Three years ago, I had the crazy idea to put my favorite photographs from my travels onto a website, to see whether they might inspire someone.
Someone other than me.
I had a vision that was not perfectly formed, and no sense of entrepreneurship whatsoever. My goal was simply to share the snapshots that I had collected with the world, to hopefully evoke feeling through my photographic perspective, and to connect with people who loved what I loved - places, color, details and the simple beauty of daily life.
I launched my online shop and my blog simultaneously, taking a deep breath and a great big leap, putting myself and my photography out there for the world to see.
Someone other than me.
I had a vision that was not perfectly formed, and no sense of entrepreneurship whatsoever. My goal was simply to share the snapshots that I had collected with the world, to hopefully evoke feeling through my photographic perspective, and to connect with people who loved what I loved - places, color, details and the simple beauty of daily life.
I launched my online shop and my blog simultaneously, taking a deep breath and a great big leap, putting myself and my photography out there for the world to see.
Read my first-ever blog post about Veni Etiam's launch
In blog posts, I started to share the moments and feelings behind my images, conveying what stopped me in my tracks, what I felt was a beautiful moment and a beautiful place.
I have always said that when I first launched my website and shop, I did not have a clue that what I was launching was (also) a business. I was a full-time PhD candidate in neurolinguistics; my head was immersed in science – theories, hypotheses, brain waves, syntax, statistics… But I’d always had a creative counterpart to this scientific soul – I had always been a writer, filling notebooks without the constraints of margins or lines, blogging for my university, dreaming up jobs that were unconventional for a tenure-track scientist. I had also always been a traveler, and even more so thanks to my scientific career.
I have always said that when I first launched my website and shop, I did not have a clue that what I was launching was (also) a business. I was a full-time PhD candidate in neurolinguistics; my head was immersed in science – theories, hypotheses, brain waves, syntax, statistics… But I’d always had a creative counterpart to this scientific soul – I had always been a writer, filling notebooks without the constraints of margins or lines, blogging for my university, dreaming up jobs that were unconventional for a tenure-track scientist. I had also always been a traveler, and even more so thanks to my scientific career.
 Find out 5 things you (probably) didn't know about Veni Etiam |  Read about my split soul between science and art |
So, it seemed only natural that Veni Etiam existed on the side, coaxing me now and then to pay more attention to it, to help it grow beyond that initial circle of friends, colleagues and acquaintances who excitedly supported this inspiring endeavor.
I remember the first connections I made with strangers who discovered Veni Etiam. I carefully watched their reactions, carefully listened to the words they used to describe what they saw and what it made them feel. To me, it was my perspective, my experiences, my story. I knew my images by heart. I had given them each a title that meant something to me. To them, it was fresh, different, beautiful, colorful, inspiring. I remember feeling disbelief and belief all at once, that I could reach people in this way, that they saw value in what I created. They found themselves in the images, the perspective, the titles and the captions. They chose what represented them. They shared their own travel stories and bucket-list aspirations with me.
I remember the first connections I made with strangers who discovered Veni Etiam. I carefully watched their reactions, carefully listened to the words they used to describe what they saw and what it made them feel. To me, it was my perspective, my experiences, my story. I knew my images by heart. I had given them each a title that meant something to me. To them, it was fresh, different, beautiful, colorful, inspiring. I remember feeling disbelief and belief all at once, that I could reach people in this way, that they saw value in what I created. They found themselves in the images, the perspective, the titles and the captions. They chose what represented them. They shared their own travel stories and bucket-list aspirations with me.
 Find out which 6 photographs are most special to me |  My "What's in a Name" series explains the titles of my photographs |
Learn about my culinary experience in Italy's Salento region
Discover which 8 things I love to photograph
Those encounters sparked passion in me and fueled this venture in a way that was totally unexpected.
My “why” then became clearer and more well-formed. I wrote more posts, shared more about my journey, participated in more events, created more products.
(I still had a PhD to finish and defend, but what a beautiful way to procrastinate THIS was!)
