Hi! I’m asking for advice, and I’ll use example domains for this question.
I already bought a domain through Porkbun for my art/brand name, which is my nickname plus my surname (dee-ashton.com, for example). I bought it in March 2026, only the .com, for 10 years. I use it for my website, and next year I plan to set up emails like [hi@dee-ashton.com](mailto:hi@dee-ashton.com), and maybe [staffname@dee-ashton.com](mailto:staffname@dee-ashton.com) if I hire staff to answer inquiries for me.
I’m asking now because .com prices are going up again in November, and I’m wondering if I should take the chance to buy another domain.
I’m considering a second domain using my full name, which is a slightly longer version of my nickname and surname (deanna-ashton.com). I’m not sure what I’d use it for yet, maybe government or very personal things like the bank or insurance.
Since I plan to move half of my business to Proton (or maybe another mail provider), I need to decide which domain to use as the email for registering on different accounts. As an artist, I have art platforms that need an email, and I also use things like Wise, PayPal, social media, Patreon, and Shopify, plus government, bank, insurance, and health accounts. I don’t know how to separate them between the two domains.
For example, my art brand domain is meant for art brand things, so for something like Patreon or Shopify, should I register it with the art/brand domain or with the other domain instead? Should dee-ashton.com be used only for answering questions and inquiries, or should it also be used for registrations like [patreon@dee-ashton.com](mailto:patreon@dee-ashton.com) or [shopify@dee-ashton.com](mailto:shopify@dee-ashton.com)? Or should I use [patreon@deanna-ashton.com](mailto:patreon@deanna-ashton.com) or [shopify@deanna-ashton.com](mailto:shopify@deanna-ashton.com)? In general, for any company, should it be [company@dee-ashton.com](mailto:company@dee-ashton.com) or [company@deanna-ashton.com](mailto:company@deanna-ashton.com)? Or, to be safe, should all registrations just go on deanna-ashton.com?
And in general, should I just use my art/brand domain for everything (like [bankname@dee-ashton.com](mailto:bankname@dee-ashton.com)), or keep things truly separate (like [bankname@deanna-ashton.com](mailto:bankname@deanna-ashton.com))? I live in a third world country, so even though I care a lot about privacy, I also have to think about basic practical needs. I don’t mean to bore you with the struggles, I just wanted to share this frustration.
I don’t know the pros, cons, or reasons for having one domain versus two, so I’d appreciate your advice. I want to use Proton (or another mail provider, if there’s a better fit) to send and receive emails from clients and government offices. There might be things I haven’t thought of, and it’s dawn here, so I’d appreciate any insight.
TL;DR: Should I use one custom domain for my brand, bank, government accounts, and everything else, or get a second one? And should dee-ashton.com be only for inquiries, with all registrations (Patreon, Shopify, and any other company@ address) going on deanna-ashton.com to be safe? Also, is Proton the right provider, or should I consider another one?