If you were unaware, living under a rock, or not as obsessed as you should be with this award winning (in my mind), death defying, leaping tall buildings in a single bound, blog of life and all things sacred to the human race, I recently did my first interview on Personal Finance Blogs (PFB) that you can find here.
Modest. Charming. Enthralling. Edge of your seat excitement. A boundless humility stitched together from Mother Theresa’s skirt.
Yep, it was all that and more. Check it out. It might just change your life, change your oil (don’t look out your window) and guarantee you will find the love of your life tomorrow (if you haven’t already. I don’t want any spouses getting mad at me, but sometimes I use Cupid’s arrow to stir my mocktail).
Ahhhh… anyhow, give me a moment as I drop back down to reality, dial the nob down a few notches on the good ol’ amp of creativity. Occasionally I get carried away playing hopscotch from star to star like the godly omniscient presence I can be. Hahaha.
Alright, no more shenanigans. I’m putting on my seriousness pants.
So, the interview itself with PFB, was an interesting process for me internally.
When I was first asked, my initial response was to not do it – a blanket NO, why would I want to bring unwonted attention to myself? Paranoia gripped me like a mouse trapped in a cat’s paw. My imagination ran rampant with all the potential catastrophes as I envisioned my coworkers, drooling from their mouths like rabid zombies, chopping down my office door with hatchets and screaming among clouds of splintering wood that they knew who I was and were coming for blood!
Yes, very disturbing thoughts indeed.
Plus, the goal is to have fun and write, not grow the blog. And I do very little to protect my identity, so if someone wanted to out me, it’s not that hard to connect the dots.
But then after a few moments, sanity settled in.
I had come to an epiphany: we’re all really not that interesting, or we tend to think we’re a lot more interesting than we really are.
This notion has stayed with me as I write, because I find it true. Whether people admit it or not, we are all self-obsessed with ourselves. As it should be, and is by nature’s, as well as evolution’s design. How are we going to survive if we care more about others than our majestic and kingly selves? If we always put someone else’s wellbeing first, we’re probably neglecting either our own physical or mental health. I’m saying this in the relative sense. I’m not saying don’t be a good person, or don’t love your kids or cherish your wife. I’m simply saying, if you don’t take care of your own needs first, the odds are something is going to go wrong at some point.
Plus, I like PFB. I don’t get a whole lot of readers, so it’s always fun when they feature an article, and my blog gets 10 times the traffic for a normal day.
They were asking, so why not return the favor and help out.
Then, answering their questions got me to thinking about what are questions that I’m curious about asking other bloggers? What are some things I look at when reading and think to myself… I wish I had an answer for.
So, based on that mind blowing logic above, here are five questions that I usually ask myself when reading other blogs, that I answered solely for your entertainment and delight, being the accommodating and congenial chap that I am.
1.) How did I name my Blog?
If you’ve already read my PFB interview, then you can skip this question. But for those of you that don’t have the time or care, here’s the answer…
The name of my blog is a funny thing – I tend to be more of a quiet observer and practice watchfulness, so that’s where the name Quiet Financial Independence came from (Q-FI). It encapsulates the person who is quietly going about their business with stealth wealth and is so resolute in their values that they don’t have to voice their opinions.
I originally wanted the site to be named quietfi.com – thinking I was crafty that there weren’t that many blogs that began with the letter “Q”. Of course, the domain was already taken so the host site spit out “My Quiet FI” as another option. At first, I was like cool, that even kind of rhymes – I can totally use this. Then after a few months of writing I realized that everyone did the same thing and there were a bazillion other blogs starting with the word “my”. Hahaha. So, if you’re an aspiring blogger out there that hasn’t picked a name yet, don’t make the same mistake I did!
My personal take on selecting blog names (non-monetizing that is), is you can’t go wrong with something interesting and unique. If it happens to be witty, then bonus points to you as well. Maybe keep it broad too, so you don’t limit yourself. But remember, my advice is worth what it costs you… absolutely nothing.
2.) How did I come up with my logo?
Ah, yes. This is the question of all questions.
I know what keeps you up late at night.
