June 2021 Zine by collectivemagcreations

JUNE 2021

THE COLLECTIVE MAGAZINE'S

VOL.10 'BEING TRAPPED'

Creative Collections

Meet the Team

Lily Newman CREATIVE EDITOR AND HEAD OF PHOTOGRAPHY Lily is a recent photography graduate from Plymouth College of Art. With a career and hobby combined she enjoys photographing events and products as well as focusing her personal work on photojournalist and documentary style photography. In her spare time she loves to spend time in the Devon countryside with her family and 5 dogs.

'Being Trapped' A WORD FROM OUR EDITOR This month's theme was really interesting for me as I was intrigued to see how people would approach it. Would they approach it with a feeling of being trapped for the past 18 months or so or would they approach it in.a completely different way? I loved seeing everyone's different interpretations. I am really excited for the next two months as we have now opened submissions up for absolutely anything to give all creatives the freedom to showcase whatever work they want.

Lily Creative Editor and Head of Photography

Contents 05

CONCEALED AWAY Simran Kaur

PROUD; TRUTH; ETERNITY; SELF Ø Macioti

CYCLICAL BURN OUT Georgina Dent

GEONIMALS Lorna Buechner

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT Eva Dziedzic de Aguirre

TRAPPED IN TIME Almu Muñoz

BEING TRAPPED INSPIRED ILLUSTRATIONS Ayshe-Mira Yashin

Concealed Away SIMRAN KAUR

Simran Kaur is kicking off our June submissions with a new project 'Concealed Away'. Kaur is a surrealist, still life and creative portrait photographer and artist based in London. |

About Simran Kaur: Simran Kaur is a surrealist still life and creative portrait photographer and artist currently based in London. She is Punjabi and she was born and raised in Italy Simran's main objective is to make the viewer's dreams come true by creating intriguing setups, but she does also creates mental health and environmental awareness with her experimental photography. At the same time, she also creates dreamlike abstract visuals to make the viewer explore another reality. Simran Kaur gets inspired by people's dreams and visions, but her childhood memories also inspire her to create various projects. To keep her childhood memories alive she started doodling digital and traditional illustrations which helps her to understand how she feels

about those childhood.

foggy

memories

her

'Concealed Away' SK: "Concealed Away" is a photography project which explores the idea of being trapped away in someone's dream. Simran Kaur did question herself what would happen if we get concealed away in a dream not belonging to us. This surreal idea came up in her mind because she thought about how sometimes the memories we have are fogged and they feel like they are not our memories and this could also happen to us. Simran did question herself specifically this " I wake up every morning and I remember only a piece of my dreams but was that dream truly mine? Does it belong to me or am I simply concealed away in someone's dream?".

Proud; Truth; Eternity; Self Ø Macioti

Ø Macioti studied Graphic Design at Rome University of Fine Arts. You can find more of their work on their Instagram @upon_nothing |

Their work 'Proud; Truth; Eternity; Self is an expressional piece of their interpretation of feeling trapped here's what they had to say: ØM: "These pieces reflect my journey along the path of self-acceptance. Facing my mortality, my flaws and my fears while keeping track of the positive sides about myself I tend to overlook, has been crucial in my growth as a person and an artist. I’m working hard towards an ever-more-aware, educated and self-loving version of myself, and these artworks are a reflection of the soundtrack that’s been having my back as I get there."

Cyclical Burn Out GEORGINA DENT

Georgina Dent is a current BA English student at the University of Plymouth in the final few months of her degree. In September she will be starting her Masters in Publishing. Her poem 'cyclical burn out' was written in reaction to feeling like we should be working and staying busy all the time but in actual fact we're just stuck in a vicious circle. GD: "The poem explores the effect that burn-out has in today's 'hustle culture': the connotations of feeling like we should be working and keeping busy all the time when in actual fact we are trapped in a tiring and stressful cycle of overworking ourselves and paying the price for it. I (like many others) am guilty of having an ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’ mentality about work and then becoming hugely overwhelmed, so I wanted to convey that in my poem." |

cyclical burn out cigarette stub, matchstick end, she’s burnt out, hands to her ears, piercing pitch like a cleaver in her skull. she welcomes the lobotomy brought on by a continuous string of yes’s, tied in sailors knots; no room for a break.

she tightens a tourniquet of expectations, pressure applied by herself; splitting, not quite twenty five hours in a day, she breaks her bones to stretch further, tearing ligaments to grab the lighter thumbprint on the spark wheel, grating,

no stopping, just a pile of ash on the floor.

Geonimals LORNA BUECHNER

Lorna Buechner is a student of the Open University completing an open degree which means she can choose which subjects she wants to do. Her project 'Geonimals' are drawings which started as a doodle and have turned in pieces of art!

LB: "I have Asperger's so my way of seeing the world is different to that of neurotypical people. My art really just started off as doodling, and then it ended up looking like a bird. So then I continued on from there. Some of the animals are more realistic whereas other ones are more abstract. And they are mainly straight lines as that is what makes sense to me."

