Nyx – Page 287

October 8, 2015

Zine Review: The Third Biannual Mildly Informative Booklet Depicting Graphical Representations of General Occurrences and Observations

I need to learn to take better pictures…

The Third Biannual Mildly Informative Booklet Depicting Graphical Representations of General Occurrences and Observations
Sarah McNeil
A6
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SarahMcNeil

Phew! What a title! Not to be confused with Updated Report of Observations Which Somehow Seem to Reflect Abstractly on Life (Stat 2)

With pie charts like ‘Things I Put On My Various Tumbler Accounts’, a coffee flow chart, and ‘Books To Get For My Sister/Her Baby’, this is another zine that gives a glimpse into a life in a fun way. I do wonder if the zine creator has a real sense of the picture she paints of her life, if it’s simply ‘a bit of fun’, and if my picture is actually in any way accurate.

It doesn’t really matter, as most of the fun is really in not knowing. Not reading too deeply.

I love this zine as much as I love Sarah’s previous zine of graphs and charts. The addition of lists was a decision I adore (bring on the lists!). However, the thing that really got me for this zine is the first pie chart, regarding spelling occurrence wrong, which I have done today no less than five times. It’s always good to know one isn’t alone. 😉

This zine is what it is in that you’ll be able to tell fairly straight away whether you’ll like it or not. I appreciate that very much.

October 5, 2015

Happy Mail From Germany!

Wowza! I was starting to get worried that this one had been lost to the postal gods, but it arrived safe and sound today. Very happy about that. This is from a woman on Swap-Bot who really wanted to try Tim Tams and other treats. So I sent some her way, and she sent me this massive pile of awesomeness. So happy. Stationery and sweets. That’s all it takes, really.

German newspaper! I asked her to send me a page from her local paper. I’m not sure what the attraction is, but I like seeing newspapers from around the world. And magazines, of course, but they tend to be heavy.

I did try for my life to upload/embed a little video of the goodies on the table. BUT it just wouldn’t upload and wouldn’t embed. So if you want to see a short shot of stuff, hear me speak, and hear me make a silly voice, check out my Instagram page.

October 4, 2015

Call for Submissions: Dark Day Zine

October 3, 2015

Saturday Poll

Poll! Vote in the pooooooll.

[polldaddy poll=9108443]

October 3, 2015

Call for Submissions: Dear Anonymous 4

Dear Anonymous has a rolling, open submission, so you can submit your letters at any time!

DA4 is on its way, and you still have time to get your letters in. These letters can be confessionals, but they can also be whatever you like them to be. Write to your life, write to your cat, write to your past or your future… Dear Anonymous is about writing the letters of the things you can’t say for whatever reason.

Basically, you’re right in the 1 – 500 words range, but shorter is better. BUT, this zine is about expression, and I don’t want to force anyone to clamp down on their passion just for me. I’m flexible.

Send letters to theauthor at inkyblots.com If I don’t respond to you within a few days, comment here.

All contributors will receive a PDF copy. (Possibly a print copy depending on my financial status at the time of printing.)

*** Do you have a call for submissions for your zine? Let me know!

October 1, 2015

Zine Review: Pieces #3 On Writing, Drinking & Demons

Pieces #3 On Writing, Drinking & Demons
Nichole
http://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/Nichole
https://www.etsy.com/shop/fictionandnot

I understand now what drives a lot of people to do this and, more importantly, the vague reasons why.

Pieces #3 is one of those zines where I want to quote everything because I identify with this, and with this, and with this…

You get the picture.

From the beginning, Nichole had me with this zine for a number of reasons. Perhaps because I’ve been so desperate to write – to actually finish something. Or perhaps because I’ve been exactly where she was when she made this zine: longing for the possibilities an altered state of mind might provide. I, too, used to look down my nose at people who did such things, but I also now understand why they do it…

As Nichole states on the first page, this zine was written over two days in a flow-of-consciousness style while she swims to the bottom of a bottle of Captain Morgan. It’s an interesting transition as the first strip of black is put on the page partway through the journey and ends with white text on a page of black – plus a photocopied, handwritten page almost as if to prove it had happened.

Even in the literally darkest part of the zine, she seems unsure to the point of needing ‘proof’. Or I could just be reading into it too much. Either way, I still feel the urge to take her out for an ice cream and tell her that I really like her zines.

The next morning in the zine dawns bright once again with black-bordered type on white pages. Attempts to write disappear completely in the wake of ice creams and conversations. While the whole thing left Nichole feeling like she wasn’t sure whether it was a success or not, I see it as the former. After all, I think producing words requires ‘getting out and living a bit’.