My “why” then became clearer and more well-formed. I wrote more posts, shared more about my journey, participated in more events, created more products.
(I still had a PhD to finish and defend, but what a beautiful way to procrastinate THIS was!)
Read about "my why" in an interview with a decor magazine
 My Nostalgia posts let you in on the places that matter most to me |  Read about my daily views when I lived on an Italian vineyard |
Discover 5 facts about me
Unexpectedly, the Etsy Montreal community took me under their wing. I don’t even remember how I first discovered the team, but the artisan community blew me away. There was so much to learn, and so much know-how to pass onto others. I volunteered my time for a year and eventually was recruited as one of the team leaders.
 Experience what are Etsy Montreal events are like |  Learn more about the inspiring artist community in Canada |
After graduating with my PhD, I devoted more time to Veni Etiam. The more time I spent on it, the more I fell in love with the journey.
I fell in love with creating something that comes from me but resonates with you, and am so touched when you say I helped you find something that inspires you daily or solves a hurdle in your decor.
I fell in love with creating something that comes from me but resonates with you, and am so touched when you say I helped you find something that inspires you daily or solves a hurdle in your decor.
 Read about how wonderful clients keep me going |  How you inspire me to keep inspiring you |
I fell in love with the ins and outs of entrepreneurship and all the different hats we wear – design, production, shop manager, marketing manager, sales rep, customer service rep, events rep, accountant, photographer… tasks with which to easily fill a 60-hour week!
I fell in love with the feeling that running my business gives me – the daily ingenuity, flexibility, connection, learning, decision-making, experimenting, risk-taking and re-assessing that comes with the territory, often pushing me outside of my comfort zone and sometimes causing me a heck of a ton of stress, but also allowing me to carve a life that is centered on creativity, connection and balance.
I fell in love with the feeling that running my business gives me – the daily ingenuity, flexibility, connection, learning, decision-making, experimenting, risk-taking and re-assessing that comes with the territory, often pushing me outside of my comfort zone and sometimes causing me a heck of a ton of stress, but also allowing me to carve a life that is centered on creativity, connection and balance.
Read about the 11 business lessons I learned by doing
Discover my favorite mindfulness tips for a life of peace, creativity and abundance
I have accepted by now that I’m an odd chicken, a split soul, an outside-the-box Dr. who wants to do so much in one short life.
Through Veni Etiam’s growth, I have been so overjoyed and SO excited as I see its true potential, and as new ideas, opportunities and collaborations have come to fruition.
And I think the best is yet to come!
Through Veni Etiam’s growth, I have been so overjoyed and SO excited as I see its true potential, and as new ideas, opportunities and collaborations have come to fruition.
And I think the best is yet to come!
This year, I have lofty goals for Veni Etiam and I know that there will also be many unexpected twists and turns along the way to make the story all the more interesting!
To all of you who have been on this journey since day one, I’m so grateful to have had you by my side! To those of you I met along the way – thank you so much for making a little room for me in your lives.
To those of you who have just stumbled upon Veni Etiam, there’s so much to discover, so please stick around. You can follow this blog, and my daily posts on Instagram and Facebook. Heck, you can even become a VIP and be privy to newsletters and coupons!
To my fellow artists and entrepreneurs: I’m so honored to be among you, to learn along with you – often through you.
To anyone with big dreams and multiple passions that can seem (to others or to yourself) as irreconcilable: don’t doubt, just do.
Only then can you really find yourself.
To those of you who have just stumbled upon Veni Etiam, there’s so much to discover, so please stick around. You can follow this blog, and my daily posts on Instagram and Facebook. Heck, you can even become a VIP and be privy to newsletters and coupons!
To my fellow artists and entrepreneurs: I’m so honored to be among you, to learn along with you – often through you.
To anyone with big dreams and multiple passions that can seem (to others or to yourself) as irreconcilable: don’t doubt, just do.
Only then can you really find yourself.
From my heart to yours.
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