Kristina Kasparian, PhD, a former neurolinguistics researcher turned entrepreneur, is the owner of Veni Etiam Photography, a Montreal-based art shop specializing in vibrant, travel-inspired home decor. Her work transforms photography into wall art, notebooks, coasters, and other home accessories, capturing the beauty of places both familiar and exotic. Veni Etiam, meaning “come again” in Latin, reflects her love for revisiting places and moments, which she conveys through her unique “picture poetry” style.
What is your business called and what does it do?
Veni Etiam Photography is a home decor shop made for dreamers and colour lovers. I create wall art and home decor accessories out of my travel photography. I offer a wide range of products for every style and budget, even some functional items like notebooks, trays, coasters, and tables. The collection is versatile, so there is something for every kind of decor and every kind of dreamer. The wall art can be customized to almost any size on paper, canvas, metal, acrylic, with or without a frame. For those who love photography but don’t have space on their walls, I make “minis” in 4×4 inches and 5×7 inches that are cute and easy to display more informally with washi tape or by clipping them to a string, and I also make greeting cards that can easily be framed for safekeeping.
What made you want to do this work?
I haven’t always been a photographer. I started out as a scientist; I have a PhD in neurolinguistics and was all set for a career in research. Photography began as a hobby when I was living in Europe pursuing my master’s degree. I started experimenting with composition, exposure, contrasts and technique, mostly learning by doing, just for fun. My friends kept complimenting my travel photos and the way they could immediately tell that the shots were mine, because of my perspective and visual storytelling. During my PhD, to distract myself from the stress of my thesis, I launched a travel blog and online shop with a few prints on canvas. I didn’t realize at first that this was actually “starting a business” – I was just experimenting with something that brought me joy. My shop grew quickly in its first year, especially as I began participating in local art fairs, exhibitions and getting wholesale orders for my prints to be sold in retail stores.
I didn’t intend to be a full-time entrepreneur, but life had other plans. Due to a health condition that required a more flexible lifestyle, I pivoted away from my career in academia and invested more resources into my business(es). Photography helped me through this extremely difficult transition period when I was struggling physically, mentally and emotionally. It became a form of daily mindfulness and gratitude for me, kind of like a form of journaling and observation, but it also helped my body heal from surgeries and miscarriages because so much of photography requires patience, good posture, breathing, and releasing tension. That’s when I realized that this hobby-turned-profession was also a gift for my well-being.
What problem did you want to solve with the business?
I launched my shop at a time where the trends in decor were very neutral and beigey. My photography and decor style is vibrant and colourful, and it was risky to go against trend, but I wanted to offer something that stood out. Instagram was not a huge part of our daily culture back then, and I was still among the few in my neighbourhood out for a stroll or a grocery run with a camera hanging off me. I was also one of the few at a restaurant who would photograph her food when it arrived (with an actual bulky camera)! I wanted my artwork to be captivating in an authentic way, not over-filtered or over-manipulated so that the focus could be on composition and emotion. My style is what I call “picture poetry”, an act of mindfulness and celebrating places and moments that are mundane but meaningful. I don’t only sell prints of landmarks, for example. I have a lot of prints in my collection that are tiny details that say something about a bigger feeling. I like to inspire my clients to slow down, observe what’s changing around them and inside of them, and open themselves up to feeling nostalgia, even for places they’ve not yet seen.
Who are your clientele/demographics?
Because I offer such a wide product range, my clientele is also quite varied. Young families and corporate clients tend to choose framed wall art in larger sizes as well as prints on canvas or metal, whereas my older clientele (50+) enjoy giftable items like cards, notebooks and small framed pieces they can add to their existing decor. I have clients who buy images of places they’ve been that are meaningful in their own personal history, but also a lot of clients who buy prints of places on their bucket lists, so they can dream and plan to make it happen!
How does your business make money? How does it work?
My products are sold on my website, on Etsy, through Instagram or Facebook, in shops that carry my products, as well as in-person at exhibitions and craft markets. I prepare and ship the products myself out of my private studio in Montreal, Canada.
Where in the city can we find your profession?
You can shop online – I ship worldwide – or you can follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my newsletter to be kept informed of my shows across Ontario and Quebec.
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.
Why are your prints more expensive than other shops? Nothing I make is mass-produced, even if that would offset the rising costs of paper and other materials. Each photograph is giclee printed in very small batches on superior-quality and FSC-certified fine-art paper. Each print is packaged with an insert that gives its unique title, location and caption. This is a ton of work, but it makes the image all the more meaningful for the person who receives it. My packaging materials are eco-friendly and many of them are compostable. I work with local custom framers who select their materials from sustainable sources. Everything I create is made with intention and care in limited quantities to prevent waste. A product’s cost reflects its production practices (and, in my case, also reflects the equipment, travel, and expertise required). I am proud of the choices I have made to reduce waste and give back to my local economy.
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
The hardest thing about being a business owner is the flipside of the coin of the best things. For example, your flexible schedule can also be a source of anxiety when you aren’t sure how your income will fluctuate throughout the year. It’s also hard to invest in your business sometimes and to take risks, to get into the mindset that you have to spend money to make money. It’s challenging to be a creative business owner in a culture obsessed with productivity and profit. In recent years, I find this hustle is so overrated. Creativity needs to be nourished and replenished. A step back is often the best step forward! It’s easy to let trends, urgency, rejection, and the daily grind make you burn out and forget why you chose to CREATE what you create in the first place.
The most rewarding aspect of this work is the connection it allows me to have with others. It’s so touching and humbling to know that something that inspired me is now occupying a space in someone’s home, somewhere in the world! A home is a sanctuary and to know that someone has chosen something of mine for their personal space fills me with tremendous gratitude. It’s also cool how a photo I took in Italy ended up printed in Canada and shipped to Australia as a gift for someone who got married in Italy! It’s an incredible thought, all these woven threads and connected dots, all these messy yet beautiful personal histories intersecting in this way. I especially love reading (positive) reviews and messages where people share why a particular image has spoken to them. That’s why I do so many exhibits and markets a year, as exhausting as they are, because the feedback that comes directly from shoppers is truly priceless.
What is your favourite joke about your own profession?
People always think my name is Veni, because of my shop’s name. It’s become a running joke with my peers on the art scene. “Veni Etiam” is a Latin phrase that means “come again.” I named my shop Veni Etiam because I have always been inspired by places, how they change, and how we do. My shop is an ode to the magic of returning and making new discoveries in familiar places.
Where can we follow you?
PAY IT FORWARD: What is another local business that you love?
Dark Capucine makes enchanting floral domes with locally sourced dried flowers. Her work resonates with me because she also has a poetic approach to freezing a beautiful moment in time.
I also love This Ilk who creates intricate and innovative jewelry from vintage lace. I can immediately recognize her designs because her style is so unique. I have many different pairs of her earrings and I always forget I’m wearing them because they are so lightweight and comfortable.
