For a long time my writing and creative practice has existed primarily inside of this platform of substack newsletters. As I have deepened my identity as a creative, I have found inspiration within a variety of mediums. Collage has always been a practice of mine, as well as zine making. Last month I ran a Creative Forms themed Zine Club at Reccreate Collective. The intention of the 2 hour session was to encourage students to expand the bounds of zine making and zine formats. We typically stick to a single sheet zine in our regular workshops, but that week we wanted to explore the abundance of what one considers zine. Using found materials, things to be discarded, household items, and anything else that inspired, we made zines together.

Typically during an event my role is to encourage, to support, and to offer guidance. At this zine club I was lucky enough to get to create with the group. Although I did not finish in our session, I have been working on this zine slowly since that beginning. I finally had time this week to finish.

This zine is an ode to my senses. What feels good, looks good, sounds good to me. There is no thread to connect these things together just an idea that turned into a feeling that felt like some images that sounded like some words that ended up here in this arrangement inside of these old photo book sleeves and onto my zine shelf above my desk.

oftentimes when I make something or write something it figures it self out as it goes. I am a glue-er before a see-er. I am a writer and delete-er. somehow everything leads me somewhere eventually. I am just glad to be led.

in the end i think this zine is about creating. Fighting for inspiration within a deep desire to just be. A struggle to create work that matters or says something. This zine is about being inspired by community, my own form, gender (or the lack of it). this zine is about making. and reminding myself that I can make and create when i want to and it can be fun and feel good. and i really hope this zine is the first of more, making.

im sharing it with you. if i could make copies i would. but im not sure how photo book paper will scan and I think taking them out of these sleeves would defeat the whole purpose. so here it is, in photo form. in video form. in newsletter form.

p.s. happy pride month!

im gay!