{"id":32255,"date":"2023-10-10T06:04:42","date_gmt":"2023-10-10T04:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markhendriksen.com\/?page_id=32255"},"modified":"2025-05-14T11:25:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T09:25:47","slug":"about-me","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.markhendriksen.com\/about-me\/","title":{"rendered":"About me"},"content":{"rendered":"
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About me<\/h1><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Hello! I\u2019m Mark Hendriksen, a dedicated web designer with over a decade of experience crafting beautiful and functional websites.<\/p>\n

My journey began with a fascination for web design, which quickly evolved into a passion for building websites. Over the years, I\u2019ve had the privilege of working with diverse clients, from startups to established businesses, helping them bring their visions to life online.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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My career before I became a web designer<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n

My expertise lies in creating user-friendly designs that not only look good but also perform well. I\u2019m a firm believer in the power of Divi, and I\u2019ve been using it as my go-to tool for most of my projects.<\/p>\n

Through this blog, I aim to share my knowledge, tips, and insights about web design and the wonders of Divi with fellow enthusiasts and professionals.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re a beginner looking to dive into the world of web design or a seasoned pro seeking advanced Divi techniques, I hope my content inspires and assists you on your journey.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

I studied engin1eering at Hoge School in Utrecht, Netherlands, and then worked in a corporate business for a few years.<\/p>\n

Before choosing to study engineering, I was interested in web design. Unfortunately, there were no good education programs for it at the time, so I chose to pursue engineering as it seemed like a better career path.<\/p>\n

After working for a few years in a corporation, I realized that it wasn\u2019t for me. I like to have freedom, and I wasn\u2019t getting that in a corporate setting.<\/p>\n

So I decided to tap into web design as a side hustle.<\/p>\n

I started learning with Dreamweaver, a great tool back in the day.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

\"Dreamweaver\"<\/span><\/div>\n\n

I also started taking courses on Lynda.com, which is now merged with\u00a0<\/span>LinkedIn Learning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Every evening and weekend, I learned how to build websites and took dozens of courses on LinkedIn Learning, covering topics such as WordPress, HTML, CSS, Photoshop, and SEO.<\/p>\n

This is also when I switched from Dreamweaver to WordPress.<\/p>\n

I started building websites with WordPress and took on my first local clients, I was still doing this as a side hustle at the time.<\/p>\n

As I got more clients, I decided to say farewell to my engineering job so I could work full-time as a web designer.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how I started my web design agency, Twopixels.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Twopixels<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n

With Twopixels (my web design agency), I developed websites for a wide range of clients, including plumbers and lawyers. I not only provided website design but also offered SEO services.<\/p>\n

However, I transitioned from working with diverse clients to focusing on a specific niche \u2013 engineering. This shift allowed me to leverage my engineering background and expertise in a more targeted and meaningful way.<\/p>\n

I can highly recommend going niche as a web designer this will allow you to position yourself as an expert in your field and attract clients with more significant budgets.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

When I started with Divi<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n

I was using WordPress and themes from ThemeForest to build my client websites. I have built hundreds of websites with those themes.<\/p>\n

One day, while surfing the internet for new themes, I discovered Elegant Themes. At the time, Divi did not exist yet, but Elegant Themes had a variety of themes.<\/p>\n

Their pricing was also very affordable. If I remember correctly, it was $89 a year to use all of their themes. Themes on ThemeForest were around $59 for a single license.<\/p>\n

So I started using themes from Elegant Themes.<\/p>\n

In 2013, Divi 1.0 was released, and it was a game changer. Divi came with a block builder, which meant that you no longer had to use shortcodes. Back in the day, all of those themes used shortcodes in the WordPress editor to build a website.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

\"Early<\/span><\/div>\n\n

Divi is now my go-to tool for building websites.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

When I started with MarkHendriksen.com<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n

So I built websites with Divi for my web design agency, Twopixels, for a few years and became quite good at it.<\/p>\n

At some point, I stumbled upon a marketplace for Divi child themes called Elegant Marketplace (not affiliated with Elegant Themes, whose marketplace was founded years later).<\/p>\n

I decided to list a few of my designs on it, not expecting much at first. But I actually got some nice sales in the first month.<\/p>\n

In the following months, I created more Divi child themes and listed them on Elegant Marketplace, as well as DiviCake and Monterey Premier Marketplace.<\/p>\n

My website, markhendriksen.com, was initially just a website with documentation pages for my Divi child themes.<\/p>\n

I later decided to add a marketplace of my own designs to the website, as well as a blog to write about Divi.<\/p>\n

My blog has since expanded to include topics beyond Divi, such as web design, WordPress, and WooCommerce.<\/p>\n

Since Elegant Themes has released the official marketplace for Divi products things are going pretty amazing. As of writing this, my designs have been sold over 10,000 times.<\/p>\n

I have stopped with my web design agency and I am not fully focused on making content on markhendriksen.com and creating new Divi child themes and layout packs.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Digital Nomad<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n

In 2018, I discovered the digital nomad lifestyle and fell in love with the idea of being able to work from anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n

I came to Thailand and fell in love with the country. When I was back in my country I decided to sell my house and everything I owned and became a full-time digital nomad.<\/p>\n

I love being able to work on my laptop from a beach or a cafe, surrounded by a new culture and environment.<\/p>\n

Being a digital nomad has allowed me to continue pursuing my passion for web design while also fulfilling my desire to travel and experience different cultures.<\/p>\n

I have lived in Chiang Mai, Phuket, and I currently live in Bangkok.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Recognitions<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n

Several of my Divi child themes have been highlighted on the Elegant Themes blog.<\/p>\n

Avanti<\/strong>
https:\/\/www.elegantthemes.com\/blog\/divi-resources\/divi-product-highlight-avanti-divi-multi-purpose-child-theme<\/a><\/p>\n

Kali<\/strong>
https:\/\/www.elegantthemes.com\/blog\/divi-resources\/divi-product-highlight-kali-multi-purpose-divi-child-theme<\/a><\/p>\n

Clara<\/strong>
https:\/\/www.elegantthemes.com\/blog\/divi-resources\/divi-product-highlight-clara-divi-child-theme<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Some of my product reviews<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\"Reviews\"<\/span><\/div>\n\n

Contact<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n

If you have any questions you can contact me\u00a0<\/span>here<\/a>, or contact me on\u00a0<\/span>Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-32255","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nAbout Me | Mark Hendriksen<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I\u2019m a dedicated web designer with over a decade of experience crafting beautiful and functional websites with WordPress and Divi.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.markhendriksen.com\/about-me\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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