It’s true that there is now an entire generation who grew up with the internet, but that doesn’t mean they know how to make websites.
It’s also true that there are programs which allow you to plug in your pictures and they will then make a website for you, but that doesn’t mean it’s an effective reflection of your work.
I’ve been making artists websites for 20 years now. I have seen all the mistakes, worked through all the glitches, and talked people through all the confusion (older folks too).
I have worked on sites for the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Andy Warhol Foundation, the American Society of Contemporary Artists, as well as scores of individual artists, musicians, and writers.
I get a real kick out of untangling the latest mess brought to us in the name of progress. I used to change my own sparkplugs on the car but progress has made such a simple task beyond the consumer capability. Now instead of building sites from scratch I use a content management system, which allows the end user to make additions and changes and is updated and secured daily to keep up with the ever-changing security issues.
When I encounter something new, as I did yesterday implementing a calendar system, I stop the clock and figure it out. Sometimes I forget to eat and run right through my schedule on a dopamine quest, but I never charge the client until I get it working and then only to implement changes.
I get a real sense of conquest when I figure out how to get something working. I genuinely enjoy my work.
I’ve learned that sometimes it doesn’t help to push on the door that opens inward so I take meditation breaks. I walk the dog, fix a sandwich and even sleep on it, only to wake at 2:00 am with the answer.
I don’t change my own sparkplugs anymore. I don’t even change the oil, and I’m certainly not going to ask my grandkids to do it. Why would I think that because they have learned to drive that are now qualified to maintain my car?