Inquiries of Art + XIV Fan Merch Network – An Announcement!

In all arts I participate in, I consider myself largely a hobbyist. Drawing, writing, cosplaying – these are things I do partly for my own enjoyment, and partly to connect to others in those spaces. Tips and commissions occur occasionally, but not regularly. I hope to reach readers and viewers who also enjoy my work, but my livelihood does not depend on doing so. For many of the artists whom I interview, however, this is not the case.

As we continue speeding towards a future of uncertainty and instability, often I have asked myself (as many of us are and should be asking ourselves), “What can I do to help?” I had largely stepped away from fandoms and online creative circles to focus on other parts of my life, a decision I do not regret, but always the desire to step back into writing niggled at me. When the time is right, I thought.

Well, the time has never felt more right, and so I return to Inquiries of Art to continue creating a space where artists can show their work and share their knowledge and perspectives. This time, however, I do not return alone.

To kick off my return, I reached out to the XIV Fan Merch Network, a “collection of 200+ XIV Fan Merch Shops made by passionate artists and artisans.” The network has just celebrated their one year anniversary this April, so it ended up being a serendipitous time to connect. XIVFMN regularly features artists within their network on their socials, and pairing their features with small interviews would be a perfect bridge back into writing while also opening my platform up to more creators than I could realistically connect with on my own.

Thankfully, the founders and mods of XIVFMN agreed, and so I’m thrilled to announce my brand-new monthly interview articles in collaboration with the artists and artisans of the XIV Fan Merch Network, starting with my first article going up next Monday, April 28th!

I am also fully planning on jumping head-first once more into my longer form interviews, but the time and energy required of those can often mean a minimum of two months in between articles. By working with the XIVFMN, I’ll be able to spotlight more creators every month, and I couldn’t be more excited. I hope you enjoy what’s to come, and please support the artists and creators in your life, and online, wherever and whenever you can!

Times are tough, and getting tougher, but at least we can look out for one another.