A Milestone In Life

Launched my website today

www.smithadevara.com

A significant moment of a cherished journey. A culmination of one phase and the beginning of another.

It's so true that the dots connect in hindsight. When I joined up at Parivarthan for an initial two month program, it was just on a whim, it sounded interesting and doable, even with my job. That course on listening skills, stroked the appetite for more. 

I quit my job to do a one year program on counselling. I yet did so for personal reasons. Introspection was like an interest, a passion. And I thought to myself, if I can get expertise and tools, why not.

It wasn't until six months into the course that I even thought I might want to do this as a profession. Be a professional counsellor. The thought grew, and grew...the more counselling sessions I did, the firmer it grew. And soon it became a decision, a reality.

Once in Hyderabad, the more fundamental questions of 'how' and 'where'. 

The 'where' had several options explored, a more physical question. The 'how' was to answer the questions friends were asking me, 'how will people know...how will I find clients'.

That became a focused exercise. First was to get an identity as a counsellor. So a visiting card. And when I knew that potential clients would likely see my card and not me, in went a lot of energy and thought into the card. It had to represent me. 

As I started to hand out the card, I found myself face to face with a lot of questions. Right from 'what is counselling' 'when do we see a counsellor', 'how does it work'....and therein grew the thought of a website, one that would answer these basic questions.

Once I started working on the design, I realized it was possibly the point of decision to many, the connect between the client and me. It had to speak a certain language. Calming, soothing, supportive, holding, inspiring even. And these were the words I started off with in my head.

It's been a two month process. One that's been at one time challenging and so thoroughly enjoyable. 

Learnt all over again what it means to be open minded and iterative.

I spoke to atleast five web developers before I zeroed in on Shravan. When I told him this, he was himself surprised, he was like 'how come, there are so many'.

I think it was a couple of questions he asked within five minutes of our first call.......'tell me more about counselling' and 'what does aham mean'. It told me he had connected to it at a level deeper than just business. It resonated with my outlook. 

Once we had the commercial elements in place, I gave him the design on a ppt, page by page, arrogant in my belief that I had got it all sorted.......little realizing how much of it is feel and iteration. Each email to him, (and there have been several) would be about twenty points long, so many changes, additions, deletions, I'm a stickler for detail. At one point we changed the template itself, and he said 'this is like creating a new site'. Yet, not once did he loose patience. A special thanks there Shravan, it meant much. 

A lot of energy and effort and love went into it's making, from all concerned, Shravan, friends, family....and it's so worth what it feels like now.

And to all who helped..... Diksha, Kiran, Girija, Dhruva, Mom, Dad, Praveen, Vishakha, Swaroop, Adi and others who I bounced ideas off,  thanks. Thanks a ton.

I'd especially like to call out Diksha, Kiran and Girija, where I've had instances through the process, which touched a deep chord.

Kiran, who so generously sent me his website template that he'd bought saying you can use this, and who showed me other sites he'd researched, which gave me the inspiration for design. His saying, you need to up the level, take off from my shoulders. Thanks Kiran, because that I did.

Girija, who read the 'About Me' section and said 'cha, this is so factual and boring..... tell your story from the heart' and I totally rehashed and in so doing found the right balance. And most importantly for having been the one to suggest the name. Aham came from her. Thanks Pal.

Diksha when giving feedback 'Ma, don't defend, you wanted feedback and I'm telling, just listen na.' And she insists on my picture being there, "if I didn't see the picture of the counsellor on her own site, I wouldn't go" she said. That's something I yet need to get to. But thanks deech, for saying it as it is.

I'm filled with gratitude and joy to be able to share this moment with each and everyone of you.