I always think of this site as the little site that could since its launch in 2002. When I first created this site, there wasn’t anything else like it on the web. In fact, most of the artists you see featured here didn’t have blogs or post on forums and creative online communities were almost non-existant. Yet there was a huge, huge need for it. My site, the original Girl at Play, chronicled my steps from leaving my corporate job to be creatively self-employed, and it received over 500K visitors each day and thousands of incoming emails. I knew that not only was I not the only one to be doing what I was doing but there were better and different examples of women who were beyond where I was. So I sought them out, asked them some questions, built a site and here we are.

The site was built before wordpress or blogger and was hand-coded with love. There weren’t widgets or ways in which to share the information easily, there wasn’t any advertising options which was hard because at the time, bandwith was an issue and this site combined with my other, cost me about $400 a month to run! BUt I always believed the purpose – of reaching other women to let them know its possible and that struggles are completely normal – was far greater than the cost.

But as my business gained momentum and I took on other projects, this site kind of fell by the wayside in terms of updating (both in content and site features). It just remained a little site full of great, basic, simple content. And somehow, that’s worked. It still receives over 150K visitors a day which makes me very, very happy but more than that, very very proud. Proud to know the women featured here but more important, to know that so many women are looking to take that first step and get creative. Love. That.

And I think during these testing times, more and more women are looking for something that is not only financially viable, but just viable period. Something they can do that will make them full of life, that will inspire them to work and others to do the same. We’re all looking for a change that can make us feel and do better and because of that, this site has received a resurgance of visitors over the past couple of months. And this is where I feel slightly sheepish. Because I have been helping people with social media and community all over the place yet here, where the conversation is really needed, it’s not happening.

So I’m updating the site to open comments, to make sure you feel like your voice is heard if you want to say something or have an easy way to share a profile or newsletter with someone you think might be in need of it. You’re coming here to be a part of something whethet it’s just to read or to add something that’s missing. And I want to make sure you know you’re part of all of this.

With that, I’d love any input you have on how I can make this more open for you – from coments to widgets to the email digest list – if there’s room for improvement, please email me or leave a comment below. Your opinion matters. It always, always does.