November 2019 – Page 3

November 21, 2019

ZineWriMo 2019 Day 21: Be Inspired! Read Zines

Hello and happy Thursday to you, zine friends! Today is a day for one of my faaaavourite zine activities…

Be Inspired! Read Zines

In a lot of things in life, we’re told to immerse ourselves in that thing to get inspiration and to learn. Whether it’s learning a new language or finding inspiration for that next painting, it’s good to experience parts of that art – whether you end up enjoying it or not – to find your own voice and style.

The same, of course, applies to zines!

There’s so much to learn about zines from their topics to their making. I still get surprised even after so many reviews. I’m all about diving right in and discovering as many zines as you can to both enjoy as well as figure out what kind of elements you’d like to bring to your own zine.

So what zines did I read today? You’ll find out one later in the zine review to come…

Until then, make some zines and spread a little sunshine.

Other Participants:

https://www.instagram.com/violett_komplett/
https://www.instagram.com/bydhiyanah/
https://www.instagram.com/dungeon_maven/
https://hadass420.wordpress.com/
https://echopublishing.wordpress.com/
https://www.instagram.com/gothcupcake/
https://www.instagram.com/14thframe/

Novice Zinester
Herinza Syadza

November 20, 2019

ZineWriMo 2019 Day 20: Work in Progress Wednesday

Hello and welcome back to ZineWriMo in that midweek time during which it’s…

Work In Progress Wednesday

Today is a day for working toward the goals you set during the beginning of the month, catching up on prompts you may not have had the chance to do before, and all sorts of things.

For me, it involved scanning some pages, cleaning them up a bit in Photoshop…

…and then putting them into InDesign after I decided earlier that I wanted to do most of the next Missive from Murray Bridge on the computer.

Oopsie. Such is life sometimes, though. We’re allowed to change our minds and do what feels right creatively. With the way things are going and with the state of the zine cave, I feel more ‘at home’ creating the next Missive on the computer. (Especially if I want to have any chance of sending it out before the holiday mail onslaught really picks up!)

So that’s where I am today. How about you? Your work in progress can totally be your own mental health, by the way, so it’s still a day’s success if you needed to take the day for yourself. Be well, be kind, and take care of you.

Until next time, make some zines and spread a little sunshine…

Other Participants:

Novice Zinester
Herinza Syadza

November 19, 2019

ZineWriMo 2019 Day 19: Warm Up: Collage It Out

Hello, zine friends, and welcome to – gosh, is it only Tuesday? My days are all flavours of mixed up together. So what’s on for today?

Warm Up: Collage It Out

Collage is defined as “a collection or combination of various things”. In the zine world, I see it used often as backgrounds with washi, scrapbook paper, stickers, and more coming together to create beautiful textures and wonders for the eyes.

I have a weird relationship with collage. I really love it and love seeing what people combine to create something altogether new. But doing it myself? I feel a little intimidated. It’s a freeing sort of art process, and yet it’s one of those strange things where it’s like the overwhelm of the blank page.

However, earlier this year I made a 24 hour zine based on prompts from others, and I found myself more inclined to make collages. Maybe not quite as ‘collage-y’ as other things, but I’m trying not to judge myself. Especially when I’m still pretty pleased with pages like this…

A collage of blues? A collage of waves? I’m not sure. In the end, I’m still pretty happy with it.

Did you try making a collage today? Are you one for collages? Let me know, and be sure to check out the other participants as well.

Until next time, spread a little sunshine.

Other Participants:

Novice Zinester
Herinza Syadza

November 18, 2019

ZineWriMo 2019 Day 18: Make a Mini-Zine: Prompts From Friends

Hello, zine friends, and welcome to a new week in this ZineWriMo month. Today’s prompt is to…

Make a Mini-Zine: Prompts From Friends

As yesterday was about trying our something new (how can we know what we like and don’t like if we don’t try things?) in regards to zinemaking, today is about challenging yourself and having a bit of fun by asking people to ‘prompt’ you for this zine. Maybe it’s answering a question or making a page based on a theme. Who knows? It’s all up to what people suggest and what you decide to take on.