INDUSTRY INSIGHT:

Eva Dziedzic de Aguirre FREELANCE FASHION ART DIRECTOR Eva Dziedzic de Aguirre is a freelance Fashion Art Director. We got to chat to Eva about her life, work and inspirations. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your work? Privately I am a poet, passionate dancer, free hand drawing artist and mama to 6 year old Nico.Professionally I'm a creative with 25 years of work experience. I work predominantly as a freelance Fashion Art Director for magazines and brands but sometimes I use my expertise working on movie and TV sets. |

Being educated as a journalist and having tons of experience as a music and Fashion Editor I still like engage in writing or interviewing for the magazines. I also occasionally do odd gigs creating visual displays for big brands like M&S, Burberry, Fat Face and Gap. How did you get to the point you are at now? I started my career by a chance, when I was just 19 years old. After failing my first exam to Academy of Fine Art, I took on a part time job as a receptionist for a TV station and within a few weeks I had miraculously advanced to my first creative position.

The set designer caught me doodling, demanded I showed him the drafts and on the spot proposed I get his assistant position and that is how it all started really. I was working on TV sets for 7 years all together, mostly for music stations like MTV, VIVA or programs related to fashion and culture. In the first years I was testing different areas of work trying to find my path: set design, styling, script writing, production. It was time full of adventures, explorations and I met wonderful, inspiring people on the way. One of them was a fashion stylist I shared room with. Inspired, I did a course in fashion styling and art direction and then journalistic studies and soon after I secured my first gig as a freelance fashion editor for the magazine. After a few years I got offered a position of Fashion Director and took that as my priority. I stayed in that capacity for another 3 years and then moved on to London as a Editor at Large and kept that post for another 2 years.

It was a strange transition, from Warsaw to London. My first years here was all about being humble and utilising my visual skills. After a couple of years of working as Visual Manager for a boutique in Carnaby Street, I got my stunt in Burberry head office. It was a far cry from the positions I held back in Warsaw, but I took that time to learn from the best in the industry. Still, I was missing creating my own editorial stories. I started to form teams and doing fashion stories for the magazines and with that I landed a first agent and with the agency representation and continuous editorial work, followed the bookings from the big clients. After 15 years, I still live in London working internationally on fashion and advertising sets. Could you explain more about your Fashion Art Director role and how your past experiences made you one? A Fashion Art Director is like a Film Director and Script Writer in one but on the fashion photography set.You need to be focused on so many creative aspects, communicate on so many business and marketing levels, keep the vision clear, story going and atmosphere on set flowing. Oh, and make sure you deliver all on time and budget. Most creatives involved, come in and out on a set, just for the shoot day. For me, as the creative head of the project I have full responsibility from the start to finish and quite a lengthy process. I would usually start work a few weeks before the shoot and finish a few days after. When working for the client I usually would develop the given brief. With editorial work I mostly draw from my imagination. The starting point could be a piece of my poetry or an emotional state I want to explore a discussion I just had, a memory to bring back to life or a cultural or social theme which got under my skin. Every fashion art director I |

guess is different in way they conceive their work, some start from fashion trends in mind. I write stories first and then adapt fashion trends depending on the seasonal mood. Looking back at my career path, even if it seems kind of chaotic, I do see all the needed elements being integrated to make me a fashion art director as I am today. I focus on the whole picture, but because of all the experience in styling, set design and work as a editor I can see also the micro aspects of all, I understand the realities of each field and if needed I can easily step into the role, hands on. It helps as well on a communication level. As I have experience in different creative fields I can fairly judge, give respect or make decisions based on facts rather than on unrealistic expectations. When you were a child, what career did you see yourself having? I think I was born to be an artist, nobody really questioned it in my family. I was always this sweet but rather spaced out kid, with pencils and paper at the ready, not walking but dancing through life with effortless, original style. I experimented a lot with art, but my |

main things have always been: drawing, writing and dancing. Recalling my memories of my mother, I was also rather serious about my fashion style since early age. Each evening I would assist her, when choosing and prepping outfits for the next day, and then in the morning, I often would change my mind and I dressed in something else, more in tune with my mood that day. I wrote my first short story aged about 3 years old, my first inspired poem was aired on national radio when I was 6. In nursery I had a dedicated space for my seasonal art work and by the age of 10 I got a chance to be signed to a dance company travelling the world. Dance was actually my biggest passion, but my rebellious attitude was not going along with it. I refused to be part of certain dance routines, I often rebelled against the costumes and makeup. I was a little drama queen you could say. But really, I was just a dance soloist with natural flow into freestyle. It was the early 80s in Poland and modern jazz was the most alternative direction in dance.

