If it's about blogging and blogging tools we'll talk about it! But watch out we may yack a bit about programming too!
I got a chance to interview ChiQ Montes. It really is fun to make new friends within the WordPress themers community. What follows is some fun insight into ChiQ Montes.
ChiQ Montes, Please tell us a little about yourself.
I am ChiQ Montes. Female. Filipino. I have been building websites and blogs for 5 years already and have been designing WordPress Themes for more than a year now. I am a techie at heart and a very laid-back person as well.
Where do you find your creative inspiration?
I visit a lot of blogs everyday just so I’d get to see what kind of lay-out would best work for them and even cluttered ones would serve as an inspiration since I would then try to create a theme to help them improve their blogs. Also, I compliment this with visiting CSS Galleries for the creative part of the theme like colors and image/icon placement.
What tools do you use?
I use Photoshop for designing themes then the good ol’ trusty notepad for coding and editing.
How much time do you spend on each theme?
I do try to discipline myself by imposing a time limit in creating WordPress Themes so as to be productive as possible but then most of the time, it all boils down to how I creative I feel when working on a theme. Sometimes, it only takes an hour to execute my ideas but there are also themes that I end up doing for three days.
Why do you design themes for WordPress?
Ever since I learned about WordPress and have used them for my blogs, I simply fell in love with it. It made everything easier. But being a web designer myself, using other people’s theme was not enough for me. I have also seen a big demand in WordPress Themes therefore I decided to plunge in the market.
What is your favorite snack while hacking away at your themes?
Eating while working isn’t a good practice at all therefore I try not to do it if possible. But at times that I feel like breaking the rules, I usually go for Nacho chips!
Not including your own themes; What are some of your favorites?
I do like using illacrimo by designdisease
What are some of your favorite hang outs on the web?
I never fail to visit smashingmagazine, blogcatalog and entrecard.
When not hiding in your workplace, what else do you do for fun?
I watch movies a lot! I also read business books/magazines and even play computer games.
Do you design for any other CMS?
Currently, no.
Where do you see WordPress heading in the future?
Oh! I believe WordPress will soon dominate even the e-commerce platform. In fact, there are already Premium Themes and plugins available today for this specific purpose and I’d eventually want to WordPress themes for e-commerce sites.
You can cacth her WordPress themes on her website Wordpress Theme Designer, or you can follow her on Twitter, BlogCatalog and MyBlogLog. I think we can all learn a great deal from this budding designer.
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Very informative with ChiQ Montes, thanks for sharing this =)
Hello,
Nice post. I’m Dan and I’m from the WP e-Commerce team. I was wondering if I could allure you into working on some themes / styles with us.
We are about to embarke on an interesting e-commerce project that might tickle your fancy. If you’re keen to chat then flick me an email..
Ciao,
Dan
Great interview, interesting to read! Will post this on my site (http://www.QueenZSoftware.com/Forums) so my users can also read it
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