i have a question...
so, this may seem strange but i wanted to ask everyone what their intent is for creating zines but also for being involved with this writing group. why do you do zines? what makes it fulfilling to you (or not)? where to you hope to go or learn through zines? what is you philosophy behind creating zines? what is your personal framework of ethics or asthetics applied to zines?
i guess i feel that your reference point and intent determine your mood and style and how you choose to express yourself. thinking about this can be limiting but it can also be defining in a sense.
i started thinking about this last night. i create zines because that is what i do. i don't think i could stop if i had to. zines have become such a large part of my life and they cover about every aspect from my politics to community to travel and more. zines are a ridiculously versatile and economical medium for people to express themselves.
at first zines were my way to fight the isolation i was feeling living in utah and trying to reach out to others that felt like me. over the years i have met those people and some of them have become my best friends ever. it has become a thing about community to me and a way to connect.
NOTE:this is about me and why i do the things i do. i have learned over the years that by expressing my intent and desires some people take that as a criticism of them. this is not about how other choose to live their life, this is about what works for me. i am perfectly capable living with contradictions.
my ethics in zines are like this: i made zines, that's what i do. i'm all about DIY. I think that one of the most important things we can do is create art out of the hands of the corporations that are gobbling up this world. zines are an imporatant way to get messages out for everything to what to use to replace eggs in vegan cooking to the lies our government tells us. zines are a way to connect on a personal, non- polished level that makes everyone as equal as thier imaginaion allows them to be. we are not limited by the money that we have and what we can buy with it if we work with what we have.
i'm not trying to write the next great american novel. i'm not that amazing of a writer and i could never write fiction (believe me, i have tried. and after seeing the ugliness of the publishing world i wouldn't want to) i write from the heart. i attempt to find words to describe the things i feel inside and the way i see the world around me. zines are an end in and of them self for me. i like to think that i make my particular feelings and experiences correspond to universal themes in order to try and make them make sense to other people outside my head. i fully admit though, that zines are a self indulgent thing for me and i'm fine with that.
i think that zines are quite different from traditional books and i like that. i think the beauty of zines is the ability to mix text and images. to me that is part of the story. it is not just about adding images and text though, words have thier own connotations and the reference in size and placement is key in creating something new out of them. this has always been a frustrating thing for me in writing groups because i don't just think of words on a page, i see layout in my hed. i will try my best to explain this along with the text to hpefully give you an idea of what i'm going for.
i think that creative reuse is a vital componet to life on this plantet. we need to figure out what to with the crap we throw away and think is gone...because it isn't. maybe this is my excuse for being a packrat but i enjoy incorporating this into creating zines. and making things out of what other peole would call trash.
i like making things and selling them at a price that i would pay for them. i have a very limited amount of money and if i couldn't by something that i made i would be upset with myself and would call myself a sell out.
there are lots more things but i'll sht up now. what are you views on zines? i feel that letting eachother know how we see things will help us help each other reach our goals and visions for our projects. sorry for rambling.
i guess i feel that your reference point and intent determine your mood and style and how you choose to express yourself. thinking about this can be limiting but it can also be defining in a sense.
i started thinking about this last night. i create zines because that is what i do. i don't think i could stop if i had to. zines have become such a large part of my life and they cover about every aspect from my politics to community to travel and more. zines are a ridiculously versatile and economical medium for people to express themselves.
at first zines were my way to fight the isolation i was feeling living in utah and trying to reach out to others that felt like me. over the years i have met those people and some of them have become my best friends ever. it has become a thing about community to me and a way to connect.
NOTE:this is about me and why i do the things i do. i have learned over the years that by expressing my intent and desires some people take that as a criticism of them. this is not about how other choose to live their life, this is about what works for me. i am perfectly capable living with contradictions.
my ethics in zines are like this: i made zines, that's what i do. i'm all about DIY. I think that one of the most important things we can do is create art out of the hands of the corporations that are gobbling up this world. zines are an imporatant way to get messages out for everything to what to use to replace eggs in vegan cooking to the lies our government tells us. zines are a way to connect on a personal, non- polished level that makes everyone as equal as thier imaginaion allows them to be. we are not limited by the money that we have and what we can buy with it if we work with what we have.
i'm not trying to write the next great american novel. i'm not that amazing of a writer and i could never write fiction (believe me, i have tried. and after seeing the ugliness of the publishing world i wouldn't want to) i write from the heart. i attempt to find words to describe the things i feel inside and the way i see the world around me. zines are an end in and of them self for me. i like to think that i make my particular feelings and experiences correspond to universal themes in order to try and make them make sense to other people outside my head. i fully admit though, that zines are a self indulgent thing for me and i'm fine with that.
i think that zines are quite different from traditional books and i like that. i think the beauty of zines is the ability to mix text and images. to me that is part of the story. it is not just about adding images and text though, words have thier own connotations and the reference in size and placement is key in creating something new out of them. this has always been a frustrating thing for me in writing groups because i don't just think of words on a page, i see layout in my hed. i will try my best to explain this along with the text to hpefully give you an idea of what i'm going for.
i think that creative reuse is a vital componet to life on this plantet. we need to figure out what to with the crap we throw away and think is gone...because it isn't. maybe this is my excuse for being a packrat but i enjoy incorporating this into creating zines. and making things out of what other peole would call trash.
i like making things and selling them at a price that i would pay for them. i have a very limited amount of money and if i couldn't by something that i made i would be upset with myself and would call myself a sell out.
there are lots more things but i'll sht up now. what are you views on zines? i feel that letting eachother know how we see things will help us help each other reach our goals and visions for our projects. sorry for rambling.