How New Digital Nomads Can Create a Personal Portfolio Page Using Divi and WordPress

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over the Mekong River, the evening air in the French Quarter of Luang Prabang, Laos, was thick with the tranquil hum of twilight. The last rays of sunlight glinted off the gentle waves, painting the water with hues of amber and rose. The air was a blend of fragrant river breeze and the rich, earthy scents of the nearby jungle.

At a corner table, under the sheltering eaves of a riverside café where a former U.S. president once visited, sat a lone figure deep in thought. The condensation ran down the side of a bottle of Beerlao, pooling in small, glistening droplets that reflected the fading light. The man reached out, his fingers tracing the cold surface of the bottle, feeling the chill against his skin in the warm evening air.

Beside him stood a cardboard cutout of Obama, a playful remnant of the café’s storied past. The figure, with its sunglasses and casual demeanor, seemed almost to join in the quiet contemplation of the moment. The café bustled softly around them, patrons chatting in low tones, the clink of cutlery and the murmur of contented conversation blending into the symphony of the setting sun.

Gazing out across the passing boats on the Mekong, their silhouettes dark against the sun’s golden reflection, he lamented the early days of his remote working career. The missed opportunities and the countless hours spent struggling to establish an online presence came to mind. “If only I had set up a portfolio website back then,” he mused, the thought lingering in the air like the last whisper of daylight.

I started using Divi as my standard website builder on WordPress in 2023. Before that, I had been using the free version of Elementor for a number of years. Initially, I was put off by the price point, considering I was using Elementor for free. However, I decided to take the leap and purchase the yearly subscription for $89, thinking, “what the heck,” I can always request a refund if I don’t like it.

To my surprise, Divi exceeded my expectations with its flexibility and powerful features. Although it is more expensive than the free alternatives, I found that Divi was far superior and saved me a lot of time. On top of that, the company that owns Divi, Elegant Themes, has excellent customer service and is always responsive to any problems that arise.

One of the reasons I like Divi so much as a digital nomad is that it features these premade layouts, which save me a lot of time. Earlier in my development career, I spent too much time focusing on the design of a website and not enough time on selling the product. I would become frustrated with spending so much time on the minor details, only to find out that there was no customer demand for a particular service. With Divi’s premade layouts, I can present a few of them to a potential client, and they can pick and choose which one they like. This saves me a lot of time, which I can then spend on different parts of my business like marketing or sales. Plus, I have more time to go to the beach or visit another city in Southeast Asia.

The point I’m trying to make in this introduction is that Divi gives you time. Time to focus on the core aspects of your business, time to explore new opportunities, and time to enjoy the freedom that comes with being a digital nomad.

One of my favorite features about the software is the abundance of tooltips. It is a massive gripe for me when I use some software and none of the important features have any information on what they do. With Divi, pretty much every button has a small, unobtrusive “?” beside it. All you need to do is click it, and it will expand to explain what it can do for you. If that is not enough, Elegant Themes has an extensive help section on their website to instruct you if you encounter any issues.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to use Divi’s premade layouts to create a stunning personal portfolio page. Let’s get started!

Purchasing a Divi Subscription

Before you can download and install the Divi theme, you need to purchase a Divi annual or lifetime subscription. I highly recommend opting for the lifetime subscription, as the offer to buy a lifetime subscription is likely to be ending soon. Even if you don’t end up liking the theme, you can always use their 30-day refund guarantee. You can sign up for a plan at this link.

Downloading and Installing Divi

Once you have purchased a subscription, you can download the Divi theme from the Elegant Themes website. It is not available in the theme directory on the WordPress dashboard.

1. Visit the Elegant Themes Members Area.
2. Download the Divi theme as a zip file named divi.zip.

Manually Uploading a Theme to WordPress

Here is a step-by-step process to manually upload the Divi theme to your WordPress site:

1. Navigate to the Themes Section:

• Go to your WordPress dashboard.
• Navigate to Appearance > Themes.

1. Add New Theme:

• Click on the “Add New” button at the top of the page.
• Then, click on the “Upload Theme” button.

1. Upload the Zip File:

• Click on the “Choose File” button.
• Select the divi.zip file you downloaded.
• Click on the “Install Now” button.

1. Activate the Theme:

• Once the theme is uploaded, click on the “Activate” button to start using Divi on your site.

Using Divi’s Premade Layouts

Step 1: Authenticating Your Subscription

First, make sure your Elegant Themes subscription is authenticated in Divi. This will give you access to all the premade layouts.

1. Go to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Divi > Theme Options.
3. Enter your Elegant Themes username and API key. You can find your API key in the Elegant Themes Members Area.

It’s recommended to create a different API key for every website you use for security reasons. If you have a Divi subscription, you can have an unlimited number of API keys.

Step 2: Loading a Premade Layout

1. Create a new page by navigating to Pages > Add New.
2. Click on “Use Divi Builder.”
3. Select “Choose a Premade Layout.”

Step 3: Searching for Portfolio Layouts

1. In the Divi Builder, click on “Browse Layouts.”
2. Use the search bar to type “Portfolio” and browse the available options.
3. Choose a layout that fits your style and click “Use This Layout.”

In this post, we will be using this Design Portfolio Landing Page.

Step 4: Customizing Your Portfolio Page

1. If you want to change the circular avatar photo, hover over the photo and click on the gear icon in the dark grey “module settings” bar. This will open up the settings for that particular module. Click on the image in the settings that shows up and follow the prompts to upload your own image.
2. To customize the text module below the avatar image, hover over the text and click on the gear icon that shows up in the dark grey “module settings” bar. This will open the text module settings, allowing you to edit the text to reflect your personal brand.
3. Continue to adjust any of the modules to represent yourself in the portfolio page.

Step 5: Utilizing Layout Pack Image Assets

1. Replace the default images with your own portfolio pieces.
2. Ensure images are high-quality and relevant to the projects you want to showcase.

Step 6: Additional Setup

1. Create a primary menu by navigating to Appearance > Menus.
2. Set a static home page in Settings > Reading.
3. Update your theme options and customize the appearance to match your brand.

Conclusion

Using Divi’s premade layouts makes creating a professional portfolio page quick and easy. By following these steps, you can have a stunning portfolio that highlights your work and helps attract new clients as a digital nomad.

Thank you for taking the time to read this guide. I hope you found it helpful. If you did, I encourage you to sign up for the WP Nomads Club newsletter for more tips, tricks, and insights on making the most of your digital nomad lifestyle.

Warm regards,

Niall Harrington
Creator of WP Nomads Club

For more detailed instructions and tips, you can visit the full article on Elegant Themes.