The Beard Log
The fundraiser hit the goal. The beard became real. Now this is the weekly record of what happens next—one short video, one honest update, and one increasingly questionable facial-hair decision at a time.
Beard Watch
This Is More Than a Before-and-After Photo
Beard or Bust started as livestream chaos, but the follow-through deserves its own home. Each week I will post a quick video and a written field note covering the growth, the awkward stages, what I am learning, what the community is saying, and where this whole thing is headed.
The Video
A short weekly check-in showing the progress without turning this into a three-hour beard documentary.
The Honest Update
What changed, what feels strange, what is working, and whether I am still committed to this community-created face project.
The Endgame
The final style, community input, transformation, and the give-back story that will close out the challenge.
Watch the Beard Grow—One Update at a Time
Every new Beard Log video will be added to one dedicated YouTube playlist. Keep the newest episode at the top of that playlist and this player will always open with the latest update.
Open the Full Playlist on YouTube →
The Beard Is Developing Abilities
Seven weeks into Beard or Bust, and the beard has officially stopped being something I simply see in the mirror. It's now interacting with the world around me—and apparently collecting parts of it. Eating has become an adventure because I can no longer reliably tell when I've gotten food on my face. I've gone from a reasonably functional adult to feeling like a two-year-old at his birthday party with cake everywhere. Hiking has introduced another discovery: spider webs. The beard catches them wonderfully—the problem is there's now a slight delay before I realize I've walked through one. Maintenance is changing too. I'm using the beard trimmer regularly now, particularly around the mustache as the hairs start creeping over my upper lip. Seven weeks ago, beard maintenance meant shaving everything off. Now apparently I'm responsible for landscaping.
The beard has enough length now that I'm noticing it during normal activities—not just when I look in the mirror. I'm also regularly trimming around the upper lip to keep the mustache under control.
There are a ridiculous number of little things about having a beard that I'd simply never considered. Food, hiking, spider webs—apparently I'm learning all of this as I go.
At this point, I'm wondering what the beard veterans haven't warned me about yet. If food storage and delayed spider-web detection happen at Week 7, I'm slightly concerned about what Week 8 has waiting for me.
The Brew Crew Will Help Write the Final Rules
This beard started because of the support of this community, so I do not want to decide how the story ends entirely on my own. The Brew Crew Community will help shape the final rules, requirements, milestones, and finish line for the Beard or Bust campaign.
Over the coming weeks, I will publish additional Community posts, polls, and discussion questions so you can share your ideas and help determine what needs to happen before this beard journey is officially complete.
Continue growing the beard while sharing weekly videos, progress photos, honest updates, and the occasional beard-related struggle.
Use Brew Crew Community posts, polls, and conversations to collect ideas for the final milestones, challenges, and campaign requirements.
Turn the strongest community ideas into a clear set of final rules, including the ending date, beard goal, final style, and any last challenge I must complete.
Complete the community-approved finish line, document the final transformation, and connect the ending back to the people and purpose that made Beard or Bust possible.
The Internet Funded the Beard. This Page Documents the Consequences.
The original Beard or Bust page tells the story of the livestream challenge, the community support, and how a joke became a commitment. This page is the next chapter.
Come Back Next Week. The Beard Apparently Has a Content Schedule.
Subscribe on YouTube for the weekly video, then check this page for the written update, progress notes, and the road to the final Beard or Bust decision.