One of the best parts of my work is getting to know my clients.

Today I got to spend time with my newest clients — Lynn and Mike McHenry of San Saba Wine Cellars.

I took Andy and the kids up to San Saba, TX for the day. It’s about 2 hours northwest of Austin in the Hill Country, just north of the Highland Lakes. I’m such a city girl, but Mike and Lynn took us to an awesome pit barbeque joint, toured us around downtown, took us to various natural wonders, visited an old mill near a farm where my son collected fresh eggs, and then we tasted wines at one of the wineries Mike supplies grapes to.

I am now in love with San Saba. And my son, who is 5, says he wants to have a ranch and be a winemaker when he grows up. (That will likely change tomorrow, but it just goes to show what a great day it was for us.)

I took a ton of photos for their new site, which will be e-commerce. Content is the heart and soul of the site, from amazing images to beautiful graphics to well-crafted words. I wouldn’t be able to create any of these elements without getting to know my clients and understanding their business. San Saba Wine Cellars has a unique set of needs — different from any of the businesses or individuals I’ve done websites for in the past — the major being the way they will need to sell their product online. There are tax, legal and shipping concerns to take into account.

Of course, it’s possible to work remotely with a client and never meet face-to-face. But I really like that personal contact whenever it’s possible. Plus, now that I’ve visited the winery and tasting room site, I’ve created a mental map of the area and I have a better understanding of the winery vision.

I love January

In January, not only can the weather be absolutely beautiful here in Austin, but the start of a new year also feels fresh and full of potential.

Like many others, I used to make resolutions.  But in the past two years, I’ve become much more specific in setting goals for myself. I set big picture goals, and then I set many shorter-term goals in order to reach those big goals. I reassess frequently. January isn’t the only time I set goals, but in my mind, it’s very symbolic, and I place a greater emphasis on goal-setting. In January, I look more closely at what I want to accomplish.

I have big plans

This year I have a series of professional goals I want to accomplish by December 31, 2012. I have big plans for House on Payne! But I also have big plans for me – Cindy Brummer. After all, development of the person is just as important – if not more so – than development of an organization.

I thought goal-setting would be easy, but to be honest, it’s not. That must be why so many people just come up with vague resolutions. It may not be hard to think about what you want, but the key to successfully reaching your goals is to set specific targets along the way.

It’s like a road map

When I need to find a friend’s house or business, I usually plug the address into Google Maps and ask the all-knowing Google how to get there. Google Maps will show you your route and give you clear directions about where to turn and how far the journey is.

Setting goals is much like Google Maps. It’s a route. You have a destination, so where do you turn at 1 month? Three months? Six months? That was the hard part for me – figuring out what steps I need to take in the short term in order to reach my long-term goals.

I’ll share an example. Here’s one of my goals for 2012: Write and sell my own WordPress theme. That’s all well and good, but how exactly am I going to accomplish this?

By January 31, 2012…

• Practice 1 tutorial a week on writing PHP
• Set out goals and features for WordPress theme

By March 31, 2012…

• Attend SXSWi panel on developing WordPress themes.
• REALLY learn PHP
• Plan design of my own WordPress theme

By June 30, 2012…

• Attend WordCamp Austin
• Attend 3 Austin WordPress meetups

That’s a lot! But if I really want to write my own theme, and not just a child theme, I have to put in the time and effort to make it happen!

Goals can’t just be written and forgotten about. They must be examined frequently. I keep mine in a Google document so they are at my fingertips just about anywhere. There’s not excuse not to look at them.

So, what do you want to accomplish this year? How are you going to reach YOUR goals?

Is it even possible to stay current as a web professional?

Sometimes the task seems daunting to me. Literally, technology and techniques are changing at a pace so fast that the web is a vastly different place now than it was three years ago when I first started taking on clients.

And even if the web hasn’t changed, I know I have. I feel like I have  learned a library’s worth of information in the time I finished taking webmaster classes to now. There’s so much to learn! So many skills are needed to put together beautiful and interactive websites! As a professional who primarily goes solo on projects, I’m need to wear a lot of hats in order to stay competitive. I also need to continually sharpen my skills. I’ve read a number of blog posts on ways to do that, and I thought I’d share my two cents.