You see that dark blue six-sided polygon with the orange text and flame and have always secretly wondered, how does that bastard Q-FI come up with such artistic magnificence? This guy is a creative genius, an inventive savant, an imaginative virtuoso of poetic eloquence, aesthetics and modern cultivation all in one single mind.
Well, let me tell you…
When I first signed up with Bluehost and created my domain name, I was like, I need a fucking dope logo. This is the first thing that people see, so it needs to leave a good impression. When people see it, they need to think, yeah, that dude has it going on, he knows what the fuck he’s doing!
Now, I’m no graphic designer, so the best way to do this is to hire someone to design me a badass life-stealing logo, that slowly sucks the soul out of you one glance at a time and gets you addicted to my blog. However, I like to research things, so this was going to take a little time.
But I needed something NOW, because I want to start writing and take this project live right away. I’m American and delayed gratification doesn’t come easily to me in a select few situations. So, I do what any other dumbass would do, I type “free logo” into Google and click on the first site that pops up.
On said website, I insert the text “My Quiet FI” and the first logo it spits out is the one you see up there right now. A janky-ass blue six-sided polygon and little orange flame above the words “My Quiet FI.” I thought it was fate. Here I am starting a semi-FIRE blog (at least that was what I was thinking at the time), and “poof,” the first logo it spits out has a flame on it?
This was meant to be.
Then as I try to download the image, the website asks me for $40 bucks for the high-resolution image. And I got pissed off. Why? I really can’t tell you. $40 is nothing to me. But for some reason I couldn’t pull the trigger. I’m like, nope. I’m going to download the crappy, blurry low-resolution version and just use that.
Although my original plan was to eventually design a new one, the longer I had this crappy blue and orange logo, the more stubborn I became. And now I’m attached to the little guy… hahahaha. I can’t change.
So, if you ever wondered why my website looks clean except for the blurry logo, in the top corner, that’s the story. Sometimes I can be a stubborn asshole and very stuck in my ways.
Oh well.
3.) Where do my ideas come from?
The answer to this one is simple: anywhere and everywhere.
I’ve mentioned before that I first started writing as a FI blog, which in retrospect, was a mistake, at least for me personally. All the blogs I had been reading gave me the wrong advice, they were all focused on monetizing, you need to do SEO, you need to find a niche and only write about that… pure rubbish for the creative soul searcher. All they cared about was that you clicked on their affiliate links and started a blog, not if you ever kept writing or not.
Then to be honest, after a few months, writing about FIRE bored the shit out of me. So, I decided to branch out and write about whatever my little heart desires.
As far as my sanity, that’s the best decision I’ve ever made and have found the process the utmost rewarding so far. Some days I’m in a sarcastic asshole frame of mind, and then others I’m lost in a mood of deep reflection. What you get is what you see in the moment.
Maybe that drives my readers insane, maybe not. The thing is, I write for myself. What words need to find themselves onto the written page at any given time or point, is what needed to be said. So, if my topics are all over the place, which they are, no apologies here. That’s just the way it is.
Regarding my content, my inspiration for blog topics mainly comes from daily living. Anything can happen to me at any time, and I jot a few words down or a sentence in my iPhone notes that someday might become the inspiration for a future blog post.
It’s that grand, yet that simple.
4.) How did I pick my blog theme?
Funny story here as well.
Again, knowing nothing before getting into blogging, I was lapping up the advice from all the popular blogs.
A couple of the big ones were slanging out their affiliate links for the Genesis platform and proselytizing that this is what you really need to be a blogger, and like a true idiot, I ate that shit up.
Once again, I have no fucking clue why I did this. Probably the addict in me kicking in and thinking I needed to show up the world, for some weird, delusions of grandeur. All I wanted to do was start writing at a low cost. That was it. I had zero (and still do) aspirations to grow a blog, monetize or do anything beyond a simple hobby to connect with people.
So, either their marketing skills are that good, or I’m just a huge sucker. My money is on that I was the sucker. But we live and learn, right?
The best part was after I had bought the subscription, I ask one of my tech buddies to help me with a few things in setting it up. His reaction to the service I had purchased was priceless. I can’t remember exactly what he had said to me, but the analogy would be pretty close to I was using a flamethrower to light a candle when all I needed was a match.
