Latest Writings

Ever gone to boot up MAMP, apache starts fine but then MYSQL refuses to? I’ve run into this problem on many occasions and in most cases the following method works: 1. Shut down MAMP. 2. Open Terminal or iTerm and type ‘killall -9 mysqld‘ (Note you may need to type ‘sudo‘ at the beginning if… View Article

When I’m freelancing on the move I often need/want my phone next to me while I’m working, and if it needs charging I will do so via a USB port on my mac. This has one annoying issue that comes with it though…Each time I plug in my iPhone, iTunes automatically tries to open. Luckily the… View Article

Writing can be very difficult, and its different for everyone. Over the years of writing for several successful blogs, I have found a method that works for me and I thought it would be interesting to share with you. Sadly, I’m not as organised as I would like to be and that’s my biggest bug-bear… View Article

Motivation is a key thing when you are working on your own, and its also difficult to maintain at times. When work gets slow it can be really hard to push on and stay positive as well as focused. Finding what motivates you is really a personal journey but there are definitely methods that I… View Article

Coding is a precise art, and as passionate coders, we all want to get it right. We want everything to work smoothly for our clients so learning and improvement is of vast importance. From my experience as a a freelance web designer and coder, I have put together 3 tips to help you improve your… View Article

Getting your videos and photos from your iPhone to your Macbook can seem like a bit of a dark art but there is one very simple way to do it. Read on to find out how to import videos and pictures from your iPhone to your macbook the easy way! 1. Connect your iPhone with a… View Article

Jekyll is an amazingly cool static website generator. Recently I have been using it for clients and personal projects. Its fast to set up and easy to deploy. One of the things I also really like about it, is that it supports SASS out of the box and compiles for you as you save. Neat!… View Article

If you frequently use Terminal you will be well aware of how annoying it is to have to constantly navigate to folders you regularly use. Luckily there is a simple way of creating permanent shortcuts where you set what you type in order to navigate to the folder you want. 1.Open Terminal. 2. Type ‘open… View Article

For many, building a successful blog feels like a dark art. I’ve blogged for more than 10 years, yet still there are times when making something a success feels like a complete mystery. I browse my favourite blogs and despite them churning out average content, they seem to attract thousands of followers on Twitter and Facebook. I’ve often asked… View Article

Just because your clients are breathing down your neck, doesn’t mean you should feel guilty about some down time. Take a holiday ffs! Step back, drop your tools and book yourself a holiday. Its a great way to get away from everything, free up your brain and get some perspective. Three years into working self-employed,… View Article