We're growing faster than ever, and as of last week are the largest online portfolio website in the world. To keep up with our astonishing growth, we're making huge upgrades to our web infrastructure. We've chosen to host with Rackspace, which runs a world-class data center hosting some of the largest websites on the Internet (LinkedIn, 37signals, Razorfish, etc.). We're stoked to host your portfolios with, arguably, the best data center in the world.

At 5PM EST this Sunday we’ll begin the upgrade by temporarily disabling portfolio administration and new sign-ups. Your portfolio will remain online. Once the final data synchronization is complete, we'll flip the switch and you'll be back in business. The migration should take no longer than an hour, and we'll be posting updates to Twitter throughout the process. If you have any questions, please e-mail us.

Update: Our move went flawlessly! All is well.

What is it about working with mixed media that interests you most?

I started doing collage at a young age -- I would cut up pieces of paper and use found objects to create collages that were sometimes sculptural. I remember coming across Dada and the photomontages of Hannah Hoch, and really feeling inspired by how Hoch placed juxtaposing images within the same space, often making commentary on industrialization, race or gender. Romare Bearden’s collages also inspire me, and his use of color and amazing cut outs, which create palatable atmospheres and moods. There’s something about the simultaneity of collage that turns me on; I like seeing different shapes and images living together that are at times, powerful, ironic, chaotic or just funny. As I explored collage, I started experimenting with different materials and how they could coexist within the same space. Mixed media appeals to me because I like the element of experimentation involved in working with and mixing different materials. I remember doing little experiments with ink, ground graphite, turpentine, rubbing alcohol and bleach, and observing the results; it was like being a creative scientist. Like humans, I like how materials have their own inner workings -- sometimes they flow together, create tension, coalesce or resist one another.

How has living in Brooklyn influenced you as an artist?

One of my favorite things to do in Brooklyn is to walk from neighborhood to neighborhood, let’s say from Fort Greene up Atlantic Ave. to Carroll Gardens and Gowanus and end up at Prospect Park or I may walk through Fort Greene Park over to Myrtle and end up in Clinton Hill where my community garden resides. Or walk through Brooklyn Heights end up by the water and DUMBO and find my way back to Flatbush Ave. I pay attention to the landscape, how spaces are structured, and intersected by different elements, such as the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges, old buildings, and the elevated G train with its flickering lights, that pierces the sky. I am inspired by how Brooklyn neighborhoods are connected and how we move through them. When living in London, I used to map my movements through the city and explore the shape of my movements. I am interested in doing similar projects here in Brooklyn because I am fascinated by how neighborhoods are connected or disconnected, and creating personal maps reflecting movement through the city.

How would you describe your style?

I feel like my textile designs are modern with an emphasis on color, texture, and movement, influenced by organic and geometric forms. I think that my drawings, paintings and even some of my screen prints also evoke movement, and are gestural, curvilinear and calligraphic, more immediate.

If you could pick only one, what medium would you work in and why?

Well, I love to draw and play with line quality, so I think that I would stick with pencil and paper, or an ink pen and paper. Sketching with pen/pencil on paper is a wonderful way to express ideas and work quickly without getting too precious, without my mind getting in the way. I appreciate instinctual, initial gestures because they work as a starting point, they help me develop and organize my thoughts and ideas.

What's in the future for you?

I would like to work on a series of map drawings using collage and mixed media. In regard to textiles, recently, I have thought about starting my own product line by digitally printing or screen printing my textile designs in yardage, and constructing accessories such as pillows and handbags. I am also collaborating with a graphic designer, and we are in the process of developing designs for graphic tees and apparel. I also have a few teaching gigs at LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC) and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). At LAGCC, I teach Adult Literacy, and at FIT, I tutor a few art history and Photoshop students, and I T.A. a couple Photoshop courses. Human relationships, the learning process, dialogue, and the theater that unfolds in the classroom spark my curiosity. The same way that I’m interested in mapping movements in space, I am interested in mapping human relationships and our interactions. In this way, I feel like there is a correlation between my teaching practice and creating artwork.