Hahahaha… well, fucking learned the hard way again.
Take heed from my mistakes young bloggers (which I doubt any are reading)! if you’re doing this as a hobby, don’t waste money on shit you don’t need.
5.) How do I pick a picture for each post?
100% randomness or a mystical whim… hahaha. Can I admit that? Sure.
This is probably the easiest and quickest way I could improve my blog. I think photos that relate to the content of the post add a lot of value.
That being said, mine correlate maybe 2% of the time. Hahahaha. Epic, right? And why is that the case? Because I just don’t have the time nor motivation – maybe if I only posted once a month or something, I could be better at it, but at this point I honestly don’t care. Plus, I also like to use photos that I take myself (I don’t think the dated iPhone X camera is too shabby). If I started making the photos relevant to each post, I’d have to sign up for one of those picture services so I’m not plagiarizing off the internet, which would make this blogging hobby way too serious for me.
One more aside on photos that I want to set straight, with you the reader.
I always see other blogger’s saying, “my pictures are natural, they haven’t been edited or filtered at all,” as if by doing that they’re somehow implying this is a superior method.
I’ve never understood this. How can you claim a picture is natural and unfiltered? Isn’t that what a camera does? It is filtering reality for a static image that doesn’t catch the real natural beauty of the world? At least, that’s how it seems to me.
Because I experience the world in vivid fucking colors. My reality is intense, so I need an image that accurately reflects how I feel. So, I use filters on my pictures and tweak the contrast or colors to my liking… only a little though. I’m not photoshopping or anything, just some minute artistic improvements. Why? Because I don’t think the natural camera does them justice. What I see in real life with my naked eyes, is not what I see in the unaltered pictures.
So, if the colors look a little too good to be true, that’s because they are. This blog needs to represent the world I live in… big, bold, vibrant and bright! Ahahaha!
Well, there you have it, all the deep and unsettling mysteries of the blogging universe unveiled:
- How I chose my blog name?
- How I came up with my logo?
- Where do my ideas come from?
- How did I pick my blog theme?
- How do I select a picture for each post?
I hope you learned something today and were at least a wee-bit entertained.
Till next time ladies and gents.
-Q-FI
—
P.S. Ever have that one tantalizing question that you’ve always wanted to ask a blogger? Tell me what it is?
Mr. Fate says
Five questions with Q-FI! I’m always curious about the process/stories how others developed, manage and generally run their blog, so this is very interesting to me. Wish more actually did these “behind the curtain” articles, so thanks for sharing.
I’m had a good laugh on the logo story. That was the thing I probably put the most effort into. My “Smoking F” logo was designed by a talented teenager outside of Bucharest using Fiverr for a measly $13. I believe it is, far and away, the best thing about FatesOnFire, largely because I had nothing to do with it. Also, word on pro/high-quality photos. Ms Fate is a photographer and has taught me to do it right or not at all.
Q-FI says
I share your curiosity about the process of other bloggers as well. That’s why I was just thinking, I already answered some stuff on PFB, so why not do an actual post that tells a little more. It’s always fascinating to hear the stories behind these online characters.
$13 bucks… going big MF! Hahahaha. I know you can afford more! And nice having Ms. Fate being a photographer. Unfortunately my expertise is snap with my iPhone X and adjust in iPhoto. Nothing high-end nor sophisticated.
And yeah, I do need to actually get a decent logo some day… hahaha. But I have become endeared to that fuzzy emblem. Another funny aside, is when PFB blew it up for the interview, it looked so shitty and blurry because it is so low-resolution. I was slapping my forward – should have bought the high quality one Q-FI for a measly $40.
freddy smidlap says
my first thought was: q-fi has a logo? let’s go check it out! picked my nom de plume from a warning a high school history teacher gave us in the 9th grade. “if you kids don’t learn this american history you’ll end up driving a garbage truck like ol’ freddy smidlap!” i carried that name around for about 35 years before finding a use for that beauty. my logo and 95% of my photos are appropriated from mrs. smidlap’s facebook page without her permission. dude, when i started blogging i didn’t even know how to take a screenshot. it’s all been a good learning experience with a “starter” blog where i can just spew whatever hits me. there is really some sound principle couched in sarcasm and humor but i make ’em dig for it.
once you have 300 posts it’s hard to go back and fix all the crap i did “wrong” so i’ll do better with the next blog now that i have developed a few mad skillz. you said it best when the “raison d’blog” is to have some fun and connect and learn some things. keep on truckin’ and being you.
