My Story: Ayumi Hamasaki

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Larissa
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My Story: Ayumi Hamasaki

Post by Larissa »

My Story - Ayumi Hamasaki

So this is a site I've been working on for... the better part of a decade. I designed the layout and wrote most of the content in 2008. I wrote another big chunk of content in 2010/2011. (I went back and remade the layout, and rewrote a lot of the content, but still.) Why did it take me so long to finish? Endless perfectionism. (With a side of self-doubt for flavor.)

But, here it is. It's done. One of my all-time dream sites, one I told myself I had to make come hell or high water. Now I have to stop beating myself up over whether I actually achieved what I set out to do and just accept what I made. :ack:

In all seriousness, I would appreciate any thoughts. Since this is a very personal site I have no idea how it will read to others, especially those unfamiliar with her work.

I also used some new stuff to make it; the site runs on Pico so if anything acts weird please let me know.
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Robin
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Re: My Story: Ayumi Hamasaki

Post by Robin »

First off...CONGRATULATIONS on finally publishing this site!

I know absolutely nil about Ayumi Hamasaki--well, actually, I knew nil until I read your site. You have presented all your information (especially the introduction page) in a clear and organized way, both in your layout choices and page organization.

But this site goes far beyond information, well beyond release dates, album covers, and discographies. This is also a site illustrating how a fan came to respect, admire, and love a musician's efforts to describe her world in song. A site like this is something composers/musicians like me can only dream of one day seeing--an entire website dedicated to the appreciation of music we created alone with maybe only a voice and a keyboard, wondering if anyone will ever actually understand the sorrow, the loneliness, the love, or the laughter behind each note. A site like this is the vindication and validation of decades of work, because you understand and appreciate what Ayu has been creating.

Don't you worry ONE BIT MORE over whether you've created the perfect tribute to Ayu and her music. I believe she'd need boxes upon boxes of Kleenex for the happy tears generated by each page. You have made a touching tribute to her life's work AND made it accessible for those of us who knew nothing of her beforehand. Congratulations on a job WELL DONE.
~ a dream is a wish your heart makes ~
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Mikari
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Re: My Story: Ayumi Hamasaki

Post by Mikari »

You make great sites, no need to doubt yourself! The layout has a very serene and mysterious atmosphere to it with the forest theme. I really like all the personal thoughts, it makes the site really unique and special.
Laura
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Re: My Story: Ayumi Hamasaki

Post by Laura »

Wow, a better part of a decade?? That's such a long time! *_*; Totally worth the wait though, this is such a unique way to pay homage to your favourite artist. I love that you focus on your own personal feelings. This is really, really fun to read and your passion certainly shows though!

I love the layout too; you did such a wonderful job on the text formatting, the design, etc. <3 My only critique is that "Memorial Address" made me think she died. XD;;; I actually freaked out for a moment because I used to listen to her quite a bit... ahaha XD

Actually, reading your site makes me want to go listen to her latest stuff. <3 Congrats on doing such an amazing job! You should feel proud for creating such an in-depth, personal and unique site! I'm inspired to try to follow in your footsteps for some of my own sites in the future. <3
Larissa
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Re: My Story: Ayumi Hamasaki

Post by Larissa »

@Robin: Oh, man, thank you so much. :cry: I really can't tell you how much this comment means to me. I don't usually have a lot of doubt with my sites but this one has been wrecking me for years and it means a lot to know that it came across well, even to someone completely unfamiliar with her. Seriously, thank you. :heart:

@Mikari: Thank you :yay: I'm really glad you liked it. I'll try not to doubt myself, sob.

@Laura: I'm really glad you enjoyed reading it! Thank you so much. And I'm really flattered to hear I've inspired you!

LMAO BUT I'm so sorry I misled you with that title!! I actually went back and forth on the title for that section a bunch of times; I eventually decided to name it after my second-favorite album (since the site itself is named after my favorite album and fits the whole theme). Even so it didn't quite fit... Maybe I can figure out a better title, sob.
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Andrea
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Re: My Story: Ayumi Hamasaki

Post by Andrea »

At LAAAAAST I can sit down and read this glorious work of art! I saw you mention an Ayu tribute here and there over the years, and was always anticipating its full reveal. So first and foremost, CONGRATS ON COMPLETING IT!!! :heart: :heart: :heart:

I'm trash for wooden textures, so I love the layout a ton. It's calm, surreal and reflects the spring season well. I think it's incredibly cool that the layout was designed back in 2008 and you decided to keep it. It speaks to your dedication and how long you've actually been working on the site. Although it opened this year, the sheer work you've put into it behind the scenes makes it seem as though it's really been around for even longer than that!

I like how you kept Introduction brief and straight-forward, allowing her music and discography (the rest of the site, basically) to speak for itself. I mean—the way you named all the different pages of the site after her songs? THAT'S AWESOME.

My Story was so enjoyable to read and I loved reading your personal insights regarding Ayu and her music. I liked how frank you were with your opinions, noting what you liked as well as the songs that you didn't like. Also her PVs, LOOOLOLOL, OMG. I totally don't blame you for being weirded out after watching the "ourselves" PV, LMAO. There are a ton of WTF ones, but yeah, some of her PVs are damn gorgeous; one of my favorites is "About You" because those COLORS are so BEAUTIFUL. (I'm a simple person, lol.) I haven't watched many of her PVs because the J-music PV system has always aggravated me with its lack of availability. So it's great that you provided links so I can view the... least weird ones! 8D

I'm also really glad you touched upon Ayu's lyrics because they can be so beautiful, ugh. I LOVE the songs you selected ("About You," "Endless sorrow," "MOMENTS" and "NEVER EVER" particularly) to display her lyrical prowess because those songs are EXCELLENT. I also liked how you touched upon your favorite album art because she's really had some great ones over the years! And like Ayu herself, they're pretty much ICONIC by now in the J-pop scene.

