Post Title:  A New Year, A New Look.

Meet the new Amy Bovaird dot com.   This “lady” has had quite the cut and style. I’ve told her to turn and show off her new brand and clothing. In this blog post, I’d like to introduce you to the beautiful new layout of my website!

This lovely multi-faceted focus represents the woman I am today. After a decade of recent struggle, I am finally accepting vision loss as a major part of my life. I have learned a lot through trial and error. After losing a large chunk of my vision all at once, the obstacles overwhelmed and infuriated me.

There was an interim period when I tried to move forward but everything went wrong. I once walked off a church stage as I practiced a presentation. Another time, I stumbled down a few steps leaving my apartment because I neglected to use my cane. I can never forget getting lost in my own neighborhood! Even with my cane, I had to use my GPS to return home.

But somehow each step forward I took made me braver.

That’s what my website reflects.

Every day I wake up thrilled, wondering what beautiful experience I will have.
A friend said, “I guess your life is finally under control.” I don’t think that’s it at all. Life is never ‘under control’ for anyone, let alone a vision-impaired individual. There are too many variables. Perhaps my way of handling those challenges differs today than it used to. I panic, don my cloak of bravado then go with the flow. So, if it’s not a matter of control, what is it? My cheerfulness boils down to one point: I’m as ready to face what each day brings as I ever will be.

Having the right tools to cope with my circumstances brings me confidence—even when things go wrong—which happens every day. In spite of my perceived disasters, feeling confident brings beauty to my life.

That reminds me of an early speaking engagement. Shortly after my first book came out, I served as a keynote speaker for a local Dinner in the Dark event. That morning, I visited the beautician. She made up my face, styled my hair and painted my nails with a gel polish. With my new dress and cropped jacket, I felt like a million dollars.

After dinner, I was prepared to give my speech. Terrified but ready. When I started to speak, the words came out filled with passion. Later I discovered I made a teeny-tiny mistake: I wasn’t speaking close enough into the microphone! The ones to appreciate me the most sat the closest. The rest caught the highlights.

Go figure.

But I felt beautiful, and eventually, I made it past the embarrassment of being a keynote with a muffled key.

That is what this website captures.

My passion. Being authentic. Ultimately overcoming.

Beauty in the midst of my beasts, vision and hearing loss.

Home Page – Banner and Hello…Amy
So excited to share a few words about my Home page! The tagline on my banner is “Thriving with Vision Loss.” Not just getting by anymore. I’m thriving – living a full life. Enjoying it. Not holding back. Because I love language, each word is echoed by its Braille equivalent. Braille is one of my tools.

The marshmallow tip of a cane appears close-up at a road crossing. The tip of a mobility cane provides me with essential feedback to move forward. It’s another tool. I’m crossing the road, not remaining stationary. That’s key.

Next, my banner flashes to a gorgeous sunflower. Although life is unpredictable and I am so imperfect, I can focus on gratitude for my abilities and blessings. The result? Beauty arrives. The sunflower is my absolute favorite flower– probably because I love the sun. The more I focus on a positive attitude, the better I feel about my day. Attitude is also an important tool.

The words that appear in white on my banner read: Author. Speaker. Coach. Yes, I’m moving into the coaching arena. I feel good about who I am and what I have to offer from my experiences. I can be a tool to others.

Finally, that whimsical A, my brand, is who I am in a nutshell (Ha! In a circle). It represents my humor, laughter and a bit of artistic flair. I love it and hope you do too!

Don’t miss the Hello…Amy section!
My message is important. We are so much alike. Maybe you are ahead of me … maybe behind me. Perhaps you are beside me. It’s good to have company along our journey.

Enjoy checking out the rest of the site!

It has been an exciting collaboration between my website designer and me to transfer what I had before and expand on it to reflect who I am today. I am so grateful for her expertise, enthusiasm and dedication.

Content and Accessibility Feedback
We would appreciate your feedback on ANY part of our design! Please use the Comments section below. If you are a vision-impaired reader, be sure to let us know if any part of this website is not accessible to screen readers so we can rectify that.

Can’t wait to read what you have to say!

You have just read “A New Year … A New Look” by Amy L. Bovaird. ©February 19, 2019. All rights reserved.