You know me by now: Now and then, I spill my heart onto the page. 

Well, I do so quite often actually. But, now and then, I actually let you read it!

I have been in reflection mode as I always am during the holidays, looking back on my accomplishments, unexpected plot twists and personal growth of the last 12 months, so that I can dive into 2019 with intention and excitement. I share my step-by-step process of reflection and intention with you in this free download, but what I want to share with you now in this blog post is a heartfelt summary of my past year.

​This time, I'm putting my words in full focus, and the photographs appear at the end of the post. Consider this a personal letter to you. 

When 2018 began, my three wishes for the year were dreams, balance and magnetism. I wanted to have more time, conviction and confidence to DO and BE what truly excited me. I wanted to learn to breathe better, to listen more attentively to my body, and to get better at making peace with my path and my decisions.
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It felt like a year with a few BIG chapters rather than a hundred smaller ones.

It was the year where I poured more energy and passion than ever into my growing business. The year where I learned to properly let go of experiences that tipped the scale too far towards resentment and negativity. The year where I wasn’t afraid of thinking and saying “No, sorry, that doesn’t work for me”, instead of complaining in secret. The year where I stopped justifying my choices to those who couldn’t bend their perspective enough to understand them.

​It was the year of 52 blog posts published, 25 shows I participated in with my shop, 5 shows I co-organized with our amazing Etsy Montreal team and my 13th scientific manuscript submitted for publication.

But, since we’re counting...... it was also the year of my 2nd major abdominal surgery within 2 years, over 25 scans or MRIs and … something I still can’t manage to put into words partly because of my own taboos and partly because it hurts so very deeply, a 3rd miscarriage – this one more devastating and consequential than those more ambiguous, earlier losses of pregnancy.

It was also a year of many firsts. This year, I wrote my first book cover to cover. It was the first time I ever put into writing how endometriosis and ovarian failure has affected my life and my career path. It was the first year for my newly founded health organization Alba, which truthfully causes me mild anxiety but huge excitement at the same time. It was the first year I booked so many portrait / event photoshoots, the first time I appeared on TV, the first time I traveled to maritime Canada, the first time I presented a project at a health conference, and the first time I designed a large booth for an art exhibition. Many of these firsts were so far outside of my comfort zone, it took quite some pep talks to myself and preparation to achieve these milestones!

It was a year of finding my truth, losing my faith, and finding my will to keep moving in the direction of my dreams.

I feel both exhausted and refreshed at the start of this year, but mostly I am curious to see how it will unfold – what tests and triumphs it will carry between its pages. Each plot twist has made me a more complex character, and has made a more complex story to tell. Having come to terms with this, I'm excited to tell this story more fully in a revised version of my book later this year. 
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Importantly, and this is where YOU come in: I am so comforted and so deeply thrilled by the idea of you being here with me. I love sharing with you what I see, what I feel, where I go, how I live, what I collect and what I dream of. My work is fueled by nostalgia, inspiration, stories but also by YOU. Helping you find decor pieces that inspire you, talking about places or photography with you, getting your heartwarming feedback in response to my work. You have no idea how this fuels my passion, my creativity and my day-to-day activities.

Thank you for reading, for following, for shopping and for sharing. Please remember to leave me comments now and then. I love to connect with you and to know that you’re on the other side of the screen.

From my heart to yours,
​Kristina

And now, yes, some pictures!

How long have you been following me for? Leave me a comment below to say hello!

The last days of the year always prompt review and reflection. What did I do this year? How did it measure up to my expectations and hopes? What do I (dare to) wish for the year ahead?

​I alternate between thinking this kind of reflection is a necessary vs. a foolish exercise. Necessary because introspection and reflection are key to feeling aligned, valued and at peace with life, but foolish because it can sometimes put a heck of a lot of pressure on you when, really, January 1st is just a continuation of life as it was last week.

If you already followed me 12 months (and some 100 blog posts) ago, you might remember that I started 2017 off with 3 keywords as a theme for the year: abundance, passion and peace.

It was the first year where "feelings" really took center-stage in the vision I created for myself. After all, how you are feeling is the best measure of how you are really doing along your path, right?