What kind of role has Carbonmade played in your life?

I learned about Carbonmade while editing and organizing my portfolio, and it seemed as though Carbonmade would be a viable place to display my on-line portfolio. When I apply for design related jobs, or write cover letters seeking freelance gigs, I always refer studios to my site so that they can learn more about my aesthetic and design point of view. After seeing my site, I have received some positive feedback and e-mails from studios about potentially working together. It’s been a great way to disseminate my work! Also, through Google Analytics, I’ve learned about the kind of traffic my site has received, and how individuals find my site, whether through Carbonmade or through other search engines. In a few words, it has been really helpful to have a site where all my work is organized and displayed to which I can refer people. Thanks!

Thanks for chatting with us!

For more of Deema's work check out her Carbonmade portfolio: http://deemab.carbonmade.com/

Microsoft featured Carbonmade last week in a case study alongside Dell, Hardrock Café, and Elite Models. Hooray! It's a neat read for anyone who wants to know a little more about our history. For instance, did you know that Carbonmade was originally created as a simple tool for Dave to update his online portfolio? Another interesting tidbit is that before Carbonmade, we were a small web consulting company doing web development work for Scribd, MerchNOW, Epitaph Records, and others. Here's a snippet:

“Carbonmade provides creative people with the ability to showcase and manage their work. It uses a modern, lightweight user interface and works across all browsers. Carbonmade was built as a side project by Jason Nelson and Dave Gorum. The idea came about when Dave, frustrated by manually updating his portfolio, proposed building a simple tool to handle the drudgery. The app was so handy that friends and colleagues began asking to use it. Answering their call, Jason and Dave built the app into a standalone product, and in a year’s time Carbonmade was a thriving business.”

About six months ago we passed the 100,000 mark. Last week we reached 150,000 Carbonmade portfolios. It's been a busy past six months, to say the least, and things are moving at a fast pace around here. We moved into our new office with the boys (and girls) from Harvest and are hard at work on an update to Carbonmade. More on that coming soon.

Here are some photos of the new space we share:

And during our downtime:

Please follow us on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, stay subscribed to our blog and e-mail us with any questions, suggestions, or comments. We love hearing from you guys. And thanks to Tim van Damme for taking these photographs for us.

We've received a handful of short reviews in September and I wanted to highlight two of them. First, AOL's DownloadSquad called us "stupid easy," which is a very to-the-point way of describing Carbonmade's simplicity, but flattering nonetheless! Second, French website arnaud-k wrote (in French): "L'aspect minimaliste des sites générés permettent de bien mettre en avant les oeuvres présentées dans les portfolios" which roughly translates to "The minimalist sites generated help highlight the works presented in the portfolio." This is exactly what we're aiming for: to be stupid easy to use and to highlight your work and keep things clutter free. We hope you agree.

Today we released a brand new Carbonmade portfolio search that returns accurate results. Now when you search for "New York illustrator" you only get illustrators in New York rather than both people in New York and people that are illustrators. We've also chosen to mimic Google's notation to keep things uniform, so adding + signs and brackets ( ) will now work with Carbonmade searches. Here are some examples:

» Dave Gorum (people search)
» New York (location search)
» New York illustrator (location + skill search)

Carbonmade has always been a great place to find freelancers and people looking for work and our new portfolio search is a massive improvement to what we had previously. It is now arguably easier to sort through a collection of results (e.g. "New York illustrator") on Carbonmade than anything currently existing on the Web. I hope you all find this useful and please let me know if you encounter any bugs or have any questions.

When did you start getting into photography?

My love affair with photography started when I was 15 or so. My mother had a whopping 3 megapixel camera that I would venture into her garden with. Soon I found online communities like DPChallenge.com, and I thought it was really fun to get a weekly challenge. I learned a lot about the basics through that website, but felt like a lot of the work that came from it was preditable and too "set up" so I continued to shoot and teach myself for the next few years and joined other sites like deviantART. I started out with self-portraits (since I did not have willing models at first) and photographing myself continues to be one of the easiest things for me. I didn't even take my first photography class until college and that was just months ago!

