How many websites do I need…and why now?
In June 2018, I sold my home in Astoria, Oregon and gave up a lovely psychotherapy office in a commercial building overlooking the Columbia River in Astoria. Soon after, I established a cozy and inviting office at my new home on an acre and a half on a lake in nearby Warrenton. I had the intention of slowing down the pace of my therapy practice and being able to move more seamlessly between seeing clients, creating jewelry, gardening, managing my household and getting out for daily walks with my companion and our dog Bella (in October 2022, we lost Bella and now have 2 dogs - Copper and Katie). Being closer to the ocean, I anticipated that many of those daily walks would be at the beach. In September of 2022, after many years as a licensed clinical social worker, first in Washington state, then in Alaska, and most recently in Oregon, I retired my license and became an “unlicensed professional” providing part-time counseling services to individuals, couples and families. I was finally slowing down the pace of my professional life and making more room for nature and creativity!
I really liked the idea of developing a website that would present this integrated lifestyle of work, art, and home so the concept for The Lake House Healing and Creative Arts began to take shape. I thought one website would do it for me and that I would sell my jewelry from this site. I also liked the idea of having a blog and being able to share news and photos of life at The Lake House. I was advised by a couple of tech savvy folks that I should really have a separate website for my jewelry but I wasn’t ready to give up on the idea of a site for both my counseling and creative endeavors. With initial tech support from web designer Jacqueline Hansen, I began using Squarespace to create my site. My efforts languished for months, until I got a big push from my friend Rebecca Wright, a former graphic designer for a large retail nursery and we launched thelakehousehca.com in the winter of 2023. I was delighted with how the website looked and felt great about the effort and what I wanted to convey through this platform. However, when I started using it to promote and sell my jewelry, I realized that I truly did need a separate site for that work. In February 2024, I launched a new website devoted solely to the presentation and sale of my jewelry at nancykaracand.com. And I find myself equally delighted with the outcome of this site as well. So, the answer is two – I ultimately needed two different websites. It has been an adventure in tech learning and I will continue to learn and develop both of these sites as tools for presenting myself and my work to the world at large. Hope you enjoy both of them!