Welcome to my WordPress and web portfolio. I decided to make this blog for brainstorming, freebies, design tips, product reviews and WordPress tutorials that I feel are important to share.
If you’re interested in my photography check out my photo blog.
Early Web Development Experience
I first got interested in everything web related when I wanted to share my content over the web as a young child.
My first webpage I ever made was on expage.com which mainly was about Microsoft’s Xbox, eventually I moved the same content to Yahoo’s GeoCities.
At some point in 6th grade (2001), my brother helped me make DestinationXbox.com, all of these sites were made using built-in editors on the hosts, but sparked my interest immensely.
After wanting to do more with dynamic content on the web I got into PHP with e107 (107 is my lucky number because of this), seeking customizations with e107 forced me to learn HTML/CSS/PHP which are skills that have gone with me though life.
The launch of Sony’s PSP caused me to make InsanePSP.com in 2005 which used e107 and was one of the top PSP sites on the net.
This eventually lead to creating InsaneCentral.com leading to my more modern web career making Dula.tv and my online portfolio, Drawne (Which is an anagram for Andrew).
Working as a Web Developer at KnifeCenter.com
Continuing building my skills I worked from 2011 to 2013 as the main web designer for KnifeCenter.com unfortunately they moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia.
This job was a huge stepping stone in my career. Since we were a small team of 3 we had to handle all elements of the site.
Many of my tasks included designing promotion materials in Photoshop, building newsletters, coding custom eCommerce functions, and more.
I also learned how to speed up websites by optimizing the DOM and using CDNs for static content.
Side Projects
In addition to working full-time I have built quite the few side projects.
By far my largest is AwesomeStuffToBuy which is a curated list of over 1200 cool products and gift ideas. You can read more about AwesomeStuffToBuy in my guest blog post on my friend Ryan’s blog.
I share my WordPress tips and Tricks on SmartWP. This includes my favorite plugins and advanced tutorials. In addition to blogging about WordPress I also share videos on the SmartWP YouTube channel.
In addition to my development knowledge I also share photography knowledge on my travel blog and on the local Instagram community in Washington DC IGDC.
Becoming a Contractor at the Department of ED
KnifeCenter lead me to my next and current job working as a contract PHP/WordPress developer for the Department of Education through Collabralink.
Moving to a more structured work environment was quite the change. I had to learn many new technologies I didn’t use previously like GIT and tracking tasks using Jira.
Through my 10+ years at Collabralink (now Groundswell) I have worked on WordPress, Drupal, and LimeSurvey for multiple government agencies.
Building RightBlogger
In 2023 I launched RightBlogger with Ryan Robinson which is now serving over 400 customers a month. Through this project I have learned countless development skills including React, Next.js, and Serverless principles.
Life
Have awesome family & friends
Make a long distance friend, meet themHost a talk show or podcast (IGDC Podcast)
Chop down a tree
Feel Fit & actually be fit
Learn how to make sushi
Go 200mph in a car I’m driving
Live to be 100
TravelVisit California for an extended time
Visit the pyramids in Egypt
Visit Chernobyl, Russia
Visit Japan
Photography
Photograph the Golden Gate Bridge (See my Photos here)
Take a photo in 10 countries
Take a photo that gets more than 100 favs on Flickr
Photograph something underwater
Business
Become Successful without a College Degree
Write an EbookBuild $2,000 a month in passive income
Sell a physical product I made online
Make a successful app
