You might have noticed a pretty huge change around here–my logo has changed for the first time since 2023, the somewhat pixelated avatar version of me has been retired, and SladeWatkins.com has become SladeWatkins.net! For the first time ever, I’m letting myself loose creatively and making what I want to make.
I don’t want to force myself into a creative rut or end up with a block of some kind that prevents me from making things. Because I love what I do, and I want to continue doing it. A change was needed. So moving to a different, yet still similar, domain and a shift in branding symbolizes a new chapter in that story for me.
I decided to write sections for each thing I expect to hear about. Feel free to jump around! There’s a lot here!
New Logo
Before, I had this:
SLADE RICE WATKINS
And now… I have this:
This is a complete shift. It’s still the red and red-white you know and expect from me (who consistently teases things that are in the works for later, of course), but with a beautiful new logo that’s uniquely me.
This quietly rolled over the weekend. I got a couple emails about it; to those of you who asked about it, good catch!
Why SladeWatkins.net?
Since 2021, I’ve owned both SladeWatkins.com and SladeWatkins.net. I was raised to see .com as the de facto default–the standard, professional looking domain. I maintained .net for random projects, and .com for professional stuff.
Then, at some point, I used .net for things like my blog… but merged into .com. Eventually I realized I missed linking to .net instead.
“I’m a weird guy who was never one to love the status quo,” I thought recently. What if I broke the norm and transitioned the website over to the other domain? So, I did. I accepted SEO would suck for a while, but I believe it’s worth it for what ultimately amounts to “more freedom.”
Of course, there’s still some stuff that lives on .com that won’t move over for legacy reasons, but that’s okay with me. Let’s do whatever works.
What’s Changed?
As many of you know, I took on a position with Pretendo Network (“PN”) back in March. In addition to my responsibilities at PN, I also am a regular volunteer/subcontractor of the Bennington Bike Hub. In short, I got busy, and while I’ve been making stuff in the background for my own enjoyment–the way I had things before just didn’t offer a way to share it. Things were too rigid.
So, I’m saying screw it to all of that. No more barriers to entry. No more friction. I make what I want to make and I share it where I want to share it, and that’s how it’s going to be.
What About Social Media?
Social media has been a pretty interesting topic around my inner circle for a while. Truth be told, the reason I quit posting to my handles and haven’t really wanted to come back was because of my grandmother’s passing. I haven’t really been sure of myself since she left us. She was one of my strongest anchors, a woman I relied on for
I’m not saying “never say never” because it could happen soon, or it could happen months from now. I do want to come back in some capacity soon. But this loss hasn’t been easy by any means, and it’s going to take a long time to heal, so I don’t want to rush into anything I’m not ready for. I want to be careful–and only do things I want to do.
In conclusion…
If you’re sensing a theme of this new direction, it extends from to the things I make all the way to how I’m conducting my life. I’m trying to just live. If I want to see friends, I’m going to make the plans to go down to NYC or DC or wherever and see them. If I want to spend my entire Sunday playing Fire Emblem: Three Houses because Kolin has created a monster out of me, I’m going to.
Because ultimately, as those things begin to come together and occur, they’re how I’ll be able to heal. That’s the goal. So we’ll see where it goes… but I think this is a path to improved health and well-being, and some level of closure in the coming year as I work to overcome the grief and anxiety that have been with me since July 2024.