new one. trust me: it’s fine

violette posted this June 17 * # Reply
Hey Jess, the message board sounds like a good idea, as long as it was thought through properly and maybe you would need help to moderate it. After all, you want less pressure, not more. But if you think about it and decide to do it, it would probably be really successful. Most of your visitors seem like nice, mature people who would not seek to argue or create drama, and hopefully that would continue on the message board.

Another thing I thought, maybe you should just take a break. Literally, post a blog saying you are going on a break for however long, a week, even two weeks, however long you want, and just not think about the site or photoshop for that amount of time. Because there’s no point forcing yourself to blog and update when it’s not enjoyable. We understand and will support you, your visitors won’t all disappear if you take a little break. It might do you good, and you may find yourself itching to get onto photoshop and SC! You can just concentrate on real life, your job and school etc and relax without worrying about the online world. Think about it, it could be exactly what you need.

And as for updating your resources, tutorials etc, there is already so much great content on here, you shouldn’t feel pressured to keep adding more. We can wait. And when you do get your inspiration back, the site will be all the better for it.

:)

Harriet posted this June 17 * # Reply
OMG! Noooooo!
Personally, I love this site! I really appreciate how you keep a great site running AND have a job and go to school! That’s amazzing – most successful sites have owners who don’t have their priorities straight! And of course, it doesn’t bother vsitors who do understand how hard it is to do that, that not as much updates are being made. In my opinion, do whatever you have to do, then your website should come, it should be something like a leisure activity.
And yeah, a message board would be SO cool =]

Roxy posted this June 17 * # Reply
Woww .. DO NOT SHAT THE SITE DOWN .. PLEASE .. it’s so super :]

Boriiz ^^ posted this June 17 * # Reply
I’m really sad that life is being mean to you. I hope you can get it (life) all back to normal so you can bring us more of your wonderful talents (:

Neon posted this June 17 * # Reply
Heyyy

A Message Board Will Be An Awesome Idea ^.
And Just To Let You Know Swimchick Has Always been An Amzing Site. I Always Come Here Lol

Hope You Get Things Back on Track So Your All Happy Happy Again lol (:

Blessed Be. Jess &hearts;
http://-vampyree.piczo.com

Jess posted this June 17 * # Reply
girl, you better not just pick up your things and leave! you are the only recourse site i will use besides ravekill. (:

Caitlinn posted this June 17 * # Reply
I’ve been coming to your site for years, you’re still my favorite. I don’t even bother looking for other newer sites, and even if you don’t update resources which is what I usually check here for then I really enjoy reading your blogs.
Don’t give up. Don’t stress yourself out.

As for the message board, I think it’s a good idea, but work work work is what that is. I think that’s something toward the bottom of the list, if you don’t have the time for it.

Jelly posted this June 18 * # Reply
i love your blog so much, that’s the only reason i visit it. i could care less about how much you update. your blogs always make me laugh and stuff and it makes me happy haha. your the only blog i read too. blogs aren’t really my thing but yours is really cool to read.

i’ve been visiting your site for what feels like forever and i don’t think i could just stop coming here. i always find myself checking back for more blogs.

lindsey posted this June 20 * # Reply
ma etfkree enk etro7ee!!
i love ur site alot
and i love u too
lol u might not know me
but i like ur personality!<3333
good luck with everything

robin posted this June 18 * # Reply
I love your site. Even if you don’t update. I’m constantly visiting and refering you to my friends.

Don’t let people pressure you. I love web design and you inspire me a lot. Really!

Just do you and forget what other people are saying.

Victoria posted this June 18 * # Reply
It’s okay, you can blog and update whenever you want. It’s your life (:
I stopped with websites in the beginning of 2009 :/ life is boring now but it’s better than always having to worry about working on my site.
I think a message board is a great idea! I really wanted you to start one before. I remember almost everyone joined cynosure but then it closed? I’m sure everyone will join yours and we can all interact more through that (:
PS. I <3 Swimchick :D

Winnie posted this June 18 * # Reply
Regardless of whatever those n00bs say, you should do whatever you want to do with your site. It’s your free time, and if you don’t want to make resources, you shouldn’t have to! Plus, I think it’s better to blog about your life than leave your site dead like many other resource sites. I find your blogs funny to read and witty, and though you do complain in them, complaining’s simply a part of life. Everyone complains, regardless of what they say.
I don’t think you should close SwimChick, but if you do decide to, I’ll support you :)

Naru posted this June 18 * # Reply
IF SWIMCHICK WENT DOWN.
my website would seriously die. this is our #1 favee website (me & patricia other owner) and you have the best stuff in the whole internet world and im serious hahaha.
&hearts;

natalia@magicalspace posted this June 19 * # Reply

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