Top selling global WordPress theme designers ARTBEES sits down with The WordPress Ninja aka Sterling Williams for an Interview
- CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR PROFESSION? WHEN DID YOU STEP INTO THE WORDPRESS INDUSTRY?
Though I’ve designed my own websites for many years going back to Flash based builds in 2002 as a musician, lead vocalist and producer and then on through a career as an apparel/fashion designer, I hadn’t really gotten into full time web design focus until 2011. The US economy had hit my clothing design business really hard for the previous three years and I finally decided to leave it all to pursue a profession and business where my graphic and web design strengths could be totally utilized, where I could truly be able to help a lot of my LA industry friends and associates by being able to design them an amazing ‘world view’ via cool, modern web designs and to not have to rely on anyone anymore! Ha, unlike the fashion/apparel design world. ‘Styling You For World View’™ soon became my tagline for my new business name THE WEB STYLIST™
It wasn’t until about a year into starting The Web Stylist™and creating around 40-50 client sites that I’d started 
getting into WordPress. I had a WP based site years before for some skinny neck tie line I had created and needed a store for, but I really didn’t like WP back then as just attempting to do basic site changes and updates would be very frustrating to edit, change or bring aboard. But in 2012 I was introduced to a buddy of my good friend whom had a successful web design company and he’d complimented me on my own main websites and my client work. He asked me “but your clients can’t update their own sites, right?” I’d said No and he said “I’m telling you Sterling, you’ve got to learn WordPress, most all of our site designs are based upon that platform and we don’t even take a project on for less than $3000.” THAT is when I sat down and started focusing 100% on figuring out the WP platform, themes, plugins and go towards being the best WordPress designer I could be. A year later I was able to proudly build my other main business site TheWordPressNinja.com And yes, solidly founded on THE KEN theme by ArtBees!
- WHAT IS THE MISSION OF YOUR WEBSITE? WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FROM IT? HOW DOES THE KEN HELP YOUR SITE MEET THESE EXPECTATIONS?
I like to turn heads, to get someone a visitor/view to “Wow, I haven’t seen that before!” as well as me being able to have creative freedom. I need to really myself to also be jazzed about what I’ve designed, to be ‘happy’ every time I see it or am building out or editing pages and sections. My whole life my eyes and mind see what is ‘off’, not what is good or ‘on’ so it make me always pushing myself to do better, and to always be learning, improving and refining. I also have never cared about doing what is ‘normal’, usual, predictable or expected which ha can be a ‘blessing and a curse’ so to speak. But at the end of the day (or usually the late night!) I also need to be appealing to potential clients not just my own head and creative friends. So to me in 2015 it is all about ‘Balance’, finding and having that Sweet Spot between my own creative satisfaction and professional appeal to all kinds of tastes. The homepage of TheWordPressNinja.com is very ‘busy’ and lot of animation, parallax, and imagery and color as I wanted immediate, unique impact, and to show a visitor within a few seconds of how much is uniquely possible with The WordPress Ninja. Then they can click on sidebar widget icons, and, scroll in and through a ton of elements, most of which The Ken enabled me to create and showcase throughout the site. Some pages are more ‘tame’ than others, but with so many Gallery style options and an enhanced ArtBees spin onVisual Composer like I’ve never seen, it’s like a playground of ‘Where do I start?!’ ha when you first start designing your pages!
- WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE KEN OVER OTHER THEMES? WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST FEATURE OF THE KEN FOR PROFESSIONALS IN YOUR NICHE?
There are so many WP themes these days it’s literally hard to keep track of all that is out there and that keepscoming, not just via Themeforest/Envato but just every where in the world, but so few have a ton of great custom design elements, smooth fluidity to build with, individual page style options top to bottom and with amazing mobile friendly design options. Here I mean even being able to hide/show each row/section from mobile or tablet or desktop or any combination of. So basically you can literally design a site just for phone view, one for tablet and one for desktop, seriously Priceless!
- HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR THE KEN-BASED WEBSITE WILL INFLUENCE YOUR BUSINESS IN THE FUTURE?
I just believe I’m going to further refine and streamline my TheWordPressNinja.com site while bringing aboard some more new uniquely creative stylings throughout the site. When it comes to designing my own main Site(s) my head tends to ‘tree branch’ a million directions since via photoshop and other creative programs I can literally create almost anything, so it’s difficult to clearly focus ‘One Direction’ so to speak, whereas with my design clients, we have a site style and vision forward from the beginning (often based upon some links of other sites they’ve seen and/or brand style they would like to come close to etc) so it’s a very streamline process from start to finito. With my own site(s) I often step back, switch up, experiment, mix it up, even scrap and redo w totally new direction, so who knows where I may take my The Ken based TheWordPressNinja.com too next, wether creating new pages or deciding one day to redesign the entire site! The amazing thing is, with The Ken ANYTHING is possible!!
- DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER ADVICE TO GIVE YOUR FELLOW PROFESSIONALS?
I’d say that if WordPress design, or just web design period is a passion, wether you are a newbie or a veteran just like any ‘drive’ within just #NeverStop, don’t get frustrated, don’t let others try to tell you otherwise, or let negative comments or frustrating days or even weeks keep you from moving forward. I didn’t know much anything about WordPress in 2011 and now I’m The WordPress Ninja! That’s because I’ve had an internal thirst, drive, persistence from day one just like anything in my Life I’ve truly ‘Felt’ within. We sometimes may never know or be able to predict or see coming where ‘The Path’ of Life may take us, but NEVER STOP moving forward. And it will sure make your goals more streamlined if you use the best creative tools and the best WordPress plugins and WP themes… Like THE KEN! Indeed, a #winWIN
“Walk The Path with Passion, Patience, Perseverance, Positivity and Higher POW!ers”
for One and All and #AllForAReason #NeverStop
-Sterling Williams
TheWordPressNinja.com ‘POW!erful Custom WordPress site designs with Killer Style’
TheWebStylist.LA ‘Styling You For World View™’
Graphic Art | Web Design | Brand Creation
Article by ARTBEES one of the Word’s Power Elite WordPress Theme Designers