If you’re a bit more prepared than I am, then you collected prompts from friends (and strangers maybe?) earlier to make your zine today. Unfortunately, I’m not nearly so prepared.

So if you’d like to suggest a prompt for me to put in a mini-zine or perhaps in another future zine, be sure to leave your prompt idea in the comments!

Until next time, spread a little sunshine.

Other Participants:

Novice Zinester
Herinza Syadza

November 17, 2019

ZineWriMo 2019 Day 17: Try Something New With Your Zinemaking

Hello and happy Sunday, zine friends. Welcome to day seventeen of ZineWriMo. Today we adventure into some variety with our zinemaking with…

Try Something New With Your Zinemaking

One of the many reasons that zines are so wonderful is that they are so versatile in their making. There is no one way to make a zine with even more ‘traditional’ forms varying in their size, shape, and binding. From the type of paper you use to the way you reproduce them (if you make copies), zines can take you in a number of artistic directions.

Do you usually staple your zine? Sew it? Do you usually use scrapbook paper or create zines entirely on computer? How about printing – laser, inkjet, riso? There are also elements which can be digital, hand drawn, hand stamped, written, and more.

My latest adventure in zinemaking has seen the binding of my zines go from being handsewn to bound by a sewing machine. It’s definitely a time-saver, that’s for sure, but I’m still not entire sure how I feel about it. No judgement to those who do, of course; I’m just missing the relaxing quality of sitting down and sewing something by hand.

These are only a few different ways you can creatively experiment in your zinemaking. Did you try something new today? A new art style? New backgrounds? New bindings? Let me know in the comments.

Until next time, spread a little sunshine.

Other Participants:

Novice Zinester
Herinza Syadza

November 17, 2019

Call for Submissions: Workaholic 2

November 17, 2019

Check It Out: Theee Urban Spacecat – A Mike Nobody Cassette-Zine

November 16, 2019

ZineWriMo 2019 Day 16/Zine Review: The Common Cold

Hello, zine friends, and welcome to the latter half of the month. In today’s prompt, we have a bit of sharing is caring in the form of a review!

Sharing is Caring: Review a Zine

It’s pretty easy to see my bias in regards to reviewing zines, but I still stand by my opinion that reviews are an incredibly important way to share the word about zines you love, zinemakers you admire, and all the things between. So read below for my offering for this day…

The Common Cold: A Zine About Mental Illness Presentation and Priorities
Kirsty
https://twitter.com/MsKirstyFace
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/ForeverIncomplete

The Common Cold is a full-colour A6 perzine about the beginnings of and growing up with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, the complexities of dealing with more than one mental illness, and finding peace with how you prioritise things in your own treatment.

The Common Cold starts off with an introduction to Kirsty that had me smiling. (Why does pizza taste so good? Hm.) From there, Kirsty writes about having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder since the age of twelve and the paths of medications, therapy, and finding peace in how you want to prioritise things with your own mental health treatment.

A big part of this zine is Kristy using the metaphor of having a cold – dealing with OCD on a regular basis as a constant but manageable condition – versus being punched in the face – struggling with things like depression and anxiety. I think this is a great way to make things clear to people whether they are people who don’t deal with mental illness or people who also deal with multiple mental illnesses.

The aesthetic of this zine feels open and calming to me with clearly printed text pasted onto patterned paper backgrounds. The topics discussed are difficult ones, and the small touches to make the reader feel more at ease are appreciated. (By this reader, anyway.)

I identified with a lot with this zine, and I’m very grateful to Kirsty for the metaphor to use in my own life and way of thinking. The funny thing is the timing as well considering that I have been struggling a bit with my own therapy with the idea that I’ve been getting “off track”. Reading Kirsty’s words has helped me to see a way of being kinder to myself.

I didn’t know what to expect with The Common Cold, but I am so glad I read it – and have read it at this particular time in my life. I think it’s a great read whether you also have OCD and/or are dealing with multiple diagnoses.

Other Participants:

Novice Zinester
Herinza Syadza

November 16, 2019