When I woke up today, I was sad. Questioning if I am having any impact on the world at all. Then I thought about Brianna Hairlson and what she is doing in her community. As one of the recent 2024 Midwest Tech Grant winners, Brianna made it easy to get excited about her website redesign. She already had a website but it wasn’t serving her as well as she would have liked. So I made it my ambition to redesign her website in a way that made interfacing with her community easier. But before I started the design framework, I wanted to know more about Brianna and what was driving her passion, first.
So I watched each video both on and off YouTube to get a sense of who I was serving. And let me tell you, my research was riddled with love and compassion, not only from her but to her as well. I delved in to find out who she was and why she started the dance studio, what was driving, inspiring her, and empowering her to continue. I discovered a woman, whose foundation is a faith that springs up into joy. Her resilience, passion, and purpose made me want to put my hands on creating a website design that showcases the finesse and confidence she carries every time I see her in Chicago.
Yes, I know Bri the megawatt smile who sat graciously with me encouraging me at a hard moment of caregiving for my mother, not knowing that she had recently lost hers. I know Bri the only woman that makes pregnancy look easy, teaching dance classes and business workshops at near full term. I know Bri the woman who never turns down a stranger and makes everyone feel, well like they are someone when they are around her. But I learned even more and gained even more respect for the entrepreneur, leader, and woman she is even during this process.
For instance, she insisted that company logos of all her supporters go front and center of her website, not just for brand recognition, but to say, “thank you” to all those who believed in the vision that she has for the children in her community publicly. Most people I work with don’t even think about it from that angle.
Yeah, you guessed it, more than ever, I wanted to be sure her website helped elevate what she was doing, not just for the kids, but for the parents, i.e. the families in her community, too. After I finished her website I felt proud and excited, even grateful that I had helped Bri’s Dance Place in a tiny way reach the kids, the families, and the community at large in Merriville Indiana in some small way.
Yes, I woke up sad but as I thought about that website it started to make me feel better that what I did does nothing more than make some of her business processes just a little bit easier. And translates into even more students being able to be served, affirmed, and experience the hope that not only comes from dancing but also through the joy Brianna and her team bring to their lives, then I have found some personal satisfaction that what I am doing is making a difference in people’s lives after all.
Thanks for being you Bri!
Check out Bri’s Dance Place by visiting brisdanceplace.com or learn more about Brianna Hairlson at briannahairlson.com