Another one year contract
The annual subscription for my website renews on August 1. Here’s what I’m doing to celebrate. This post also contains a plan.
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I thought about letting her go this year. But after thought and reflection, I’ve decided to keep her going.
It costs about $500 annually to run the site. That was worth it when I was posting blogs and selling books of poetry. But I’m not doing those creative things currently, so I had to ask myself if I still wanted to pay the fee.
I don’t want to pay the fee. But I’m going to pay the fee.
To be clear, here’s my stance on creative work:
It comes and goes. It stops and starts. I’ve had periods of frantic creative writing and I’ve had years and years of down time with not much happening except life.
I believe that you have to live first. And once you live, then you can write about it. I can’t just tell tell tell. There’s got to be a period of living, followed by a period of reflection, followed by a period of sharing. When I published my book in the Fall of 2023 that was a culmination of 7 years of living, from 2017-2023. Big living years for me. 2022 and 2023 were writing years. 2023 was a big sharing year. 2024 and 2025 have been living years again. Just stacking up gold to tell you all about later on, once I get around to it.
You see? That’s my philosophy, anyway. It works for me. Live - reflect - share - repeat.
I’ve had this subscription on the go now since 2020. Hey man, that’s 5 years. Most of the posts I shared over that time have been taken down — that’s me retreating in shame after periods of growth leave me feeling embarrassed by my former self. A recurring feeling I’ve come to recognize as the cost of doing blogness. Yes indeed, there are only 4 “active” posts up now sure. Most of them have to do with me tryna sell books.
Remember my old websites?
There was Bookshelf Buzz (2013-14)
There was Life of Bri (2015)
There was some nonsense about the Blue Jays (2016?)
There was The BRD Post (2015-17)
There was some sort of travel blog going on while I was living in Asia that I’m too traumatized to remember the specifics of (2017-18)
There was an accounting/business blog that I started while I was broke and trying to make money while unemployed (2016-17)
There was The Inventory (2020-22)
And finally, Bryan Duffett, launched in 2023 to promote my poetry.
I look at blogging differently now. I look at social media and my digital footprint differently, too.
I’m actively trying not to overthink it. But…
About that plan I said was coming:
Bryan’s plan
I’m going to get the blog going again.
I don’t care about being perfect anymore. I just want to share all of this crap I’ve written.
I have to start writing and reading again because I can feel myself getting dumber.
I haven’t been using my brain enough lately.
I need two things 1) a writing project and 2) a reading project -
just to get some juice back flowing through my brain.
I’m going to start reading long-form again and I’m going to start writing long-form again
just as mental exercise.
gnomesayin?
I also want to be a better sharer in general. I want to acknowledge my amazing life as it is happening — observe all of this growing - slow down and notice it —and I really don’t want to become a grumpy old fuck.
Documenting things by way of blog helps me.
It helps me be interested in other people and other things. When I’m interested I’m happier. When I’m disinterested, I might be comfortable but I’m not content.
I’m just trying to help myself.
It appears as if I’m entering a sharing period again. More will be revealed.
I’m feeling optimistic.
