UPPERCASE 47 by Janine Vangool

Bla ck Lives Mat te r

for the C R E A T I V E and C U R I O U S

B O O K S

A multi-volume book series released in whimsical (nonalphabetical) order on all manner of intriguing and creative topics.

LOOK INSIDE AND DISCOVER MORE AT

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N OV E M B E R 2019

S E P T E M B E R 2020

E A R LY 2021

JA N UA RY 2019

AU G U ST 2019

REPRINTED

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N OV E M B E R 2019

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F A B R I C

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Dear Reader, Creating art with our hearts and hands is calming and restorative. During those precious moments when we get lost in the flow, our stress and anxiety is released. Art can heal and nurture our souls through trying times. Creativity is therapeutic. Expressing ourselves through words and pictures is also a way to foster empathy—the ability to understand the feelings of others and to better know ourselves in the process. Creativity is caring. Through art, we express our individuality while acknowledging our shared humanity. We appreciate and learn from the artwork made by people whose experiences differ from our own. Together, we make powerful images of beauty, resilience and hope. Creativity is empowering. Art, craft and literature uplift and inspire. They make the world a better place and show us what is possible when we embrace the good in all of us. Creativity is love.

Ja n i n e Vango ol P U B L I S H E R , E D I TO R , D ES I G N E R

Go to page 10 to read about this issue's cover and meet the artists.

VOTE is a mini quilt pattern by Sam Hunter made with the forthcoming BREAKING NEWS collection designed by Janine Vangool for Windham Fabrics huntersdesignstudio.com • uppercasemagazine.com/fabric • windhamfabrics.com

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Contents Oc tob er / N ovem b er / De c em b er 2020

Sara Norquay E D M O N TO N , A L B E RTA , CA N A DA

Sara Norquay is a printmaker and book artist in Edmonton, Alberta. “I am interested in the unexpected: the relationships between shapes or images that surprise me; that conjure something not seen before. I work intuitively from a picture in my mind’s eye or from a visual reference or text. Colour and shape can be major subjects but I tend to explore a specific idea for each body of work.” slnorquay.wordpress.com

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U P P E R C A S E

Welcome

Art & Design

Editor’s Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

PRINTMAKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

WORTHWHILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Fingerprints of the Spirit Delita Martin

Bib & Tucker Sew-Op by Cheryl Arkison

Subscriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Snippets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Cover Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Fine Print LIBRARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Recommended Reading

BEING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Empathy Is a Boat that Carries Our Creativity by Meera Lee Patel

BUSINESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Be the Author of Your Brand Story by Arianne Foulks illustration by Andrea D’Aquino

FRESH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Yang Liu, Helen Nhan, Kat J. Weiss and Maria Lucia Picerno

GALLERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Painter Lauren Crazybull

MUSING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 What I Learned While Drawing Daily for Over a Thousand Days by Anika Lacerte

CREATIVE CAREER . . . . . . . . 26 Zach Polis, Poet Laureate

BEG INNINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Late Bloomers Know by Cedric Victor illustration by Andrea D’Aquino

ABECEDARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Language Arts by Correy Baldwin

Craft

LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

STITCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Art Therapy for Art Therapists by Claire Dibble

Different Notions by Donna Hopkins

ASK LILLA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

HOBBY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Doves aren’t Everything by Lilla Rogers

Hiding My Voice by Brendan Harrison

DISCOVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Learning Through Empathy by Nōn Wels

TOG ETHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Art Therapy with Éli Abdellahi by Joy Deneen

ARTIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Dietlind Vander Schaaf: The Absence of Words by Claire Dibble

SKETCHBOOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Make, Inspire and Share with Dayle Bennett

Misc. STUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Maria Over

SHARES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Instagrams from readers

CIRCLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 The UPPERCASE Circle: a free community for subscribers

COVET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 The Art of Seeing by Andrea Jenkins

PARTICIPATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Poetic Self-Portraits by UPPERCASE Readers

ORIG IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Non-Latin Type Design featuring Mustaali Raj, Ian Lynam and Keya Vadgama by Correy Baldwin

AUTHORSHIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 The Art of Writing featuring Rami Schandall, Sarah Selecky, Deanne Fitzpatrick, Jen Hewett, Janelle Hardy, Mohamad Kebbewar, Tanya Evanson and Kate Woodrow.

PUBLISHED I N D E P E N D E N T LY SINCE

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C O N T R I B U TO R

U P P E R CAS E 201B – 908, 17th Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2T 0A3

Janine Vangool P U B L I S H E R , E D I TO R , D E S I G N E R

janine@uppercasemagazine.com C U STO M E R S E RV I C E

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Correy Baldwin C O PY E D I TO R

Core Contributors Jane Audas Correy Baldwin Andrea D’Aquino Arianne Foulks Joy Deneen Glen Dresser Brendan Harrison Andrea Jenkins Linzee Kull McCray Andrea Marván Kerrie More Emily Orpin Meera Lee Patel Lydie Raschka Christopher Rouleau Laura Tarrish

THANK YOU Thank you to everyone who submitted to the open calls for this issue. Even if you weren’t featured within these printed pages, your effort was noticed and appreciated! UPPERCASE has the best readers in the world. P RI NTE D I N CA N A DA BY T H E P R O L I F I C G R O U P.

