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This is the 35th edition of People and Blogs, the series where I ask interesting people to talk about themselves and their blogs. Today we have Veronique and her blog, veronique.ink
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Hi, my name is Veronique, and I’m an artist, writer, and zine maker. I live in Toronto with my dog, Muskoka. I love making zines and championing small-press indie writers. I enjoy discovering new artists, going for trail hikes with my doggo, making art while listening to tunes, daydreaming, exchanging emails as personal letters, and discovering new personal blogs. Lately, I’ve been teaching myself how to play my late father’s guitar.
I started my blog in August 2022, after stumbling upon a few personal sites. I became enchanted by these quiet spaces away from social media. One blog in particular, TMO (no longer active), inspired me to start writing. His vulnerable, daily slice-of-life posts immediately catapulted me into wanting to document my life through blogging.
My search for a simple writing platform took some time, but eventually, I came across Bearblog, which won me over with its simplicity. I’m not tech-savvy, so the fewer bells and whistles a platform has, the more I can concentrate on what matters—writing.
My dad fell ill in the fall of 2022, and writing on my blog became a lifeline. Writing online created a cocooned arena for exploring my wayward thoughts and feelings and forged an invisible string, tying me to far-flung strangers across the web. Blogging felt like a refuge and reminded me that we’re all sharing this bumpy, precarious timeline together.
I read once that you should write your obsessions. Not only for yourself but also to find your kind. Being an introvert, this sentiment really resonated with me. Connecting through personal blogs can sometimes feel deeper than in-person interactions. Since writing on my blog, I’ve met the most wonderful internet denizens who have morphed into veritable email comrades—and I love it.
My posts are primarily short-form and meant to be a catch-all container for ideas and preserving fragments of ordinary moments. I prefer to write in spontaneous, off-the-cuff spurts. Thoughts, ideas, and links to things I want to share are written in my phone notes app or the myriad unfinished journals around my apartment.
I’ve been fond of writing posts in bullet form lately. It's a quick way to record passing thoughts and share pictures, ideas, and quotes I like. I feel like personal blogs are in constant flux and unpolished by nature, which appeals to me.
I like to write first thing in the morning before I'm swayed emotionally by other people's output.
I’ve romanticized having an old wooden "writers’ desk" in the corner of my living room, but I have a sneaking suspicion I’d still end up on the couch, scrunched up with horrible posture with my laptop over my legs.
I like to blog on my phone when I'm out and about—busy pubs, cafes, or on the bus. Plunking myself in new places sharpens my observational rolodex and removes me from my regular inner dialogue.
My setup is minimal. I write on my MacBook Air M2 laptop and iPhone 15 Pro phone. Bearblog hosts my blog, and my domain name is registered with GoDaddy. C'est tout!
I haven’t been blogging long, but I wish I was more versed in HTML and CSS. I’ve spent countless hours combing the net for tips on how best to tinker with my site. I enjoy it, though, as it feels like solving a mini-puzzle.
The other thing would be allowing people to subscribe to my blog with their email. I need to remedy that asap.
For now, Bearblog is $20 a year, and it costs me about $35 to renew my domain.
Monetizing a blog feels like a touchy subject, and a lot of people are put off by paying someone for online writing. Newsletter fatigue is real, and being hit with member fees in every nook and cranny on the net is rampant.
But from a creative perspective, people still have to pay rent, and people still need to eat.
Artists, writers, and makers should and can make a living doing what they love.
I’m a huge proponent of supporting artists for their work. I allocate about $20 a month to support my favorites through platforms like Patreon, BMAC, Ko-Fi, independent newsletters, and one-off coffees.
I'd love to make a living from writing on my blog. Is this realistic, especially without ads, trackers, sponsored posts, or paywalls? I don’t know, but I spend a lot of time thinking about how to make it work. I keep trying different things and am not afraid to pivot if something isn’t working. It's tough, but it's something I love working towards.
The idea of making money from my writing still feels uncomfortable sometimes. There’s a touch of imposter syndrome, low self-esteem, and not feeling in league with the high-caliber writers of Substack, etc, but I keep pushing through. However, money aside, writing and sharing things on my blog is something I deeply cherish and will continue doing regardless of monetary gain.
There are so many blog gems I love! Here's a few favs:
Lili and Anh would both be great guests for your next interview!
Read more poetry and zines!
If you're an artist/writer, check out Creative Peptalk podcast by Andy J. Pizza and Cody Cook-Parrott's weekly newsletter.
Here's to happy-accident email friendships, shared curiosities, daydreams, and personal blogs!
This was the 35th edition of People and Blogs. Hope you enjoyed this interview with Veronique. Make sure to follow her blog (RSS) and get in touch with her if you have any questions.
You can support this series on Ko-Fi and all supporters will be listed here as well as on the official site of the newsletter.
Jamie Thingelstad (RSS) — Piet Terheyden — Raul Montala (RSS) — Eleonora — Carl Barenbrug (RSS) — Steve Ledlow (RSS) — Paolo Ruggeri — Nicolas Magand (RSS) — Rob Hope — Chris Hannah (RSS) — Pedro Corá (RSS) — Jeremy Sarber (RSS) — Colin Walker (RSS) — Sixian Lim (RSS) — Matt Stein (RSS) — Winnie Lim (RSS) — Flamed (RSS) — C Jackdaw (RSS) — Kevin Humdrum (RSS) — Fabricio Teixeira (RSS) — Rosalind Croad — Frank Meeuwsen (RSS) — Mike Walsh (RSS) — Markus Heurung — Jeremy Bassetti (RSS) — Juan Villela (RSS) — Michael Warren (RSS) — Chuck Grimmett (RSS) — Robin Harford (RSS) — Bryan Maniotakis (RSS) — Barry Hess (RSS) — Chris Jung (RSS) — Ivan Moreale — Khürt Williams (RSS) — Ben Werdmuller (RSS) — Cory Gibbons — Luke Harris (RSS) — Lars-Christian Simonsen (RSS) — Seth Werkheiser (RSS) — Cody Schultz — Brad Barrish (RSS) — Nikita Galaiko — Erik Blankvoort — Jaga Santagostino — Andrew Zuckerman — Mattia Compagnucci (RSS) — Thord D. Hedengren (RSS) — Sean Gallagher — Fabien Sauser — Maxwell Omdal — Numeric Citizen (RSS) — Jarrod Blundy (RSS) — Andrea Contino (RSS) — Sebastian De Deyne (RSS) — Nicola Losito (RSS) — Lou Plummer (RSS) — Leon Mika (RSS) — Veronique (RSS) — Neil Gorman (RSS) — Reaper (RSS) — Matt Rutherford (RSS) — Adam Keys (RSS) — Aleem Ali (RSS)
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