I wished to be more mindful, more peaceful with my decisions and with life's curveballs, and more confident in my words, actions and personal policies. I focused my energy on achieving growth -- for my business, my career and my personal mindset. ​

I poured my passion, time and energy into Veni Etiam like never before. I made some bold decisions and ventured outside of my comfort zone more often than I stayed sheltered within it. I traveled to new places, absorbed them and photographed them with my heart wide open, and created new collections to channel part of their character. I applied the same sense of curiosity and appreciation for my own city, planning "staycations" to carve out time to experience and photograph it with different eyes. I participated in a ton of markets and shows where Veni Etiam was not known yet, forged new collaborations that felt aligned with my ethics and my vision, created exciting new products and met some stellar clients whose words of support have honestly stayed tacked on a billboard in my mind, fueling my passion and motivating me to keep creating. 

I poured my heart out in hundreds of blog posts and social media posts on Facebook and Instagram, striving to show you a personal side of me in each post, even though I feel quite vulnerable in doing so. I gave two interviews that I even feel shy to read over, and jam-packed my calendar with pop-ups, markets and shows so I could introduce you to my world in person. (Seriously, I felt like a travelling circus this year, but it was so worth it to interact with you offline! Thank you for coming by and for your loving reactions to Veni Etiam!).

For the first time in my life so far, I prioritized self-care, mindfulness, alignment and positivity as much as I humanly could. I realized this year how incredibly hand-in-hand mindset and abundance go. There is so much truth to principles of attraction and positivity, yet it is such a challenge to implement those good habits in our everyday frenzied existence. In my choices this year, I opted to make time for myself over social activities. I spent early mornings journalling, afternoons working from environments that inspired me, and evenings cooking and eating outdoors. I opted to be present and peaceful at home, to write, to exercise, to be accepting and to let go. These practices have reduced my anxiety and boosted my creativity. Despite some recurring challenges, my body and mind feel stronger and better able to cope with uncertainty, risk, fear and loss. 

​Because of these benefits, I made it a point to share these strategies and micromoments of wisdom with you this year, in posts focused on inspiration, balance and mindfulness.

In all my activities, I strove to let kindness, generosity and transparency guide all my interactions, while also paying closer attention to any energy unbalances - if what I put in was far greater than what came out of it, such that it cost me my peace, I learned to set new boundaries. I said no to what made me feel less valued. I said no to self-deprecation and doubt. I said no to worrying too far in advance. I said no to anything that perturbed my peace.

I continued to work with my team at Etsy Montreal to empower independent local businesses, doing part of the marketing and event photography for our shows, which are growing SO fast! I am also proud to have been an advocate for women's health on the sidelines, fighting daily for awareness and early detection of endometriosis and female cancers.

This year was nothing and everything I expected. It took me on a ride of experimentation, self-discovery and growth in every realm. Of course, it was not all shiny and perfect. There were also tears, fears, deaths, frustrations, days spent in bed, rejections, difficult conversations and difficult choices. Not to mention my beloved watch broke twice and I killed more plants this year than I ever have...

But, all in all, it was a good year.

I am carrying forward so many of these lessons and feelings that I want to amplify even further in 2018, and so much gratitude for all those encounters and experiences that made my heart feel full of passion and optimism.

This year, I wish to pour even more energy and passion into making my (many) dreams and projects reality. I wish to work even harder on maintaining that delicate balance and inner peace on as many days of the year as I possibly can. At the brink of this new year, I wish for magnetism - a beautiful pulse that attracts amazing connections and experiences my way so that I can be as creative, generous, energetic, passionate and kind as I feel like I'm meant to be in this life.

My dear followers, THANK YOU for a tremendous 2017 and for keeping me motivated and excited for what 2018 has in store. 

Leave me a comment below to tell me your 3 keywords for 2018. If you could conjure up a phenomenal year for yourself, what would it look like? I'd love to hear from you.

From my heart to yours.

You may also like:

​1. Veni Etiam was founded in 2014 but officially launched to the public in 2015. That is why you’ll see “EST 2014” on the logo. That one year period was the year in which I dreamed up my mission, my collection and my online shop. I designed the website though it was still unpublished for a year. The day I hit publish, I wrote my first blog post and … there was no turning back!

2. As much as Italy is my most profound inspiration, the place that acted as a kind of catalyst of my vision for Veni Etiam was the Basque Country. It was during a scientific trip to that region when I started to think more concretely and more technically about my photographic aspirations. Fun fact: the Basque country is a part of my scientific aspirations as well, so in a way the place plays two important roles for me. There are several photographs of the Basque Country in my collection. Can you spot them?

