Trying to design a site

I'm a programmer... not a designer I'm not as creative as I like to think I am and for the life of me, I can't figure out a design that I could work with for my portfolio. I've looked at templates for inspirations, read tutorials and done many more stuff as well as getting on GIMP and trying to come by a design. In my head, I imagine a professional neat design, but when I try to actually create it, it comes out as a weird thing that a first grader drew for art class. (No idea why a first grader would draw colored layouts).

I've being trying to create a design for a few months now, and I can't get it. I'm not exactly sure where to go now... I'm literally stuck!

Help?

Are you stuck on bringing a color scheme together, creating sharp looking graphics, or the over all theme it's self?

The theme itself... colors, schemes, everything.

well, I've found that simplicity (unless you're catering to a specific group of clients) is best (at least to me).

Some of the best ones I've seen weren't so much "cosmetically" attractive, but simple colors with internal links to "examples" of ideas that ranged from one extreme to the other, by category.

In the end you're the one who has to look at it more than anyone else, and if you're not comfortable with it, you're going to be unhappy all the time. Hints of things that personally interest you that are so subtle only another person with like interest will notice.. (that may not make sense, maybe I can find an example)

One of the key elements that helped my series of sites was the simple design and bright colors, like sherma even said just needs to be simple.

Portfolio items usually don't just spring to life, they moreso need the most work tweaking each corner and each filter. This is going to be something your going to need to place around with.

So make something basic in html and get a skeleton happening so you have something in front of you then just add on to it, keep looking and brain storming. Your going to be built something eventually but it may take a few rebuilds from scratch to get it perfect.

Just need to start working on it.