Month: May 2017

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Done/Doing/Dreaming – The ‘I Need a New Title’ Edition

I like ‘Done, Doing, Dreaming’ but I feel more like I want these to be coffee catch up type chats rather than status updates… Something to think about.

Alas, it’s not quite a week without happy mail, but it’s a little more complicated than usual. I received an awesome postcard from my friend Black Wolf, but it’s one of those 3D type ones that doesn’t photograph well. So not photo here, but I did put a little video up on my Instagram showing me wiggling it about in all its 3D glory if you want to check it out.

I feel like I haven’t done one of these ‘chat’ posts in a while. Yes, I had to change things up a bit at the beginning of a month, but a quick search tells me that I haven’t done much since a tiny bits and bobs update toward the beginning of April.

(Also the same day I last updated the Zine Review Index, funnily enough. I promise it’s on the to-do list.)

I’m still adjusting to the ME diagnosis, but the more I research, the more I realise that I’m fairly lucky on the spectrum of things. Continuing adjustments in my thinking and how I do things should see a level of normalcy that will be good. The diagnosis threw me for more of a loop than I realised, and I should have taken more time, but I’m feeling empowered again about taking control of my health.

I’m terribly behind in emails, of course, so if you have emailed or posted blogs, I will catch up. There are things that need to be done outside before our rental inspection in a few weeks and before the weather turns, so I’m not at the computer as much as I need to be. But I need to take advantage of sunshine and energy while it’s available.

As mentioned, I do need to update the Zine Review Index – and the Available Zines page as well.

A couple people have asked me about selling zines on Etsy and other online sales options. I do have plans for a thorough post on the subject because it’s an important issue with wallets getting tighter for so many of us.

I’ve also been asked my thoughts on the zine competition charging $20 to submit, and I’m stewing on that one as well.

Though it does take me a while to get to these things, please don’t let that deter you from making any requests about post topics. If my opinion or knowledge has anything to add, then I’m happy to give it.

On the zine front, plans remain plans, though I mean to put some steam in them this week.

I am planning on getting a call for submissions up for the next Umbrella zine. Please don’t let the lack of a formal call being up yet stop you, however. If you have a PCOS story and/or any questions, you can always email me at theauthor(at)inkyblots.com

I am (finally) making more strides in regards to the zine zine project I am working on. I’ll have a better idea of exactly what I need later this week, but if you have a story about your first zine and how you came across it, I’d love to include your story in the zine! Please get in contact. 🙂

I think I’ll leave it there for now. I’ve certainly prattled on enough for a day.

I hope you are all doing well, and if not, that whatever is bringing you down will pass quickly. My best wishes to you always!

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Calling Zine Makers, Libraries, Distros, And the Like

I’m at the very beginning stages of working on a new zine project. As part of this, I would like to include A5/A6 spaces (maybe even A7, if that works for you) that feature things like:

*Zines that have a rolling call for submissions (even if your zine changes theme/topic from issue to issue, an overarching ‘flier’ for the whole series would be awesome)
*Zine distros – whether you want to say ‘check out my distro’, are looking for zines to sell in your distro, or both!
*Zine libraries – again, whether it’s a ‘check us out’, ‘looking for zine donations’, or both, I’d love to see it
*Zine people who want to be included in an ‘open to trades’ section. I’m thinking name, preferred contact (or your mailing addy, if that’s the way you roll), and a few likes/dislikes.

The key thing here is that things be ‘undated’ (hence sharing a zine series rather than one specific call for submissions) so things aren’t out of date before I get the chance to create the thing.

Ideally, I’d like things to be images with text on them because of the limited space involved (with the exception of the trades section, which will be text only). But I want to be flexible, too. This project is really in its early days, so I’m still figuring a lot out.

If you want to get involved straight away (please do!) then you can shoot me an email (theauthor at inkyblots.com)

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Call for Submissions: True Trans Bike Rebel (Taking the Lane #15)

Taking the Lane #15 is called True Trans Bike Rebel, and we are looking for nonfiction writing about the experience of being transgender and bicycling. Submissions can be essays or reporting about bicycling, or other topics or stories in which bicycles play a part (or other human-powered transportation).

Submissions can be any length; word count between 500 and 2500 words is ideal for this format. Single-color illustrations and photos are also sought. Please submit your work as an attachment or link in an email to elly at taking the lane dot com. The deadline is July 1, 2017.

All contributors will be paid a share of the net profits from the Kickstarter project used to fund the zine.

