Zine Review: Make Your Own Fun
Make Your Own Fun: A Zine About Making Zines
Kristyna Baczynski
https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/kriski
https://kristyna.co.uk/
Make Your Own Fun is an A5 black and white, risograph printed zine about zines.
There’s nothing wrong with going back to basics. Or maybe this will be your great place to start.
Make Your Own Fun opens where zines about zines often do: “What’s a zine?” I’m always curious about the answers to this question because they can vary so much. Kristyna touches on a bit of the history of zines, which I like reading about and think is a good idea. Zines are not a trend!
In nice, easy-to-read text laid out with fun art, Kristyna covers the more ‘traditional’ zine zine topics like folding, layout, and binding methods. They take these topics and more above and beyond both visually and content-wise.
I was very pleasantly surprised to find other topics like zine idea inspiration, different copying methods, and and even zine dust jackets. I really appreciated the spread ‘Blank Page Battle’ about how it can be difficult just to get started.
This zine is truly packed with all kinds of ziney information. It’s second only (in my zine-reading experience) to Stolen Sharpie Revolution. Kristyna has a great, fun art style that adds to the whole experience while also showing how creative zines can be.
Make Your Own Fun is a great zine reference, and one I recommend to anyone creating zines.
International Zine Month Day 18 – Zine Trade Day
Hello and a happiest of Thursdays to you. Nearly to the end of the week – if you have the standard M-F sort of week happening in your life.
Technically I don’t have the standard happening in my life, but what can I say other than years of schooling still brings a bit of a special shine to Fridays.
Today for International Zine Month, we are well and truly past the halfway mark! And today we trade zines!
Trading zines is something I see as being a very import to the zineverse. It’s a fun way to connect and even meet new people, share ideas, and – of course – share the awesome projects we’ve created. Some of my first interactions with zinemakers was through zine trading with people whom I consider dear friends today. Sometimes trades are one-offs, and that’s okay, too. Sometimes you never know what kind of friends you’ll become.
I am well and truly out of stamp money for the month, so I can’t offer any new trades today. I am happy and pleased as punch to say that a few zinemakers got in straight away at the start of the month to set up some trades, so I’m not really missing out for IZM.
If you would like to trade zines with me, I’d love to! I just won’t be able to send anything out until the end of July…
Are you trading zines with anyone today? Let me know in the comments.
Until next time!
Others Joining In:
* Hadass: https://hadass420.wordpress.com/
* Phoebe’s Zines: https://www.instagram.com/phoebeszines/
* Feral Publication: https://youtu.be/trS6pVtjsjw
* Enter the Papernet: http://www.enterthepaper.net/
Let me know if/where you are joining in!
International Zine Month Day 17 – Flyer Flier
Hello, zine beans! Welcome back to a glorious International Zine Month Wednesday. Today’s activity is to make fliers for your zines. This turned out to be a great prompt timing-wise.
Fliers! I’ve been meaning to update some of my fliers for a while now, so what better reason than IZM?
I’ve decided to stop making Dear Anonymous after issue 10. There are two issues to go, so if you send more than one letter, you can be in both. Issues will still be available after 10 is done – I just won’t be making more.
Phenomena 1 isn’t even finished yet, but I’m so excited about this and want to make this a series, so I’m already putting the call out for the second issue. Hehe.
The same goes for Workaholic. This one is a bit of a ‘wide spread’ topic, but I think there is so much worth to be found in discussing it. Upward and onward!
That’s me for today, zine beans.
Until next time…
Others Joining In:
* Hadass: https://hadass420.wordpress.com/
* Phoebe’s Zines: https://www.instagram.com/phoebeszines/
* Feral Publication: https://youtu.be/trS6pVtjsjw
* Enter the Papernet: http://www.enterthepaper.net/
Let me know if/where you are joining in!
International Zine Month Days 13-16
Hello zine beans!
I apologise for being MIA for the past few days. No mail arrived in the post box over the past week, and I also decided to take a page from Feral Publication’s book and focus on things that needed attention.
I recently started therapy, and it’s my habit to push aside my ‘homework’ and myself. I’m trying to change that, and that means getting behind in other things sometimes.
So let’s catch up, shall we?
International Zine Month Day 13 – Very Zine Superstitious
The activity for this day is to make up a zine superstition and share it. Last year I wrote about putting positivity into your zine master copy by the light of the moon…
For this year’s superstition, I declare that one must have an odd number of black writing instruments when starting to make a zine for the zine-making process to go smoothly. ^_^
International Zine Month Day 14 – ValenZines Day
On this fine Valenzines Day, the activity is to give yourself some zine love in whatever way it means to you.
I started my ValenZines Day with a hot cup of tea and candle with a hot bubble bath. I do like to read and even review zines in the bath. I know there are people who don’t like baths, but I love being surrounded by warmth and the lovely smells of the candle(s) and/or bubble bath.
Nichole of Pieces zine fame posted on Instagram about taking yourself out for a date, so I decided to extend my day a bit. I took myself out on a date to the Murray River.
Fresh air, a gorgeous day, zines to read… Take the little moments of bliss when you can.
International Zine Month Day 15 – Free Zine Day
Free zine day! On this day of International Zine Month, the activity is to give away zines or leave them in public places for strangers to find.
