I’m sure happy finding a house in which to live was not as painstaking a process (for me) as finding a theme for my blog here on WordPress.  Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t that I couldn’t find a theme I liked, rather I have found too many that are beautiful that I could easily settle on.  The search to look for another theme (as I had been happy with the theme I had been using) really came from a debacle (yikes, look at its date) from another site and some formatting issue.  At any rate, it’s been a search causing me to ask myself some questions.  You may have questions, too.

One might ask me why finding a particular theme is so important.  I’ve had this discussion before regarding the posting of projects on Ravelry.  And, I maintain the same philosophy regarding the public nature of these forums and how I have always felt a product, whether it be a photograph or writing, is a representation of oneself.  Therefore, the care and concern I have for my blog is of importance to me.

Some might say that changing themes from one to another a waste of time.  At the onset of this little investigation, I also wondered that. However, one of the steps I took to find the right theme for me was to turn to other blogs to serve as mentors and in so doing, I came across quite a myriad of beautiful and interesting blogs to which I am now subscribed.  I have also come to realize that finding the right theme has more to do with one’s purpose and that in itself, has me searching within me to figure out just what it is I want to portray.

You might be thinking, well, haven’t you been blogging for about three years, now?  Why not find a theme like the one you had?  And, to that I might say that blogging is a form of writing that is a living document, a continuing record of being and reflecting and subject to change as the writer’s view changes or grows.  I think the blog I had was a great start for me but now, knowing more about format and styles of blogs I want to find one that can organize my ever-growing content in a way that I can find and reference what I’ve already said.   Much like a living museum or a living document offers opportunity for change, so does a blog.

This search has led me to discover what I really like in a blog as the author, what I want for the audience (reader), and the artistic appeal I would like it to have due to this blog’s content.

So, first things first.  For the writer I want:

• white background, a must as it is like white space on paper
• photography displayed largely with no frames or other distractions, a must
• widget availability but not to distract with content, so preferably at the top and/or bottom
• ease of setup

For the reader I want:

• minimal scrolling
• ease of finding categories of interest to them
• easy-on-the-eyes font
• menu(s) not hidden
• minimal in design
• distraction free environment
• ease of navigation

For the artist (in me) I want:

• ability to add code to typography as letters and spacial relations are beautiful to me:  cap drop letters, spacing alterations for poetry, bolding paragraphs, quote formats  (and the know-how in altering font when wanted – working on that)
• a sense of artistic flair to the layout
• great use of space on screen with minimal space wasted

With these specifications and with my purpose revealed in my mind, which I will be talking about in a future post, I have found this fabulous theme called Imbalance 2.

With three clicks, and I am not exaggerating, I switched to this theme and fell immediately in love with it.  Much like when one is house shopping, you know immediately if that home is meant for you or not.  The exact description of the theme, according to the designer, is:

Imbalance 2 is designed in a strict modern style with a minimalistic touch. This theme can easily turn your site into an attractive blog, a portfolio, or even an online magazine.

Would you not say this is true?

After looking for quite some time, I think I can actually say, I am now home.