Read, read, then read some more

I don’t know about you, but I love to learn new things. My career — heck, LIFE — is just plain boring if I let things get routine and I don’t learn. And one surefire way to pick up new information is to read.

Read blogs

Every morning, I catch up on blogs related to the web industry. Sometimes it only takes about 30 minutes. Sometimes I get to reading and I realize it’s been a couple of hours. But the information I gleen from that time is priceless and worth the time spent. I usually start my day with Mashable, then head over to Smashing Magazine and its affiliates. I also like looking through the tutorials from the WordPress Tuts and A List Apart. I find myself surfing around quite a bit and discovering new blogs from web designers all of the time.

Read magazines

I haven’t been as good about this one, but as part of my 2012 goals, I bought a subscription to .netmagazine, which I have really enjoyed reading online. I know I could have bought a digital subscription, but there’s just something about having it in my hand. Plus, I tend to read and re-read print magazines more.

Read books

I love books. I have quite a collection of web design and development books. I’ve slowed down a bit in my purchases, because I realized that many web books go out of date very quickly. But some are worth it. I especially recommend Steve Krug’s books on useability testing and user experience, Kristina Halvorson’s Content Strategy for the Web, and Ethan Marcotte’s Responsive Web Design. All three of these books taught me volumes and have helped me on recent projects.

Practice

“Do, or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda

There’s nothing like putting what you read to use.

Teach yourself a new language

This time of year, we are inundated with blog posts about things we should resolve to do in the new year. One post I came across really struck a cord, and because of it, I have resolved to learn a new language. I’m a WordPress designer and developer, so I should know PHP much better than I do. So that’s what I’m going to learn this year.

There’s nothing like learning a new skill to help keep you on top of your game.

Practice tutorials

I’m a huge believer in practical application. I turn to tutorials when I need instruction on a technique.Thankfully, there are tutorials all over the place. The TUTS+ sites are fantastic. I find myself hanging around WordPress Tuts quite a lot. I also have learned how to do many advanced skills in Photoshop and taught myself Illustrator with online tutorials.

Teach

When I took Kung Fu, I found that I was able to sharpen my skills considerably when I was asked to teach a kata or technique to lower belts. I think it is true in any endeavor that teaching helps you master a skill. Not only do you have to be able to break down each step in a way that others will understand, but you also have the benefit of getting feedback from those you are teaching. This is how you become an expert.

Team up with a partner

Teaming up with another person on a project is a great way to teach what you know. If you’ve found the right partner, they know more than you. Or, their skills will complement your own and you both can learn from each other.

Plus, you can work on that side project you’ve always wanted to do, but didn’t have time. A project partner is kind of like an exercise partner — you’re more likely to do something if you know you have someone depending on you.

Write about what you’ve learned

This is something I’m determined to do in 2012 — write more about what I’ve learned. I can’t believe how much information I’ve picked up over the past year. If I learn anymore my brain will explode! So I better write it down and share as much as I can.

Seriously, though — writing it down is an effective way to master a skill because you have to know how to break it down into its pieces for someone else. You REALLY learn it.

Mentor

Being a mentor to a beginner is kind of like writing tutorials, only it’s a lot more personal. I really like this post about how to find a mentor or be a mentor. Personally, I’m going to be looking for a mentor.

Conclusion

Yes, it is possible to stay current in the web industry, despite the lightning fast changes in technology and technique. But it takes time. And effort. And you can’t be satisfied with mastering one skill. Learning new skills is key.

Happy New Year!

As we wind down 2011 and look toward 2012, I’m excited embark on a couple of new projects — the first being the relaunch of houseonpayne.com. If you’ve stumbled upon this website over the holiday weekend, you’ll see me in the midst of a major redesign for the company’s website. While most professionals would wait to flip the switch when the site is completely ready to go, I’ve decided to work on my site in a live environment.

Why? When everyone will see?

Well, that’s kind of the answer. I kind of want everyone to see. I’ve always said I’m all about openness and communication, and allowing others to see me design and add content just seems like an extension of that.

So I welcome your comments, and at the end of the weekend, I’ll explain all of the exciting changes for House on Payne Web Design.

Cheers to a fresh start in 2012!