Who am I?
I am Rachel Robbins, the sole owner and operator of Pixel Mountain Web Design and Development LLC.
What do I do?
I am a freelance web designer and developer, working with in-house web development teams, agencies, and private clients. I do a variety of web work, concentrating mostly on WordPress and other CMS theme development. Recently I’ve begun using the Genesis WordPress framework for most of the sites I design.
Where am I?
Through my childhood and young adulthood I zigzagged across the country. I was born in San Francisco at the tail end of the Summer of Love, moved to Washington, D.C., when I was six, then lived in Michigan through grade school and high school. After high school I moved back to the S.F. Bay Area, then back to Michigan, and I finally landed in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
I now live in a tiny house in the foothills outside of Fort Collins, Colorado, with my husband and two cats, surrounded by wildlife and open spaces.
What do I do in my spare time?
I love to watch and learn about birds and wildlife. I’m a serious hobby photographer, taking photos of birds, wildlife, landscapes, insects, plants, people in their natural environment, and abstract subjects. You can see a little of that on Instagram. I love hiking in the many beautiful natural areas that surround us.
Sailing was a great interest when I lived in San Francisco, and I occasionally visit there to sail with my father on his 30 foot sailboat, sometimes daysailing on the Bay and sometimes for longer trips down the coast.
At home I do a lot of reading. I enjoy puttering around our large, naturalized yard, mostly just encouraging the more desirable wild plants to grow and doing what it takes to make the local wildlife to feel comfortable here.
How did I end up working in web design and development?
My career interests and education also zigzagged throughout my life. When I was very young people thought I would be an artist. Later I developed an interest in photography. In high school I was convinced I was heading towards medical school. But I took some time off after high school, and when I did start college, I studied computer science and math. Then I settled on a major in biology with a minor in chemistry.
I worked in restaurants for years, until I taught myself web design in the late 1990s. I found that web development and design combined love of art with a scientific mind, and that’s what has worked for me ever since.
What do I want to do next?
I’m especially interested in concentrating on the development side of WordPress and other CMS themes. I love to be handed a design and asked to make it happen!
Recently I’ve become interested in working with designers who want a developer to flesh out their web sites.
Contact me if you’re interested in working with me!