3. The first 5 photographs ever printed with the Veni Etiam Photography logo on them were Laguna Mia (canvas), Underground (canvas), Plentzia (acrylic), Light on the Lake (canvas) and A Windowful of Sky (acrylic). These were printed for individuals I knew, before Veni Etiam was officially launched.

4. When I first launched my online shop in 2015, I only offered wall-art on canvas, metal, acrylic and wood. It was when I kept getting asked about fine-art prints that I decided to include those in my web-shop and opened up an Etsy shop that focused on small-sized prints. 

5. Before I found my new home and studio in Montreal, Veni Etiam basically consisted of a big red plastic bin of prints and a big box of shipping materials hidden (not so inconspicuously) under my bed. 

I hope you enjoyed these five fun facts! Leave a comment and tell me which one was your favorite.
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This was Part 1 of the Birthday Blog Series. Veni Etiam Photography is celebrating its two year birthday this month. Stay tuned for more of the 7-part blog series and take advantage of the special PAIRDEAL birthday promotion until January 31st.  

​From my heart to yours.

It feels like so much has happened since I wrote my first blog post the day that I launched my little passion project, that it’s incredibly hard to believe it’s only been two years.

So hard to believe, in fact, that I have found myself mentally double-checking my arithmetic (2015 to 2017, yes, two years. Duh, silly girl).

In two years, Veni Etiam went from being a web portfolio with a blog, to a dynamic shop, as well as a seller on Etsy and in the local Montreal community, with its growing inclusion in stores and art fairs.

It may be bad business to admit this, but when I opened my shop two years ago, I didn’t have a clear business plan or a clear goal – not even at a vague conceptual level, let alone in a measurable set of milestones and metrics. All I knew was that it was time, that it was risky and that it made a little pocket of space inside of me fill up with excited butterflies. Everything else, would have to come along the way.

​I was pursuing my PhD in neurolinguistics by day (and night… sigh #consumedbymyPhD) and working on Veni Etiam in those intervals where my eyes took breaks from my Excel sheets and experimental designs to work on more Excel sheets and on web-design. I remember being late to start on my academic to-do list on some mornings due to urgent product photos that I had to take to explain to clients what aluminum prints and floater frames looked like. Suddenly, I was standing on a chair in the dining room of my tiny but beloved apartment that I had affectionately named “The Pink Palazzo”, taking pictures of pictures (a sometimes frustrating task) from all sorts of angles, while my thesis beckoned. But there was room for both in my heart and in my life.

​Building a business at the same time as building a research career was as bizarre as it was, simply put, “me”. The only downside about having two lives was that I didn’t have as much time and energy to make Veni Etiam grow to its full potential right away. But life isn't a race, and sometimes we benefit more when we don't try to force the pace of everything. 

As time went on, my passion grew. Ideas crept up faster and could not be ignored. Structure and strategy developed. I learned so much from fellow artists and clients. I experimented and fine-tuned. I took leap after leap; sometimes it paid off, sometimes it didn’t, but I was happy I took each leap, because now I don’t have to wonder, and now I don’t have to try that again.
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A lot has changed in two years, and I feel momentum, excitement and gratitude. I am pumped for this year and so grateful for followers who “get” what I do and why I do it, who feel inspired by my photographs and stories, and whose feedback always keeps me motivated and aligned with how to best serve you. 

​As a firm believer that all moments in life should be celebrated, I’m including you in my birthday celebration!

♥ On the blog this month, you can follow my Birthday Blog Series featuring 7 posts about travel, photography and home décor, including glimpses into Veni Etiam’s personality and mine. Keep an eye on the blog or on Instagram and Facebook!
♥ For this special occasion only, you'll receive a FREE 8x8 print on textured fine-art paper with any art purchase.

​I'll ship worldwide, but free pick-up in Montreal is always an option.

UNTIL MONDAY ONLY (16.01), members on my VIP list get:
♥ to choose which 8x8 fine-art print they wish to receive for free
♥a bonus chapter with the story behind the photograph or travel tips for the place featured in the photo

Not on my VIP list? Let’s remedy this! ​Sign up and you'll receive my monthly newsletter AND 20% off your first purchase.
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Don’t procrastinate – it’s not good for you ;) 

Thank you for an amazing two years!