Taking the Lane is a feminist bicycle zine published since 2010.

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Zine Review: Colouring Fun Zine

Heard Presents: The Colouring Fun Zine
Heard
www.facebook.com/call.me.han.please
tumblr.com/ChaseHotAirBalloons

Today I have a short and sweet zine to review for you – a colouring zine!

Unlike some other colouring books that are touted as being relaxing, this one is more of my idea of what’s relaxing with plenty of different shapes and things to colour – none of which are too intricate or complicated.

It’s printed on nice, thicker paper for colouring. You might think that’s a given for a colouring zine, but I’ve seen the thought neglected before.

I have to give kudos where kudos are due when it comes to the contact page being clear, easy to read, and giving multiple ways to get in touch. However, I have to give a bigger hat tip to this zine acknowledging the original owners of the land on which the zine was created. It’s a lovely way to recognise indigenous Australians.

All up, I liked this zine. It’s a positive, relaxed zine for a time when I greatly appreciate it.

If the one with puzzles in it is as good as this one, I know I’m going to love it.

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Zine Review: Chronic Illhouse

Chronic Illhouse
Timothy Andrew, Ayla Brett, Lydia Mcilhone, Nik Ranger
https://www.facebook.com/chronicillhouse/

Chronic Illhouse is a collection of stories, art, and poetry from young people dealing with chronic illnesss. It’s one of those zines that I knew I had to get a copy of as soon as I heard of it. I was so happy to grab a copy at the Melbourne Art Book Fair earlier this year.

I feel multiple levels of appreciation for this zine. First, because it includes both physical and mental chronic illnesses. I don’t know why I assumed that it would be only physical, but I love that it’s not. That small thing reminded me that, as open-minded as I want to be, I still have these inbuilt thoughts when phrases like ‘chronic illness’ come up.

Inside, you will find Timothy Andrew’s creations about Crohn’s Disease, Ayla Brett’s creations about Chronic Kidney Disease, Lydia Mcilhone’s creations about Endometriosis, Nik Ranger’s creations about chronic pain and more. I love that I need to write ‘creations’ instead of ‘stories’ because the people in this zine have expressed themselves not only in words but in images as well. Art therapy is important for a number of reasons, and it was good to see it included here.

I think a table of contents would have been a good addition for this zine if only for the sake of someone who didn’t read it but might have if they had seen their (or someone they loved) condition listed amongst the pages.

I also appreciate what this zine does and represents in a world where sharing your story is so important, and conversations are how we can remove stigmas surrounding so many things.

To be honest, I thought all of the work I found in this zine would be heartbreaking. That the entire experience of this zine would be difficult emotionally. Yet, it wasn’t. I mean no disrespect to those sharing their stories; these are harrowing conditions and the fact that they are a life sentence makes it all the more weighty to deal with. What I mean is that I feel like this zine hit its mark; I wasn’t feeling upset or pity for these people. All the pieces were like conversations in which I could get to know more about their experiences. It helped me to understand more from the safety and comfort of my home as well as helped me to feel like I could share my own stories in the future.

I do hope that their Facebook page, or any other spaces they create, is included in the next edition, because I can see this zine being a great space for people dealing with chronic illness now and in the future. I look forward to reading all the future editions.

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Why You Should Share Your Story

A couple of weeks ago, Wanderer and I were chatting to guy who was passing through town and only there for one night. As sometimes happens, said guy (I shall call him Square) wanted to know what I do for a living. This is always a difficult topic, as I seem to baffle anyone above a certain age and anyone who has had or currently has a nine to five.

Heaven forbid a woman of my age trying to get by on what meagre talents she has.

Wanderer proudly announced that I write books and such, but Square seemed a bit mystified by ‘urban fantasy’ so Wanderer then said that I write zines and explained a little bit about what they are.

“What do you write about?” Square asked.

I replied that there are a number of different topics, but I have one series that is primarily autobiographical.

Square shook his head and announced that no one wanted to read about other people’s lives, to which I replied that I’ve loved biographies since I was a child.

“So what makes you so special?”

Wanderer must have sensed my growing frustration at that point, because he jumped in with the very cliff notes version of leaving everything I knew at barely twenty years old to travel halfway across the planet with some clothes and a laptop to start a new life.

Square was insistent this was not anything anyone would be interested in reading about, at which point we pushed the conversation in a different direction.

Who do you think you are?

What makes you so special?

These questions and questions like them are used so often to bring artists down. To somehow make artists ‘on the same level’ as everyone else.

