A full-time blogger with more than 11,400 followers at The Dainty Squid, Doolan draws inspiration from the abandoned buildings she finds while biking around town. The ice cream-loving, tattoo-covered, middle-of-nowhere hometown girl channels that creativity into her photography and posts on subjects ranging from cemeteries and Polaroid pictures to fashion, hair and beauty.
How It Started: She began sewing fabric monsters and patterned, zipper pouches in high school. "I wanted to make things," says Doolan, who established her own Etsy shop and promoted it with The Dainty Squid (which gets its name from her dainty cat, Squid). But after a few years, she realized: "I don't like sewing anymore, but I really like blogging."
On Being A Millennial: "We aren't thinking, Oh yes, we should get married and buy a house and settle down," says Doolan, who rents half a duplex in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. "I read the new American dream is to travel, and that totally sums up everybody I know."
Dream Trip: Two years ago Doolan and her boyfriend flew to Denver, rented a car and made a 2,300-mile loop around the desert. "The plane ticket was $100, and we just slept in the car."
Hot Dog: How far does that adventurous spirit go? On her first trip to Happy Dog, she played it safe. "I was a really picky eater," Doolan says. "I asked for just a hot dog and mustard." More recently, her go-to dog is slathered in nacho cheese, sport peppers and chili. "Oh, it's good."
Blogging For A Living: What once felt like a career move that didn't meet "real job" criteria now draws advertising from companies such as Etsy, ModCloth and Universal Studios. "My blog is me," she says. "I can make money doing this, so why not?"
Long-term Hobbies: She collects animal skulls and teeth, and keeps them in her apartment. "I have a display case," she laughs. "I guess growing up in the woods there was always dead stuff, and it wasn't weird." The teeth are more random. "One time, I was at an estate sale and I found dentures," she says. "They're actually expensive because people reuse them."
Next Hair Color: "I want to go green right now," says Doolan. "I really like orange too."
