Author: Nyx

Do-It-Yourself Care
Nina Echozina
https://echopublishing.wordpress.com

Do-It-Yourself Care is a full colour one-page mini-zine about accepting emotion and self-care.

I think I’ve mentioned quite a few times now how much I like a self-care zine, and this one is certainly no exception. Starting off with a play on words in the title is a great way to get me smiling and grab my attention.

The zine starts off with notes about the importance of self-care, allowing yourself to feel emotions, and acknowledging that what is relaxing for someone might not be relaxing for another (kudos for that!). From there, we get a list of things that help Nina.

Nina’s list of ideas is a great one, including things like the joy of a blanket fort to folding zines. (Yay for mentioning zine-related activities in a self-care zine!) I enjoy discovering new-to-me things that work for other people.

The aesthetic is absolutely lovely with a variety of colours and patterns. On top of that, Nina has excellent, oh so readable handwriting, and the zine unfolds to reveal an equally enjoyable to look at collage inside.

This is one of those zines where I want to get a big stack of copies because I want to send this to so many people.

Definitely grab a copy.

Alone in a New City 1 & 2
Allysha Webber
https://allyshawebber.com
https://www.instagram.com/allyshawebber/

Alone in a New City 1 & 2 are A5 sized black and white photography zines.

I love black and white photography. I feel like there’s something about stripping an image of colour that makes it feel like you’re revealing something new.

“Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it.” – Confucious

Alone in a New City 1 opens with that beautiful quote from Confucious, and it speaks so well to photography and most any art, really. From there, both zines take you through a collection of images taken in and around Melbourne. While the first zine focuses a little more on people and the second seems to focus a little more on street art, they both have a varied collection of images. They give more of an ‘observations of the world around’ rather than focusing on one element in particular. (Though one could certainly argue for Melbourne/Melbourne suburbs being the element.)

Each photo is granted a page and a title of its own, and most of them are accompanied by a quote as well. I love a good quote, and I like the added layer of context and consideration for the photos. However, there were a few pictures where just the title alone gave me a different perspective of what I was looking at.

I should note that I do have a bias in this because I quite like Melbourne, and it’s a place that holds a lot of good memories for me. These photos had an added element for me of knowing this place or that. So, like any form of art, I can’t say as to whether they will have the same impact on you.

I did wonder what different paper and printing might have done for the clarity of the photos or the little details, but it’s entirely possible that it’s intentional. That perhaps you don’t always see things with crystal clarity when you’re in a new city.

I enjoyed Alone in a New City 1 & 2. I didn’t feel lost or confused as to what I was looking at. I enjoyed views in and around Melbourne, and I will definitely be flipping through them again.