From my heart to yours.

Thank you, dear travelling souls, for all your support this year! Veni Etiam Photography turns TWO this January, and I am super excited about all the ways in which she will grow and cater to your home decor and travel dreams! Thanks for all our beautiful interactions this year. I've learned so much and am so happy to be on this journey with you. Subscribe to the VIP list and stay tuned on the blog to find out about our upcoming birthday celebration! 

Merci, chères âmes voyageuses, pour tout votre soutien cette année! Veni Etiam Photography aura DEUX ans ce janvier. J'ai hâte de voir comment elle va grandir et inspirer votre déco maison et vos rêves de voyage! Merci pour nos belles échanges cette année!Je l'ai tellement appris et je suis tellement heureux d'être sur ce voyage avec vous. Abonnez-vous pour les mises à jour et restez à l'écoute sur le blog pour en savoir plus sur notre célébration d'anniversaire à venir! Abonnez-vous à la liste VIP et suivez le blog pour rester à l'affût des promotions à venir à l'occasion de notre deuxième anniversaire! 

Are we friends on Instagram?

Over the last two weeks, I've been blessed to receive countless positive comments about my new endeavor! Curiously, though, this supportive feedback has consistently been coupled with one question: "Does this mean you're giving up science?" The wording varied slightly from person to person, but the gist remained the same. Most worried of all were my grandmothers – thirty seconds into the conversation and my excited face was suddenly met with furrowed brows and panicked eyes, followed by a half cautionary, half accusatory exclamation in a nervous voice, "You can't quit now! You've come so far with your degree!" Some friends and colleagues, on the other hand, welcomed the reassuring alternative to the stressful tenure-track climb or, at the very least, applauded trying out "something else" as a back-up to my scientific aspirations. But common to all these responses was the underlying assumption that it had to be an "either or" thing – that a scientific job and a creative job must be mutually exclusive, and that there is probably not enough space in one's life to dabble in both. I became amused by this repeated occurrence and it led me to reflect on it.

The creative side of my personality has been there long before I discovered my scientific side. Although photography is a relatively recent passion, what I've always loved most of all is to write. I used to say that if I could have any one job in the world, I'd want to be a writer. My devotion to science initially came from the need for a more secure career path, until I found a niche that I absolutely adore – the neuroscience of language. Despite the trials and tribulations of a heavy-stress academic life, the creative hobbies always lingered in the background – first, writing, and increasingly photography – until they gradually inched towards the foreground. I let them grow because I felt as though they were a part of me that could not be silenced, no matter how challenging it was (is!) to carve out the time for these extra ambitions. I don't think anyone is entirely defined by their one job; that's why we have hobbies. But the idea that a hobby becomes a second line of work is, I guess, what is slightly less common.

Within the first days of having launched this project, I noticed that my mind was on creative fire; I was brainstorming in the shower at six in the morning, both about my dissertation research and Veni Etiam goals. I made discoveries in my work that I had somehow overlooked before. I was writing academic texts faster and more fearlessly than in previous weeks. It was as though having an officially sanctioned creative outlet unlocked ideas on the scientific side. My heart was happy, and my mind was sharp. I realized that the influence was bidirectional: my scientific training has also seeped into my business planning. Why is what I am doing different? Who is my audience? What are others doing in parallel, and in what ways might I be the first? What is the gap I am aiming to fill, and what is my contribution? These are key questions a researcher must answer in any sound scientific proposal, and I (un)surprisingly approached the creation of Veni Etiam in exactly the same way. In creative fields and in scientific research, the ideas are endless – there are always possibilities of what you could do next. You cannot do it all at once and answer all needs in a short window of time. If you try, you'll just bury yourself in a mound of stress, without making clear sense of any of it. Instead, little by little, you pursue the main plan and follow-up with other tangential creative ideas that spring up along the way.