What is is about fashion photography that makes you love it so much?

I have really fallen in love with fashion over the past year or so. Perhaps it is just in an attempt to make up for my terrible fashion sense when I was younger, ha! Either way, I find it fascinating how such little differences in outfits can change the entire mood. I think merging these two passions of mine just seems natural. I've already got some projects lined up for a vintage company and I hope to work towards doing even more soon.

How would you describe your style?

That's a tough one. Some have said "dreamy" others have said "ethereal". I aim to incorporate both of those into my photography, so I do hope it comes off as such. I like narratives and stories and romanticism - maybe my style is something like a daydream from the 60s. Light and airy with a hint of vintage.

If you could shoot anything in the world, what would it be?

I think you could ask me this question everyday and my response would change, I'm constantly in a different mindset. At the moment I'd love to shoot editorials for the catalog of Urban Outfitters or something similar. Ask me again tomorrow and you might get a response like "street photographs of people in Paris." You can almost guarentee that you'll never hear "landscapes" from me, though! I find them boring to shoot.

What do you hope to do after art school?

Who knows, my goals could change. I still have three years to go! Right now I have my eyes set on fashion editorials. If nothing comes my way, I might work towards getting my masters and become a professor, that way I can just do fine art on the side. If all else fails, I'll just open up an antique store, become a cat lady and do nothing but photograph my kittens and trinkets all day.

Thanks for using Carbonmade! Has it been helpful?

Oh no, thank YOU for all that you have done! I've gotten so much more views on my works thanks to Carbonmade and have even gotten some great offers because of it. Everyone I've encountered on Carbonmade has been fantastic, it has been nothing but a pleasure.

Thanks for chatting with us!

For more of Rockie's work check out her Carbonmade portfolio: http://rockienolan.carbonmade.com/

Next week is Internet Week New York and on Tuesday, June 2nd, Dave and I (Spencer) will be presenting Carbonmade at the NY Tech Meetup Showcase. The event we are a part of is going on from 3:30 to 6:30 at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology’s Great Hall. The entrance is on 27th St between 7th & 8th, on the N side of the street.

We’d love it if you came by and chatted us up. I'm sure you’ll be able to twist our arm for a free Whoo! account here and there too. We're looking forward to meeting many of you in person. Shoot us an e-mail with any questions if you have 'em. The Showcase is entirely free and open to the public, so hopefully we'll see you there! We’ll be live tweeting from the event too.

I mentioned last month that you can use your own domain name for your portfolio on the Whoo! account and since then I've received a lot of emails. I thought I'd make it much easier for you all to set up your domain with us by explaining the process in a Frequently Asked Question. It's not the simplest procedure in the world -- the fault of domain registrars around the world -- but I think you'll find it easy enough to follow. Please e-mail us with any questions!

I thought I'd just take a minute to share with you a few simple things you can do to better market yourself on Carbonmade. It only takes a few minutes to do these things and it'll help you gain exposure. Keeping your portfolio up-to-date with new work is obviously the single most important thing, but there's other stuff you can do.

We're the first to admit that our portfolio search is a work in progress and doesn't always yield the most accurate results. But since it gets a lot of traffic from potential employers and others, it's helpful to fill out your About area. Specifically make sure to include your Location (e.g. New York, NY) and Areas of Expertise (Illustration, Photography, etc.). These terms are both used heavily in searches and easily clickable on the right-hand side of the search page. We get a lot of people searching for "New York illustrator" and other similar search pairs when hiring.

After finding your portfolio, potential employers and others will often read through your About area to learn more about you. You'll want to make sure you mark your portfolio as Available for Freelance or they may move on to the next person. It goes without saying that including a quick bio and a link to your e-mail are both important, especially the e-mail bit. A quick bio will help them learn more about the person behind the work. Remember you're "selling" yourself as a complete package, so filling out your entire portfolio will help when looking for a job.

I hope that helps!