Wow! It’s been over four years since my last “proper” post.

The last four years have been a real whirlwind of ups and downs, but mostly ups, especially on a personal level. Having focused time with the family and watching Ava grow has been amazing, something I will cherish forever. She’s doing brilliantly, and I can’t quite believe she’ll be starting school this year. Time really does go fast.

Professionally, it has been a journey, to say the least.

Since my parental time off, I was determined to do something a little different and try something new. Having been self-employed for around ten years, I think I was curious to see what life would be like being “employed”. part of a team, part of the culture and all that jazz. You know, the stuff CEOs and business leaders LOVE to harp on about on LinkedIn.

(important lesson, don’t believe everything you read on LinkedIn).

I also wanted to lean more into the product management and strategy side of my brain and ended up joining two different companies between 2023 and 2025. Neither worked out in the end, both for very different reasons. Some were within my control, some weren’t.

In the short term, those experiences didn’t feel positive. It took time to properly unpack them. What was good. What was bad. What was supportive. What was toxic. What moved me forward. What quietly wasted my time and stripped away pieces of me.

Longer term, though, it was all experience. Valuable experience. It helped me understand, very clearly, what I don’t want.

I wasn’t in a rush to jump straight into another role without knowing what direction I actually wanted to head in next. So most of last year I went into what I call “introvert mode”. I do this from time to time. Stepping back from social media, especially the toe-curling cringe and yet annoyingly necessary LinkedIn.

This year, I’m hoping to step back out again. Maybe not full “extravert mode”, but something closer.

Throughout all of this, one thing never changed. My love of creating things, the web, design, development, product, and my continued interest in AI.

The AI boom happened at the perfect time for me. I was hooked from the very first version of ChatGPT. Since then, the pace of progress has been nothing short of life-changing. I’ve spent the last few years experimenting, building, breaking things, and using these tools to create all sorts of projects. Not chasing hype, just seeing what’s possible and where it genuinely helps.

It reignited something for me. It reminded me what I love doing, and what I’m actually good at.

The second half of last year I started quietly working with a handful of new businesses designing and building websites and creating ai automations, helping people shape new ideas or pushing their existing ones forward. But not just the tangible outcomes, but adding value at the start, being part of the conversation, being a champion, sharing the enthusiasm, bringing the passion, ironing out the problems, being in their corner every step of the journey, beginning, middle and after.

Brio - “the quality of being active or spirited or alive and vigorous”

This is what I have always done, and what I want to continue doing. 2026 brings fresh energy and to introduce Studio Brio .

Studio Brio isn’t a new business (well, technically it is), it’s simply a container, of what I have always done, who I have always been.

I design and build clear, fast, and durable digital products, websites, products, and AI-based automation systems that are practical, maintainable, and built to last.

It’s deliberately small and hands-on. No layers. No noise. Just calm, thoughtful design, reliable engineering, and straightforward collaboration, sometimes alongside trusted collaborators when it makes sense.

2026 feels like fresh energy.

I’m excited to be past the last couple of years of shifting directions, self-doubt, reflection, and confusion. It feels good to have clarity again. Time to saddle up and get back to work.

I’ve launched a new personal site at shanegriffiths.com, where I’ll be sharing more regular updates, experiments, and notes. I’ve also published the tools I use day-to-day at shanegriffiths.com/uses, for anyone who’s interested.

I’m still finishing up the Studio Brio site at studiobr.io, which will be live properly soon. In the meantime, if you’re curious about working together, have an idea you want to explore, or you’re a freelancer or agency interested in collaborating, feel free to reach out.

You can email me at shane@studiobr.io.