WHERE CLARITY MEETS CREATIVITY
I help people at a turning point in their work feel at home online.
Hello, I’m Claire 🌿
I believe websites are more than design projects. They're personal. They carry your voice, your values and your vision, and when your work changes, your website should change with it.
Most people come to me at a turning point. They've gone out on their own, retrained, changed direction, or finally started the thing they've been dreaming about. They know their work has grown, but they can't quite picture what their website should become. That gap is where I do my best work.
By the end of our first conversation, most people tell me they feel relief, and a clear path forward.
CREDENTIALS
FEATURED ON
I fell into this work kind of by accident.
Over the years, I started small projects: a blog to stay in touch while travelling (I think I called it “The Traveling Bear” 😆), an online shop for reusable wrapping fabrics, a space to explore local craft and design. Each time I built a new online home for my latest project people asked, "Could you make one for me?"
That's when I noticed a pattern. Talented people doing meaningful, often deeply personal work were struggling to translate the heart of what they did into a website. They knew their work inside out. They just couldn't see it from the outside. I wanted to help with that, and Backyard Creative grew from there.
Today, most of the people I work with are coaches, therapists, practitioners and creatives at a turning point in their work. Watching them see themselves clearly online, sometimes for the first time, is still my favourite part of the job.
HOW I WORK
Listen. Translate. Build. Hand over.
Every website I make follows the same four steps, whichever service you choose. Here's why each one matters to me.
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01. Listen.
We start with your story, not a template. I ask good questions and listen for what's underneath, so the design begins with who you are now.
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02. Translate.
I turn what I hear into clear structure and visual language: the pages you need, the words that matter, and colours, fonts and images that feel like you.
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03. Build.
I design and build your site on Squarespace and handle the technical side, so you never need to speak “designer”. Short videos keep you in the loop at every step.
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04. Hand over.
You get training videos made for your site, so you can update it with confidence long after we're done.
AT A GLANCE
10+ years making Squarespace sites
Over 200 site builds
92+ five-star Marketplace reviews
Standout Squarespace Certified + Scale with Templates (in progress)
BA (Hons) Music & Musicology, PGCE Teaching Diploma
Based in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
When I’m not building websites, I’m out trail running, photographing flowers, upcycling things, or exploring with my rescue dog Alaska.
I’m currently reading some very thought provoking books: Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer, Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff, The Coach’s Way, by Eric Maisel, and Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. If you’re a fellow reader, come and find me on Goodreads.
CAUSES I SUPPORT
Does this feel like the way you'd like to work? Let's talk.
Most of all, I'd love to hear about the work that's close to your heart, and where it's heading next. Book a free, relaxed 30-minute call and bring your half-formed ideas. We'll work out your next step together.
Not ready to talk yet? Try this five-minute picture quiz to get a snapshot of the look and feel that fits who you are now.