Somehow, to create something is considered by some people – sometimes by the artists themselves – to be self-indulgent privilege that should only be granted to those who have been deemed valid by others. Some people seem to think a thing should only exist if they think it has value.

Bullshit.

Fast forward a few weeks.

I sat in the little medical office while the nurse helped me to map out my health care plan. I was lost and confused with new chronic illness conditions to add to the list. I was intimidated by the idea of needing a ‘health care team’, and the term ‘quality of life’ rang in my ears.

She asked me a few questions, and I eventually had to confess that this was all new to me and that I was pretty confused about, well, everything to do with my new diagnosis. She nodded, understanding, and said:

“I have that condition, too.”

What? She did? This woman who was so different from me in age, employment, economic background, and countless other things that conversation didn’t bring up was also like me?

I wanted to know so much more. When was she first diagnosed? How? How long has she been dealing with it? Were her side effects like mine? Did we struggle with the same things? What lessons had she learned that she could share with me?

There were so many things I wanted to know about this stranger and her life. I wanted her to have written zines upon zines about her experiences so I could get them all and read them. I felt comforted by the fact that someone who had this big, scary diagnosis in common with me was so great at being a successful nurse.

And she had no idea.

One of the most beautiful feelings in life is finding out that you aren’t alone. That you aren’t the only one. But if we, as artists, were to stop creating, stop writing, stop putting our Selves out there for want of some sort of permission slip from the universe, there’s so much more pain that will happen because of the lack of our art.

Yes, this is a power that so many people who create things don’t realise they have. Whether you are sharing your story through paintings, zines, books, handwritten letters to penpals, and so much more, you are having an impact. You are changing lives, and you don’t even know it.

As a creator, you will touch another person’s life. Perhaps thousands for millions of lives. The only thing you need to accept is that you will never know the full impact you have. Only you have lived your life with your setbacks, your reactions, your failures, and your successes. Only you are fully equipped to share your story in whatever medium you feel most called to.

You should share your story because you’re the best person to share it, and you have no idea how many people could could help, comfort, and inspire by doing so.

Who do you think you are? You are a creator. You put things into the world, you give, and you damn well don’t need permission to do so.

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Happy Mail – Dreaming of Mail Edition

After my change in perspective, I let go of what I ‘should’ be doing and went with whatever my body wanted to do. Apparently that consisted of sleep. A LOT of sleep. I feel so much better for it, though – especially because I had wonderfully boring but pleasant, drawn out dreams all about receiving mail.

Yep. Mail dreams. Hahaha.

My dreams did come true, however, in that I had some lovely mail come my way!

My Send Something penpal comes up with simple but creative letters. This one is written on lovely thick cream paper, and I love the antique look of the washi tape.

The Screever Zine (blog) got in touch on Instgram, and I could hardly wait to see their zines. The bigger zine – Ground – is actually tied together with a thin rope. Very cool. And it comes with a loyalty card so you can collect letters from issues of the Ground series and sned a completed card back for a free treat. Very fun.

Happy mail from Sober Bob! I didn’t realise how cool it was to watch a zine being made through photos and video on things like Instagram and then be able to hold that thing in your hands. It’s always good to see a Sober Bob envelope of happy in my post box.

That’s me for today. Thank you to all the wonderful people who have made my post box and my life a happier place. I hope you all have a smooth, calm start to your week.

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Calling Zine Makers, Libraries, Distros, And the Like

I’m at the very beginning stages of working on a new zine project. As part of this, I would like to include A5/A6 spaces (maybe even A7, if that works for you) that feature things like:

*Zines that have a rolling call for submissions (even if your zine changes theme/topic from issue to issue, an overarching ‘flier’ for the whole series would be awesome)
*Zine distros – whether you want to say ‘check out my distro’, are looking for zines to sell in your distro, or both!
*Zine libraries – again, whether it’s a ‘check us out’, ‘looking for zine donations’, or both, I’d love to see it
*Zine people who want to be included in an ‘open to trades’ section. I’m thinking name, preferred contact (or your mailing addy, if that’s the way you roll), and a few likes/dislikes.

The key thing here is that things be ‘undated’ (hence sharing a zine series rather than one specific call for submissions) so things aren’t out of date before I get the chance to create the thing.

Ideally, I’d like things to be images with text on them because of the limited space involved (with the exception of the trades section, which will be text only). But I want to be flexible, too. This project is really in its early days, so I’m still figuring a lot out.

If you want to get involved straight away (please do!) then you can shoot me an email (theauthor at inkyblots.com)