Q-FI says
Hahahaha… Logo? What logo? I love you taking all the pics from Mrs. Smidlap’s FB page. Classic.
I agree, it’s been fun dicking around on a learning blog. And as you say, “spewing whatever hits me.” And yeah, once you get up in posts, it’s a little too late to change unless you have plenty of time on your hands.
Always good shit from you Freddy. Much appreciated.
Tag says
#31 checking in.
“The name of my blog is a funny thing – I tend to be more of a quiet observer and practice watchfulness”
Lol, your online persona contrasts very nicely with your IRL persona.
“If I started making the photos relevant to each post, I’d have to sign up for one of those picture services so I’m not plagiarizing off the internet, which would make this blogging hobby way too serious for me. ”
For whatever it’s worth there are free images from sites like Unsplash and Pixabay you can use without having to create an account with them. There is an occasional upsell here and there but definitely worth it IMO.
That + Gimp (open source photoshop) is enough to scratch the itch if you ever want to go in that direction.
What’s nice about your photos are:
1) I’ve never seen them. On the rare occasion you see some of the more popular license free images here or there.
2) They don’t look like they’re from free image sites. Maybe it’s just because I frequent those sites but a lot of those photos “feel” like they come from a license free site. That’s why I downloaded gimp and usually spend 10 minutes or so hacking together something so it has a little more unique feel to it.
Congrats on the interview! MQFI is on the come-up!
Q-FI says
Hahahaha… I love the #31 reference. Not many will get that… well played.
Yeah, my tag line is how I would like life to be… “a subtle, serene journey to quiet financial independence.” In reality it’s been anything but that. But we can still dream, right?
Good points on the photos. You caught me, that I’m really just too lazy to do it and I like nature. But if I ever go the other route, I’ll keep those sites in mind.
Thanks for chiming and offering some insight Tag! Good stuff.
Noel says
Cool dude. Appreciate you sharing the “behind the scenes” process you have going on. I was gonna ask at some point if you took all the photos on your site yourself. I think they’re pretty good. I do the random photo thing too 99% of the time. I still don’t know what half the functions are on my wordpress dashboard…as long as I now how to type, insert photos and can push publish, that’s all I really need to know how to do.
I like the story behind the logo lol. I’d probably have done the same thing. I ended up just “drawing” my logo based on some art I’d purchased in Mexico. I didn’t even know there were logo generators. I agree with you that there seems to be only so much one can write about FIRE. These days I tend to be drawn to the bloggers that just talk about “life” with some PF or investing sprinkled in for good measure. Congrats on the interview dude! keep up the great writing
Q-FI says
I wish my behind the scenes was more intriguing than it actually is… haha. But I know how much I start wondering about other bloggers, so I always enjoy sharing my creative process whether it’s interesting or not. I think we all get curious at some point about our fellow online personas.
Nothing wrong with the random photo thing, and I’m not the most well versed WordPress user as well. That’s probably why my posts remain so simple.
I think once you get beyond the numbers… FI turns into just one big conversation on philosophy. Pick which rabbit hole you like and jump on in.
Thanks for the comment Noel.
Chris@TTL says
Hey Q-FI! Recent PFB interviewee checking in 🙂 I had a similar apprehension to doing it as well. Jenni seemed to handle it a bit better than I did. We’ve got a few more of those sorts of things to do, so, better get comfortable.
Thanks for sharing your stories “behind the scenes” on your writing process and how the site came about. Always neat to see these origin stories. I appreciate your pivot away from FIRE, though of course, it’s often easy to associate some personal finance-related wisdom with life’s grind as you write—just like Noel mentioned.