For the anxious and shy, sometimes that requires alcohol.

Drinking never seems to accomplish what I initially set out to do…

I hear you.

Somethin’ somethin’. Continue reading “Zine Review: Pieces #3 On Writing, Drinking & Demons”

September 30, 2015

Happy Mail!

Ask and something nice might come your way.

I am soooo happy this little beauty arrived in my post box. I was beginning to think that it has been lost to the postal nexus. This is a part order, part bundle of fun (I love extras!) from MC Sunflower Jones on Etsy. How gorgeous and bright is this lovely envie?

Big fluffy hearts to MCSJ for doing this little thing: leaving a gap for an envelope opener. I love washi and stickers to the moon and back, but when envies are taped up super tight with no gaps, it’s a bit difficult to open them not to mention the danger of damaging paper items inside.

Holy zine bundle, Batman! So many zines – and stuff to go with them!

What’s more is that they are totally adorable tiny zines.

I had to grab myself the Leo and a Capricorn one for Wanderer.

PS. That thing I was talking about yesterday was the possibility of making a video. I chickened out amongst other reasons for not doing it. But I still have plans for making videos.

September 29, 2015

Dancing in Tulips

Ah, Zine Ninja. He does love a romp through the tulips.

Kickass and I went for a bit of a walkabout today, enjoying the local tulip show-of-sorts and some nice weather. She puts up with my rambling, and I bask in her awesomeness. It really works out as a great friendship.

She’s the kind of person who will always encourage me unless she thinks it’s a really stupid idea. Even then, she’ll very nicely lay out the reasons why said action might not be the best thing. I’ve needed someone like that, because I’m at a phase where I’m not clear on the direction I want to go in.

However, there is something that I’ve been wanting to do in terms of mail… I’ll have to see how things go tomorrow (heaps to do!) but there might be a brand new shiny thing here on the blog. Maybe.

Until then…

September 28, 2015

No Mail Makes for a Sad Nyx

I realise now that a good portion of my day-to-day happiness depends on the mail. Sending it, receiving it. I obviously need to send out more mail because my post box has been a very sad post box.

On another note, I updated the cover photo for the SGZ Facebook page. Tee hee!

I feel like I have recovered from completely running out of spoons, and the whole experience gave me some perspective.

Something I’d really like to do here is add more of me. Nyx. My life. I got so wrapped up in this idea of ‘you can’t make anything (social media account, YouTube channel, etc) really take off unless it’s specialised’. Meaning sticks to one subject. There have been plenty of times in the past when I could have posted something here but didn’t because it wasn’t really zine related.

But what’s the point in that? What’s the point of self-censorship? What’s the point of keeping my fingers still (does that work? ‘keeping my mouth shut’ doesn’t really work) when there is *nothing* riding on me keeping this place all about the zines?

I want to make friends here. It’s something I have trouble doing face-to-face, so I love connecting in these sorts of spaces.

I love memes, being silly, and making people laugh. But I get so wrapped up in what I think I ‘should’ be doing that I forget that no one gives a solitary fuck and is looking over my shoulder. Even if they were, they would simply click away, and I would never know.

So where’s the harm?

Well. Didn’t this turn into a much longer post than I intended…

Anyway, I hope your universe is treating you well and that you feel cool checking out mine.

I’m going to go have an ice cream now.

September 27, 2015

New Zealand International Zine Exhibition & Traveling Zine Library Call for Submissions / Donations

Myrtle Chickpea is putting together an International Zine Exhibition and a Traveling Zine Library in little ole New Zealand. Zine submissions always needed!

My name is Sam (aka Murtle Chickpea) and I am contacting you to see if you would be at all interested in submitting one of your zines for a zine exhibition I am getting off the ground in my home country New Zealand.

The immediate idea is to show the collection in a gallery setting, possibly even touring the country with it. Then over time, as the collection grows, I am hoping to set up a mobile zine library but I would like to call it a Zine Museum instead of a library because it sounds more super cool and important.

What I am after from people is a zine or selection of zines along with a small personal blurb and their online store details so people can purchase directly from the maker.
Basically I love making and reading zines and want to spread the awesomeness as far and wide as I can!

Keen?

All questions, concerns, ideas and queries can be emailed to me and all the ziney goodness can be posted to me at:

Murtle Chickpea
93 Revans Street
Featherston
Wairarapa
New Zealand

Uuummm……this is exciting! Spread the word!

Thank you’s and hugs and more thank you’s

Murtle Chickpea

TUMBLR: http://zinemuseum.tumblr.com/
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/ZineMuseum