Fail Better
“You must go on. I can't go on. I'll go on.”
Stand down, everyone: Brussels Beer City is not closing down. Last month’s article on the creative burnout I have been experiencing since the conclusion in July of the “History of Brussels Beer in 50 Objects'' was not, in the end, a prelude to the end of my writing on this platform. It was, ultimately, a necessary release of frustration and a reflection of my seesawing mood and health as summer tipped over into winter. It was also not a cry for help, though I appreciate everyone who got in touch with me after its publication with an offer of help or an invitation for a beer. Apologies if I haven’t followed up on all of those messages - but the purpose of writing about my troubles was intended to obviate the need to talk about my troubles.
In any case, this is a brief bit of house-keeping to say that Brussels Beer City will continue, but that the writing on it might change a little from what I’ve published in the preceding five years. And that’s because I need to find a way to fit my writing into my life, and not - as has been the case more often than not, and certainly was before the pandemic - trying to fit my life around my writing. What this means in practical terms is that there will be fewer long form, interview-based articles of this type. And there will be more short form, impressionistic articles of this type.
I just no longer have the time, with work and family commitments, to organise interviews, transcribe, write and edit those kinds of pieces even if I do enjoy the process. Something the “50 Objects” series showed me was that I also like the challenge of distilling ideas into a more concise format, and for the purposes of this blog and where I am in my personal life, it suits my time management skills better. Which is not to say there won’t be the odd 4,000 word overlong behemoth appearing periodically on these pages, and I am in fact working on something along those lines - more of which anon.
As for content, a switch to more short form articles frees me up to be a little bit looser with what I want to cover, so expect more photography-heavy articles and maybe even the odd beer or book review. As was the case when I stopped pitching for paid commissions last year, my internal conversation about whether or not to keep going with the blog almost immediately flooded my brain with a torrent of ideas for possible articles and new series. Some of these are already underway, others are likely to appear, and yet more may disappear into the memory hole:
Station to Station, a series visiting cafés at end of bus/metro/tram lines
Ghost Pubs of Brussels
Women in Brussels Beer
This Sporting Life - the canteens and cafés of Brussels’ sports clubs
Equality and racism in Brussels/Belgium’s beer scene
Diaspora café, exploring Brussels’ immigrant drinking cultures
Can you brew a beer 100% Made in Brussels?
I may even get around to writing part two of my favourite article of the year (spoiler: I won’t).
As for how regularly you can expect to see new articles appear on the site, I do not have a definite answer. When I started Brussels Beer City in 2017 I committed to an editorial schedule of an article every two weeks, and then when that proved unsustainable one every three weeks. I am not mad enough to consider continuing the weekly publishing schedule of 2021-22, so I will just say this: articles will appear when they appear, but there will be at least one every month.
And if you’re thinking to yourself that this is a very long-winded way of making a fairly superfluous and somewhat self-indulgent announcement, you are both right and also missing the point. This isn’t for you. I’m writing this to hold myself to account. By publishing this, and outlining some of the things I want to write about in 2023, I am putting myself at the mercy of the only force that heretofore has worked to keep me writing - external pressure. If I have another crisis of confidence down the road, then I only have to look at this and say, ‘well, the people are waiting.’ Even if you’re not.
So consider this a statement of intent, and if you see me falling short in the next 12 months you are welcome to bring it to my attention. And if I fail to deliver, I will keep trying. And if some of the articles don’t find readers out there, I’ll keep plugging away.
If it’s hackneyed to start an article with a Samuel Beckett quote, I don’t know what it is to end with one too, but consider this my mantra for Brussels Beer City now and into the future:
“Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better.”