As a child, even if I was well equipped with artistic talents, I was not sure which direction to take for life I even thought I was so engaged and successful pursuing my art passions. I have to admit I had a hard time in my school years following the traditional educational program. I pretty much spent my school years skipping through lessons, just marking my excellence in art, literacy and sports. I was not interested in the wider curriculum. I would drive my teachers of the other subjects crazy because I could be there physically but was actually in my own world, doodling or writing away. Interestingly, I am in a time in my life, when all of my talents are calling at the same time. Apart from doing my art directing job I am developing a studio concept which incorporates all my passions and I hope it's going to be creative healing space for many. This idea has been growing in my mind for a few years now and I hope to meet the right people to help me with starting it up. I have learned through the years to stick to my creative guns and let business people do their job selling it out. So keep watching this space for new, unexpected projects. I was always full of creative energy, and it is still rolling in my 40s in all curious directions. What is your favourite cultural product at the moment? Since the iPods are out of date I am totally hooked up on Spotify, digging into musical memories, checking in with new releases and creating my playlists for all sort of moods and dance practices.

Last year I got many amazing courses from there, exploring my passion in meditative dance, psychology and mindfulness. I took a few courses with one of my mentors - Belinda Matwali and highly recommend those if you want to design your own meditative mood and be independent from any guided meditations. It's the simple pleasures these days. Are there any movies which made a special impression on you? “Malcolm and Marie” an arthouse film piece by Sam Levinson, written, produced and directed during the pandemic. It was filmed entirely in black and white and I cannot praise the visual elegance that film has enough. Every fragment I could turn in stunning photography image, hang on a wall and admire. I especially like it when the movie stirs an emotion and a deep thought in me. This piece got me in such a state I could not stop thinking about it for days. I got actually triggered in the first half an hour of the movie, I had to stop it and come back to watch it the next day. Musing about recent cinematography I can not omit Netflix hit series The Queen's Gambit. I loved everything about it, the story, the characters, the costumes, light moods! The series is definitely staying with me for years. I know I will come back to it many times. That is what I do when I am fascinated with a movie piece. After I watch it first with an open heart, next time I will approach it for the story details, another time for costumes or camera work or the edit tricks.

Since lockdown I am regularly exploring some online platforms for mindfulness like DailyOm.

What are you most proud of doing? What do you consider your biggest achievement to date?

I could list some projects or positions I've held but then when I really think about it, I am mostly proud of staying in the fashion industry for 20 years + and preserving myself the way I am, not the way people wish me to be. I have been doing the things I love and never change to the standards which I don’t agree with. It did cost me some contracts and contacts but I can always look at myself in the mirror, right in the eye, and say - hey girl, I am proud of you doing your thing and keeping your moral grounds and standards high. I am also rather proud of being mum. I know its sounds cliche but I do consider my son Nico my biggest achievement to date. He truly is a special soul, beautiful inside and out. He is not only smart but also has a big open heart, very kind and has a rather philosophical nature. He challenges me everyday, in a good way. He is passionate about the Universe and I am especially proud he looks at himself first as a Planet Earth inhabitant in Bigger Solar System rather than English, Polish or Mexican. I took special care to keep Nico close to nature, even in London, always trying to live near a park and spending a vast amount of time exploring. Now, he knows so much about nature, I learn from him sometimes!

Trapped in Time ALMU MUÑOZ Almu Muñoz is a self taught illustrator. Her piece 'Trapped in Time' is based on a thought she had about the idea of getting old and growing up. AM: "In this piece and my art in general, I like to experiment with illustration in connection with some feelings and ideas that I have on my mind at the time. In this piece, I had been thinking about the idea of getting old, and growing up, and how I've always felt being trapped between the idea that I have lost the best parts in my life. I then think about how I am now wasting the moment thinking about the past and move around things that are not the present. I like to use pastel colours and realistic human figures, sometimes mixed with real objects that are deconstructed by size, shape and even colours." |

Being Trapped Inspired Illustrations AYSHE-MIRA YASHIN Ayshe-Mira Yashin is an 18-year-old lesbian artist and poetess from Istanbul, Turkey, and Nicosia, Cyprus. She is currently based in Cambridge, England, and is a prospective UAL Camberwell art foundation student. Her poetry and art focus on themes of sapphic intimacy, healing and spirituality, with large ties to the occult. She is currently working on her illustrated poetry zine, to be published by Zines and Things, and is also completing her 78-card Tarot deck. She independently runs the Illustration Witch Shop where she sells handmade bookmarks, necklaces, stickers, zines, art prints, handmade notebooks, and her major arcana Sapphic Enchantress tarot deck. Follow her on Instagram @illustrationwitch to stay in tune with her art and poetry! |

THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE

THE AFTERLIFE

THE ENDING IS THE SAME AS THE BEGINNING

THE SACRED EGGS

OUR THEME FOR JULY AND AUGUST IS

Absolutely Anything! WE ARE GIVING YOU COMPLETE FREEDOM TO SUBMIT WHATEVER YOU WOULD LIKE

TO SUBMIT CREATIVE WRITING OR VISUAL ART, EMAIL: creative.thecollectivemag@gmail.com TO SUBMIT PHOTOGRAPHY EMAIL: photography.thecollectivemag@gmail.com AND FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @collectivemagcreations

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