Let's start from the basics: can you introduce yourself?

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.

What’s the story behind your blog?

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 One blog in particular, TMO (no longer active), inspired me to start writing.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.

What does your creative process look like when it comes to blogging?

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.

Do you have an ideal creative environment? Also, do you believe the physical space influences your creativity?

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.

A question for the techie readers: can you run us through your tech stack?

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!

Given your experience, if you were to start a blog today, would you do anything differently?

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.

Financial question since the web is obsessed with money: how much does it cost to run your blog? Is it just a cost or does it generate some revenue? And what's your position on people monetizing personal blogs?

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.

Time for some recommendations: any blog you think is worth checking out? And also, who do you think I should be interviewing next?

There are so many blog gems I love! Here's a few favs:

• Anh's website is so fun and whimsical. I’m in awe of her site’s aesthetic and how she incorporates her illustrations to further express herself.
• Lili's Musings. Uncut, thought-provoking writing. Themes include diary-like entries, thoughts on academia, unraveling the writing process, trans struggles, and processing anxieties.
• Sven Dahlstrand. A cool human being with a really fun blog who's always linking to interesting things.
• Growing Old With You. Ru’s blog is a tapestry of poignant writing and laid-bare slices of life, and I admire her vulnerability on the page.
• The Wallflower Digest Alice’s blog is new to me, and I’m having so much fun devouring her writing. She’s a book-loving introvert who grapples with social anxiety (like me!), and her writing topics and hobbies are wide and varied.

Lili and Anh would both be great guests for your next interview!

Final question: is there anything you want to share with us?

Read more poetry and zines!

• New to zines? Let Bre from brattyxbre and Wesley from Twenty-Two Zines guide you.
• Aswirl. Concrete poetry in quarterly installments.
• Ctrl-ZINE A collaborative zine celebrating tech and the Smol Web.
• Ellen Viola. Colorful and charming comic zines.
• Liz Mason She's been making zines for over 20 years and manages Quimby's Bookstore in Chicago.

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!