Out of all the pages, I think my favorite to read was definitely "No more words." The end is always hard to think about—not to mention when it actually happens?! (When Do As Infinity disbanded in 2005, it broke me, haha!) But you approached the subject in a really lovely and mature way. I feel like anyone can identify with this page and your feelings—just as a fan of anything, regardless of whether or not that may be for Ayu. The page—along with the rest of the site—really encompasses how much love you have for this artist, and, echoing what Robin said, is something musicians dream of reading!

So to be honest, the first section I dove into was the album reviews, HAHA. My older sister introduced me to Ayu, so I've always regarded her as the fan and myself as the casual listener. That said, my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE STUFF of hers is "I am...," "Memorial address" and "MY STORY." So naturally I read those reviews first because I LOVE READING WHY PEOPLE LOVE THE THINGS I LOVE and seeing the songs they enjoyed from the album! While looking through the reviews, I also liked reading the small snippets you had regarding what year you wrote them, etc. Again, like the other details of the site, it really speaks to how long you've been working on it and how meticulous and detailed you were with everything! And no worries about the lack of music vocabulary; it didn't bother me at all whilst reading your reviews.

(Also, LOL. I personally liked how the section is called Memorial address because it kind of fits the image of her discography being her legacy? But yeah, I can see where the misconception might arise. XDDD)

TL;DR: What you should accept is how ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC AND WONDERFUL YOUR DEDICATION IS, OK. In fact, let this be the site—and all your other sites, tbh—the thing you look to whenever you have feelings of inadequacy because THIS IS AWESOME. Despite Ayu being around for so long, you've really done an amazing job of compiling her work and expressing your love for it. It's clear how much effort and thought you put into everything and this site is indeed A LABOR OF LOVE. Incredible job! :heart: :heart: :heart: :music2: :music: :music2: :music: :music2: :star: :star: :star:
Laura
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Re: My Story: Ayumi Hamasaki

Post by Laura »

I think "Memorial address" is a good name for that section for people who already know it's her album when they visit. XD I mentioned I used to listen to her, but nothing really extensive so I completely missed that. I think it's probably fine to keep it though! I'd only worry if more people say the same thing. XD;;
Andrea wrote:I'm trash for wooden textures, so I love the layout a ton.
YES. I wanted to mention this but forgot!! I really love the wood texture too. It definitely gives it a classy feeling. :3 I think I might have to look into using wood textures on one of my sites sometime in the future~
Megan
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Re: My Story: Ayumi Hamasaki

Post by Megan »

Larissa, I love this! I am really inspired by this site because I've been thinking about making something to my favorite artist, Eddie Vedder. I really love the set up and how you add personal notes on basically every single page. I am really trying to work hard on making my pages more personal to me, and this has really inspired me to try my best with my artist tribute as well!

Just from your album reviews, which there are a lot of, I can tell you put a lot of time and dedication into this site! I am really happy for you that you were able to accomplish such a beautiful tribute to her! If only she can see it xD Congrats again Larissa!
please know that i am yours to keep, my beautiful girl.
Larissa
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Re: My Story: Ayumi Hamasaki

Post by Larissa »

@Andrea: can I just. Frame this comment or something. Seriously, just. Thank you, omg. I'm gonna be an incoherent mess here, fair warning. :heart: :heart: :heart:

The wooden textures were actually a new addition when I remade the layout this year, as were the font picks, but a lot of the other stylistic choices were retained from the original design. Thank you 2008!Larissa.

About You is one of my favorite PVs as well, ahh. :heart: :music: :music2: If only I'd started with that, ahaha! I'm so glad you liked the PV page :heart: (Agreed on the J-music PV system, lmao, sob. At least things have gotten better in recent years, thank you Youtube.)

I'm so so glad the "No more words" page came across well; it was one of the pages I wanted to include no matter what, and was one of the last I wrote. I think if I'd written it back in 2008 I would have had something very different to say, but I'm actually glad it turned out the way it did.

I'm also really glad you liked the album reviews!! (omg I love reading about why people love what I love too haha.) I'm relieved my worries were unfounded about my lack of vocabulary.

Ahhh just. Thank you so so so much for all the kind words, I honestly cannot tell you how much it means to me. :heart: :music: :music2: :!: :star: You are the absolute best.

@Laura: I'm glad you like the wood texture too!! Wood textures go great with everything tbh. And I'll keep the title then, haha. Thank you for the feedback! :heart:

@Megan: I am super super glad to hear I inspired you! The key to personal sites: inject your opinions everywhere, haha. I really hope you make a site for your favorite artist, I'd love to read it! Thank you so so much for the kind words. It means a lot. :heart: :music: :music2:
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Anise
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Re: My Story: Ayumi Hamasaki

Post by Anise »

Wow, this is great! Congratulations on completing it!

First, I love the wood grain backgrounds. They're always a favorite of mine. Your layout looks great and I like the navigation between pages.

I love that you did album reviews because a lot of time when I'm not familiar with an artist (although I'm fairly familiar with Ayumi Hamasaki) because it helps me figure out where to start if I want to listen to their music.
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