Meet Jean Alger | Writer, Editor, & Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jean Alger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jean, is there something you believe many others might not?
When I was starting my business, a lot of people told me to “Figure out what people wanted, and give them that. Go where the market is.” This is technically good advice, in terms of earning power and rapid growth, I suppose. Shaping ourselves in terms of what people want is a way to get business, but in the long run, it’s not sustainable and becomes soul crushing.

I started my business as a way to become more independent, and to live a life more aligned with my personal values. I started a business so I could chase my passions and live creatively. If I decide to shape my business according to what others want from me, and not what I have to and want to offer, I don’t see how it’s much different than staying in the salaried job I left. Quick and constant growth was not my goal when starting a business. I had no desire to build a big business and then sell it off and start something new. I just wanted to find a way to support myself and live my life authentically.

What should our readers know about your business?
Some of my earliest memories are connected to writing, reading, and learning, and one of the first things I felt really good at was teaching. It made sense, then, that I would end up in graduate school studying English and that I earned a doctoral degree in American Literature and Rhetoric, with the plan of becoming a career academic.

It was a shock to many, including myself, when I left a career I spent 15 years in to work part time in an independent bookstore and start my own business. After 15 years of teaching at the college level and researching and writing (if you combine my time in graduate school and my time after), it was difficult to make the choice to exit the field I was sure I would spend my life in. Yet, I wasn’t happy. I had been unhappy for years, and, despite people telling me things would get better, they never did improve for me. And so, finally, I left, and launched my business, Ink and Vein: Writing and Mindfulness Services.

I chose to start my own business in hopes that I would be able to continue what I loved about the academic world: reading, writing, teaching others, connecting people to the written word. I also wanted more time for my creative life, and to find a balance between work and life outside of work. As a college professor, I found myself working easily 50 hours a week or more during the semester, and it didn’t leave me much room for my own writing. As a person with depression, anxiety, and ADHD, my brain felt constantly overloaded and my body suffered, too. My professional life just wasn’t sustainable, and so I left it behind to find another way of life– one that I hoped would be more sustainable, slower, and filled with creativity and passion.

In my business, Ink and Vein: Writing and Mindfulness Services, I find that I am much more free to teach writing as an artform that is integrated with our lives, integrated with the body and the spirit, rather than separate from it. In all my time in academia, I spent so much time in my brain, in my intellect, that I became quite disconnected from my body. Practicing yoga along with mindfulness practices helped me reconnect with my body, and also greatly influenced how I thought about my teaching and my personal writing practice. I sought to combine the two, empowering my students to think of writing not as an act of the mind, but as something that is embodied and that requires our bodies and our spirits working in connection with our minds. Additionally, teaching writing workshops that I designed myself without the strictures of academic “rigor” allowed for me to create space where students felt more comfortable exploring and expressing themselves.

In my business, I offer writing workshops, one-on-one consulting, and editing services that approach writing in a holistic fashion. I take the needs of my clients into consideration as I design ways to teach and work with them, but I also am able to bring my full self into my workshops. My experiences in higher education, along with my mental health history, allow me to create a space where inclusion and comfort are prioritized, and where my clients can bring their whole selves, too.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would always take people to the Great Sand Dunes and to Zapata Falls. I love both places in all seasons (though on windy days the Sand Dunes are a bit of a challenge). We would need to stop at The Ruby Rose for breakfast and coffee, either before or after our trip to the Dunes, and make a stop up the highway a bit at the UFO Watchtower to check out the Cosmic Garden.

In the fall, the Middle Frisco trail in Del Norte is a must. The leaf change is gorgeous there, and at times it feels like you’re in a shower of gold. Three Barrell Brewing for a beer and pizza after the hike would make for a perfect day.

In Monte Vista, I’d hit up the Church Project to see what creative workshops or events are taking place. In Alamosa, I’d go to Milagros coffee for a pastry and (of course) coffee, and then across the street to the Narrow Gauge Book Cooperative to browse and probably purchase a book and some stickers or cards designed by local artists. I’d be sure to take a walk along the river, and maybe head out to the Alamosa Wildlife Refuge.

There are many, many other places I could take someone, but those are the top choices.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My friend Rachel has always been my biggest supporter. We’ve known each other since I was 16 or 17, and throughout the many different paths of my life, she has always believed in me and my ability to accomplish whatever I put my mind to (she also has a nice and direct way of telling me things are not a good idea).

My friend Jenn, who I met in college, has also always been a huge support. While I was finishing my doctoral studies and ran out of funding, she let me live with her rent free. When I told her I wasn’t happy in my career, she listened and helped me brainstorm ways out of it, and she has cheered me on every step of the way as I work towards building my business, writing my book, and starting an independent press.

And, I am greatly appreciative of the Narrow Gauge Book Cooperative where I work part time. They gave me space to indulge a lifelong dream of working in a bookstore, and having a little steady income while I figured out the rest.

Website: https://inkinherveins.com

Instagram: @inkandvein

Image Credits
Kyle Burnett
Sarah Burnhardt
Bill Hatcher