For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been living every professional’s worst digital nightmare: a website and email outage.
I literally just woke up one day and my website was gone. Nothing as scary as an Error 404 message to a small business owner working hard to be findable to the people looking for your services. In fact, were it not for a long-time client mentioning to me, “hey, I think something’s up with your emails. I sent two and they both bounced”, I would never have known that the website issue had also affected my emails (Thanks Gideon)!
And the worst part? I actually missed a prospective client call because of it. I sat at my desk, ready for the meeting, even sent a polite nudge email for the link. When nothing came through, I thought I’d been ghosted. Turns out the ghosting was my inbox.
The Hostage Situation
I spent days on the phone with my hosting service, trying to get answers. Somehow, in the chaos, they managed to lose my data completely. Yes, lose. As in gone.
Stress levels? Off the charts.
Enter the Hero
Just when I thought I’d have to rebuild everything from scratch, my amazing website developer Eli swooped in with calm professionalism and was like, “don’t worry, I gatchu”. 🦸🏽♂️
Not only did he manage to recover critical data, he also rebuilt my site with precision and speed that can only be described as surgical.
So let me pause here to give credit where it’s due. If you ever find yourself in a similar nightmare, you’ll want him on your side:
📧 eliforestdev@gmail.com
📞 +254 702 228 999
Back From the Dead
Thanks to his magic, my website is live again, my inbox is back to normal, and I’ve even upgraded how people can reach me.
From now on, you can also get me directly via call or WhatsApp at my new number:
📞 +254 759 042 507
So if you tried reaching me during the blackout and didn’t hear back, it wasn’t you, it really was my inbox.
What’s New on the Website?
Since we had to rebuild, I decided to take the opportunity to refresh my site. Alongside the usual information, it now includes:
✨ A Portfolio Section – so you can see samples of my work in visual storytelling, doodles, and graphic recording.
✨ Expanded Services Information – clearer breakdowns of what I offer, including:
- Graphic Recording & Visual Harvesting for events and workshops
- Visual Reports & Infographics for impact reporting and advocacy
- Custom Doodles & Visual Explainers for campaigns and storytelling
- Facilitation Tools & Stationery (yes, my doodle-inspired starter packs are coming!)
If you’ve ever been curious about how visual thinking can transform the way you communicate, the new site is a good place to start.
Lessons Learned
- Always have a plan B. If I hadn’t caught that WhatsApp number in a client’s email signature, I’d have lost a big opportunity.
- A good developer is priceless. Hosting services can fail. People can make mistakes. But having the right expert in your corner makes all the difference.
- Communicate openly. Letting people know you’re facing a challenge (instead of going silent) helps maintain trust.
I’m back online, more reachable than ever, and very excited about the refreshed website. Here’s to smoother sailing ahead, and to even better ways of telling stories visually.
PS: For bookings or enquiries, send an email to hello@thinkillustrate.com, or call/ WhatsApp us on +254 759 042507.
Until the next doodle, stay curious!
Yours, the Doodling Lawyer.
