This week, two of my friends released new issues of their zines and while they couldn’t be more different from one another, both of them have inspired me to jump back in on my own zine project. Parable is the name of Sean Tucker’s zine and the second issue is a slight departure from the first. In the new issue, Sean shares a much more personal story of growing up in Africa and, years later after moving to the UK, returning to visit Namibia to photograph the Himba. There a few lessons that hit me, not the least of which was “I learnt that if you really want to make a specific body of work, you can’t wait for someone to knock on your door and offer you money to do it.”
Maarten Rots publishes March & Rock and one of the things I love about it—and about Maarten himself—is there are no rules. Each issue centers on a particular creative expression or exploration. In one, he may be manufacturing scenes using shards of glass and a number of slide projectors. In another, he may be documenting a village in Spain painted blue to promote a film. In his most recent issue, called Solstitium, he gave himself both a logistical and a creative challenge: Spend all 24 hours of the summer solstice in a single city to take photographs. Pick one photograph for each hour and compile an edition of March & Rock in chronological order. The resulting body of work is a fascinating look how light and focus changed throughout the day (and night) as Maarten walked the streets of Düsseldorf, Germany.
My own zine project stalled earlier in the year on the back of not being able to decide what direction I wanted it to take. What I’ve finally come to realize is that it doesn’t have to be anything in particular, other than an honest reflection of some facet of me and my creative energy at the moment. That could mean photographs, paintings, writing, some combination of the three, or something I haven’t even thought of yet. The point is just to start, because that’s really the only thing we have much control over.
QUESTIONS
Have you ever made a zine?
Do you have any favorite zines that you’ve seen? I’m always looking for new inspiration and I’d love to hear from you. Either hit reply or email me at talkback@jefferysaddoris.com.
'Just start' is the key that unlocks possibilities, but it's hard. Especially when you want the 'thing' that you're starting to be the best it can be. Start it, then edit and revise as you go and you'll know when it's ready to set free.
I self published two magazines a few years back as a way to get some of my photographs off my hard drive and into print, my first love. I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, but process of putting together the first one got me excited. I printed two copies, the beauty of digital printing, and proudly showed them to a few people. I was only looking to say 'look what I've done'. I wasn't expecting any real feedback as this was a purely personal project. However, the response was always 'can I buy a copy' which was a surprise. I bit the bullet and printed 25 copies and set up a shop on my website. A little social promotion and they sold out, printed more and they continued to sell. I followed up with a second issue a few months later.
Your blip here has now spurred me on to start again, thank you.
I've just ordered Sean Tucker's second edition of Parable and I also have his first.
I'd be interested to read what you print, but am happy to read here or on Instagram if you don't.