You shut down your personal web site and you forfeit one of the few chances you get to express yourself. There are infinite possibilities for you when you design a web site for yourself, and there are infinite things to write about. You have the freedom to choose, and no one else has the right to force you to change what you've done. But it's so easy to work on your own site. Personal expression sets you free.
Imagery goes a long way.
I'm talking about images of products and scenes and peoples' faces and that sort of stuff. Any halfwit can create a nice-looking site given nice imagery to work with. Yes, yes, Alexis, we know you're in love with how you look, but for God's sake, show some creativity. If you're in the situation I'm in, I have virtually no imagery to work with. It's a real bitch when companies can't give you images to Photoshop the Hell out of.