I guess the most important question I have for you is…
…Are you motivated to keep doing it? If so, do you have a particular “goal” where you’ll feel like you’ve “made it” for yourself?
Cheers!
Q-FI says
Hey Chris and thanks for the great comment.
First, congrats as well on your PFB interview. It’s good to know others felt the same way at first. I think that just comes with the territory as we start to figure out how much of our story we want to reveal and how comfortable we are with doing certain things. I’m a relatively new blogger, under 1.5 years experience and never thought anyone would even be interested enough to even ask for some interview questions. So I personally hadn’t even thought about it. And since this is just a hobby for me, zero interest in monetizing and growing, “no” was the first thing that popped into my mind even though I really enjoyed writing the answers to the interview once I committed. So in retrospect, I’m really glad I did it, plus it turned some new great readers onto me as well.
In regards to your question: yes, I am still motivated to keep doing it. Although, my situation might be a little unique, I’ll try to explain.
Literally, my first goal was what you saw in the “30” post you found. When I finally decided to write, I promised myself I would post twice a week for one year (I’m an alpha so I knew I’d make it). Then after that I would see how I felt and if I wanted to continue (my gut was I’d probably continue, but in reality I really had no clue because I’ve never tried to do anything like a blog before). When I accomplished my goal in September 2020, I still enjoyed writing but the posting twice a week was becoming hard to keep up, so I switched to once a week. I’ve found this schedule a lot easier and more fun to maintain. Also, like I mentioned previously, I have no desire to make this a business venture (not sure I even could), so there’s no pressure to continue writing. When I want to stop, I’ll stop and shut it down. No two thoughts about it.
However, both the story telling and writing on this blog have turned out to be much more cathartic for me than I would have ever imagined.
I’ve been a musician my entire life, and after I got out of rehab in 2016, I was really struggling to find any kind of creativity. I’m a drummer by trade and I couldn’t experience the world in rhythms any more. It was really depressing because I’ve never struggled with anything like it before. However, when I started the blog in late 2019, the writing seemed to instantly fill this creative void for me. I started with FI but quickly branched out to addiction, introspection and other more meaningful topics that have given me great joy to write about. Most of it isn’t pretty, but I keep writing solely because it’s fun and a positive force in my life.
The other unintended benefit are the connections I have made. There are some remarkable and inspirational people online that I have come to hold in very high esteem. Getting raw feedback, from smart and intelligent people is also a good motivator.
So that was a long winded answer to your question, but there no longer is any goal for me. I write about what is interesting and fun to me. When I’m no longer happy with it, I’ll stop.
Great loaded question by the way…. hahaha.
Katie Camel says
I can tell this blog is cathartic for you and I’m glad. That makes it so much more worthwhile. Glad you’re here to share all your thoughts with us! 🙂
Q-FI says
Thanks Katie. I’m glad you read and provide thoughtful comments.
Katie Camel says
Sweet! I didn’t realize all those photos were yours. I thought you were plucking them off the same free site we all seem to use (pixabay, in case you ever need it). Once in awhile I pull something from there. Otherwise, I use my own pictures. I don’t use filters, but sometimes I have to brighten them if they’re too dark.
I remember seeing you on PFB and was so excited to see you on there! Well deserved! 🙂
Like you, I prefer writing about whatever strikes my fancy. Sometimes it ties in directly to personal finance, sometimes not. But it’s all part of the wider journey, right? Keep it up – you’re doing awesome!
Q-FI says
All the photos are mine except for 2 on the entire site, that I haven’t gotten around to change yet. I need to do it at some point, but just haven’t. Hahaha. So, I can’t claim complete autonomy yet. But I’m close… very close. Hopefully those two photographers don’t notice until I make my Kansas City Shuffle.
Always glad to have you along for this wild ride Miss Katie. Love the continued support.
FI for the People says
Awww, man. You revealed ALL the answers to the mysteries of blogging. Couldn’t you have left two or three unrevealed? Now I’ve got nothing to discover on my own. 😉
Q-FI says
Hahahaha… you had me cracking up with this. Once I eventually get my own, “Thing 1” there will be more mysteries to come.
Thanks for swinging by FFTP.