Another parallel between the two worlds is that, apart from the required creativity, there is also a challenging technique to learn and that, very often, this technical learning occurs best "by doing". In my everyday work, I study how the brain responds to language – how it understands it, accesses it from memory, learns it, and loses it. To do this, my colleagues and I use a super sensitive methodology where electrodes on the scalp record the electrophysiological signals emitted by the brain during specific mental processes. In a nutshell, we design incredibly meticulous linguistic experiments, engage our participants in these tasks, and record how their brain responds while they do so. Once you have the brain data, you post-process it to "clean it up", compare it to many other participants, and carefully draw inferences from it. Much like photography, post-processing can only do so much – the recordings (and the content of the experiments) have to be of good quality right from the start. If the snapshot is not clear, then neither is your message.

Science also directly helped me progress with photography by giving me the opportunity to travel near and far for academic conferences. The change of scenery opened my eyes to new research, new people and new places – all of which added to my repertoire of cultural experiences and to my collection of photographs and stories, over the years. Another striking similarity is how large a role setbacks play in moving forward; on both sides, I've agonized over obstacles, evaluated my shortcomings, tracked my progress, and counted small victories more often than major breakthroughs. On both sides, it's also necessary to recognize that you cannot credit yourself alone for your successes; elements contributed by others along the way are not to be taken for granted. There is always someone else's work that inspires you, someone's feedback that impels you to adjust your approach. There is always an audience to reach, and their response to your work is partly what validates its worth. The balance between confidence and humility is as delicate as it is crucial.

I had never stopped to ponder the parallels between my creative world and my scientific one, until the flood of responses to the launch of this project. I have always known that both sides exist harmoniously in me, but I only now realized that there is an open valve between the two.

So, the answer to the million dollar question of whether I will quit science? No way. I wouldn't be able to. One side wouldn't work at its full capacity without the other. Both in combination are what make me so profoundly "me".

(And if you're curious as to what the "scientific me" does on a daily basis, check out my academic page). 

Once I decided to share my photography with the world, I knew I needed to create an image for Veni Etiam – an image that, above all, conveyed how I envisioned it in my mind's eye, as well as one that would linger in the minds and memory of those who experienced the brand. 

I intuitively turned to a duet of talented designers – Santhi Thomaidi and Lefteris Protopapas, known as Alati design. We had met in Greece some years ago and I had continued to follow their creative projects from afar. I trusted them from the start, without a second thought. What I didn't know at that time, though, was how rewarding and how much fun our collaboration would be, and how much more than a logo I would gain from the experience.

When I first contacted them, I knew I needed to design a logo, a business card and some stationery. What I quickly learned through them is that what we needed to design, in fact, was so much more than those basic elements; we needed to create a visual identity for Veni Etiam – a consistent and recognizable look that would visually communicate the essence of the brand. What makes it special and engaging?

I approached them with a summary of what Veni Etiam stood for, and what I hoped it would embody. I had wanted a nostalgic, retro feel – a vintage camera, and classy fonts. I knew I wanted it to look streamlined and crisp, elegant and memorable - safely balanced on the spectrum between old-fashioned and modern. As a starting point, I sent them a few hues of blue, inspired by my love for the Sea and all things maritime, and mentioned that I also imagined a calm charcoal grey. I didn't need to say much else for them to get their design engines running! They absorbed everything I said, mixed it in with their own creative vision of the project, and added generous portions of their impressive talent.

Exactly a year ago, I had the (somewhat intimidating) idea to do something with my passion for photography and writing - something other than taking thousands of photographs a year and sharing them with close friends and family. A step up - a new experiment, a whole new adventure. 

Launching this project truly feels like I'm opening up a part of myself to the world, and nothing has ever felt as exciting and nerve-racking all at once! 

Strangers and non-strangers, I hope that you will like what you see, and that you will be part of this journey in one way or another. 

Thank you to those of you -- you know who you are -- who have always encouraged me to "do something" with this alter-ego to my scientific side. I know you'll find yourselves in many of the images that are part of the current collection, as well as those that are sure to be added to the collection over time. 

When you check the store, be sure to read up on the different kinds of wall-art you may choose from - not only a variety of dimensions, but a medium for every taste or style of decor. Photo previews of the various options will follow as soon as possible. Stay tuned for updates, stories behind my favorite photos, new pieces that get added to the collection, and new kinds of products. 

When you embark on a new chapter, you never know if it'll be BIG or not. All you can do is take a deep breath, carry your faith in your pocket, put your whole heart and soul into that moment, and jump. 

So, that's what I'm doing. This is me jumping. 

This is Veni Etiam Photography, from my heart to yours.