I’m falling back on my Missives From Murray Bridge mailout for this one. However, if you don’t receive the Missives already, I’ll send some out to the first five people who email me their mailing address to seagreenzines at gmail.com
Hehe!
International Zine Month Day 16 – Zine Love List
And now we are caught up to today – a day of zine love! Make a list of reasons you love zines and share it with others.
As you can imagine, I could go on and on about this all day. Zines mean so much to me in keeping me going when it’s tough, making me feel less alone, giving me purpose… Oh, gosh, I’ve started making my list, haven’t I?
*Variety in topic and approach. Zines come in so many shapes and sizes as well as pretty much every topic under the sun. There are no limits, and that can be such a horrible thing for a lot of other areas. But for zines, I have seen so utterly much good come of it.
*Sharing is caring. While I feel like last year there were a lot of new, fresh starts in zinemaking and a lot of new zinemakers learning and joining up, I feel like this year has been a bit more about collaborations. Collab zines and other collaborative projects, people reviewing each others’ work, and working together in a myriad of different ways. Zines give people an opportunity to connect and find each other in a unique way. Beautiful.
Two doesn’t precisely make a list, but these are the closest to my heart and mind at the moment.
That is me for today, zine beans. I will be back soon with more zine goodness. Until then…
Others Joining In:
* Hadass: https://hadass420.wordpress.com/
* Phoebe’s Zines: https://www.instagram.com/phoebeszines/
* Feral Publication: https://youtu.be/trS6pVtjsjw
* Enter the Papernet: http://www.enterthepaper.net/
Let me know if/where you are joining in!
Call for Submissions: The Rock N’ Roll Horror Zine
The Rock N’ Roll Horror Zine
Submissions Now Open
Looking for rock, metal and punk themed horror, sci-fi, pulp and bizarro fiction submissions up to 2,500 words. Also interested in visual art submissions that are on theme, especially cover art.
Accepted submissions receive $5 and a contributor copy.
Email submissions to doomgoat666@gmail.com
Call For Youth Oriented Zine Library Donations!
World Zine Events Calendar – Get Your Event Listed!
The World Zine Events Calendar is your index for zine events happening around the world! Zine clubs, fests, and other events are all listed here.
Even better, if you don’t see your event, you can let Fanzines know on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Check it out and have some zine fun!
Zine Review: As Above, So Below
As Above, So Below
iestyn
https://www.instagram.com/iesorno/
https://zinelove.wordpress.com/
https://ko-fi.com/W7W2V5BK
As Above, So Below is a horizontal A6 full-colour zine about walking, identity, and mental health combined with the 39 Steps Project.
I think it’s easy to forget sometimes the depths that other people have. We take them at face value, for granted, because it’s easier than constantly reminding ourselves that everyone has a deep and complex past. Perhaps that’s why I love perzines so much. I can find something in common with a complete stranger or learn something new about a friend – even when it breaks my hear to do so.
The 39 Steps Project is a photo challenge in which you capture an image for every step you take for 39 steps. In As Above, So Below, iestyn takes the project a bit further with taking one photo above them and one at his feet for each step. iestyn takes us on a walk while contemplating the act of walking itself. While doing so, he also explores his past, his feelings in relation to other people, and his sense of identity.
“I am a person… who’s so threatened by his own sense of being a fraud.”
iestyn’s words hit my heart directly as many of my own thoughts and feelings travel in the same direction. I’m not someone who particularly likes walking, but that doesn’t by any means take away the visual metaphor of taking the reader with him in his vulnerable contemplations. This is one of those zines where I found myself wishing I could give the zinemaker a hug.
I love the idea of the 39 Steps Project and how iestyn has used it in this perzine, giving a visual look at the world through his eyes and giving a written one at the same time.
As Above, So Below is a great, heart-squeezing zine with a lot of elements woven together wonderfully. Definitely one to check out.
International Zine Month Day 12 – ZineWiki Day… Sort Of
Hello and happiest of Fridays to you zine beans!
It’s a cold and blustery one here at the zine cave, but these are the days that make it easy to stay inside rugged up warm to get work done. There’s always a lot of admin to do here in the cave, that’s for sure. Perhaps I should call it the zine office or the last zine post on the right or something like that. Haha. Ideas welcome.
Today for this the 12th day of International Zine Month is Zine Wiki Day.
ZineWiki.com! Your one stop spot for a huge directory of zines, the people who make them, and much more.
Unfortunately… It’s not exactly working properly at the moment, and getting a hold of the people who might be able to fix it is proving difficult.
You can sort of see some pages if you know the full URL of a page. For example: http://www.zinewiki.com/Jaime_Nyx It’s not exactly the easiest to look at and definitely isn’t how it’s supposed to be.
ZineWiki is an amazing source of information, and I truly, truly hope that whoever runs it will be able to get it back to its formal glory. So instead of creating a Wiki page, we can take the day to find and compile all sorts of zine spaces and places. I know my resources page could use a bit of sprucing up, so if you know of something you would like to see added to that page, please let me know.
I’ll be back soon with the Friday zine review!
Others Joining In:
* Hadass: https://hadass420.wordpress.com/
* Phoebe’s Zines: https://www.instagram.com/phoebeszines/
* Feral Publication: https://youtu.be/trS6pVtjsjw
* Enter the Papernet: http://www.enterthepaper.net/
Let me know if/where you are joining in!