I love zines. I love the medium in many forms. From its humble beginnings to its current iterations, there’s a lot that zines can do nowadays that traditional publishing can not. Speed is a part of it, yes, but I think the relative ease and accessibility that common folks can do. I draw upon this from a conversation I had with fellow artist peers earlier this week, where the underground comix scene is more aligned with the zine communities dotted in my area to the international stage. It’s fascinating where how something small like a booklet had such a impact.
When zine fest attendees look through my work, I enjoy the reactions of sudden thoughts that come to from these experiences. A lot has changed since I started publishing zines back in 2016. The process has changed. The days when I spend folding and stapling my work before zine fest were no more once I figured out how to format my pages on my computer a bit better. Same thing with the skill needed for putting everything together. It’s fun for me, and maybe it’s something for you if you haven’t done it before.
For those who are new to zines and don’t know how to begin, here are some general tips or habits I’ve done to get the ball rolling.
1. Don’t fret on the details in the beginning. Document any passing thought you have in a notebook or document. If the idea grips you even more, then that’s something to flesh out later.
2. Invest with ideas that resonate with you. I learned this for many years: trying to follow trends or what is popular on social media is as vapid to smoke. It will not last. What will last is how you feel about your concept or themes surrounding what you want to do. People will come to it if it’s something you’re truly passionate about.
3. Plan with what you can handle. This is applicable with most artistic projects, and its what I decide if I want to make a project that lasts between 4 pages to a 90-paged comic. Know its scope before you start committing otherwise it will be hard to make changes if it doesn’t suit the work you’re making.
Zine work, for me, is often in short bursts, so the process lasts within at least one to several months. From planning page layouts, script work, then any illustration components. Sometime in the future I’ll explain that more in depth since it’s varied depending on the end result (such as creating a comic versus writing a poetry zine for example). My thought process is more visual focused and generalized, so the main details of the work will unfold the more I’m within those stages. It will not work for everyone, but at least it’s one way to do things I suppose.
There’s no magic trick with zines or any kind of creative endeavor. A lot of it is basically making sure you’re doing the commitments to do the work, the discipline and tenacity to see it complete. If it’s any easier, I don’t think being an artist would be engaging. Any work that folks thought through, take time to make it to fruition always bring a smile on my face. So if you haven’t started with zines, maybe consider taking a chance. It changed my life, and maybe it changes yours too.
In other news: I’ll be tabling for Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) and Detroit Zine Fest in early-mid May. Information about those events will be on my social media (Instagram / Blue Sky) at least before the days of. This year is going to be a bit different since now I’m able to catalog (or travel blog) my experiences with this new format, and I’m more than willing to share what goes on in these spaces. Look forward to that in the future!