Interior pages are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled Rolland Enviro 100. Give this magazine a long life! The content is evergreen, so we hope you’ll revisit it over and over again. If you’re done with it, please pass it on to a friend or colleague who might enjoy our content, or cut up the pages and create some art.

We plant a tree with every subscription. treeera.com 6

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U P P E R C A S E

Cedric Victor I’ve been making pictures since I was a kid, and eventually as a painter, printmaker, designer and most recently as a creative director. Over time it’s been interesting to watch how the right pictures can become quiet prompts for meaningful dialogue. As an introvert, my secret interest is in intimate, “coded” one-on-one exchanges between friends, lovers, even coworkers. I love looking at sketchbooks and old letters between friends and lovers, with their idiosyncratic marks and handwritings. With SPECIALORBITS I explore that curiosity: I make pictures by combining printmaking techniques, painting, typography, digital studio techniques, tattoo imagery, decorative motifs and a few other things. They eventually show up as cards and art prints, and in miniature books and other objects. I’d do practically anything for beauty’s sake if I thought it would set the right tone for a sincere conversation. specialorbits.com @specialorbits

Thank you to all of the talented writers, illustrators, creative collaborators and loyal readers who contributed their talents to this issue of UPPERCASE.

Subscribe! Each issue is a labour of love: love for print as a medium and love of creativity as a way of life.

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Snippets

P R I N TS + Z I N E S

C H E E RY H U M A N STUDIOS Kristina Yu of Cheery Human Studios is a freelance illustrator and designer based in Los Angeles, California. She is donating 100% of the profits from her “We are all better when we stand together” print to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to aid in their fight for racial justice in America.

N E E D L E WO R K

patchwork samplers CY N T H I A A N D E R S O N

ynthia Anderson is a textile artist in Houston, Texas. “I am making samplers for the 21st century that include embroidery, needlepoint, quilting and painting.” Her unique patchwork approach to needlework starts with small squares of various materials and techniques. “The squares were done with small leftovers of thread from past projects and from a weaver friend who shared her bits with me,” describes Cynthia. “I’ve always loved acorns in nature and had this in my mind for a long time. I thought the squares would be really fun and interesting on the acorn with different materials rather than simply wool yarn.” @cynthia8438

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“The work that I create is bright, uplifting and colourful,” says Kristina. “Quarantine and recent events have moved me to create art that calls for internal reflection. The projects I have been most passionate about as of late are my positive lettering pieces and monthly zines. Each of my zine projects includes original art, activities (colouring pages, word searches, etc.) or a combination of the two centred around a theme.” Hello. How Are You? is Kristina’s Zine of Encouraging Thoughts. Look for Kristina’s poetic selfportrait elsewhere in this issue! cheeryhumanstudios.com

L LA A II L LA A E EK KB BO O II R R

lailaekboir.com lailaekboir.com

A RT WO R K

luisa-f-arellano.com luisa-f-arellano.com

L LU U II S SA A A AR RE EL LL LA AN NO O

Toi Art Gallery Directed by Karina Miller and Viviana Elinger, “Toi’s mission is simple: to make the world more beautiful. We curate art by talented international artists, and we sell their works in limited edition and open edition prints, online and at fair prices to make art accessible to all.” Toi recently hosted an illustration contest with jurors Janine Vangool, Joanna Concejo and Sara Barnes. “There were so many wonderful entries from all over the world. And so much beautiful art! We are very pleased to announce the winners.”

isabellaconti.it isabellaconti.it

II S SA AB BE EL LL LA A C CO ON NT T II

First place goes to Laila Ekboir, an illustrator based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. “Laila’s work has a quiet and intense quality that really moves you. Her pencil drawings, with their subtle colour palettes, align perfectly with Toi’s aesthetics. They have a handcrafted feel that really speaks to the viewer and to Toi’s gallery,” says Karina. Honourable mentions include Luisa F. Arellano (Mexico) and Isabella Conti (Italy). “Both of their colourful and original works will be a wonderful addition to Toi’s family.”

J E W E L L E RY

MeemWare Minahil Bukhari is the creator and designer behind the Vancouver-based jewellery brand MeemWare. “The name MEEM is a Perso-Arabic letter , fluid and adaptable, that can morph into different configurations depending on its position within a word. Representing the flow of time, passage of experiences, the journey—a continuous loop. I started this business out of love for well-designed jewellery and objects that make your style unique to you,” says Minahil.

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C O V E R

Jeanetta Gonzales

This issue’s cover is a collaboration combining the talents of four artists!

ince this magazine was launched in 2009, there has only ever been one full human figure on the cover: a quirky little fellow blowing bubbles on the inaugural issue. Since then, human figures were kept off the cover with the intention of making the covers universal, curious and inclusive. The magazine has matured a lot in the dozen years since. I have Plant Plant AddictMug Mug established an editorial and an aesthetic voice and Addict grown more confident in expressing them both. In this time of challenge and change, it is important to me as the publisher, editor and designer of UPPERCASE Jemma Morris magazine that my publication unequivocally shows where it stands. Black Lives Matter. Jemma has considered her-

California-based artist and designer Jeanetta Gonzales has a multidisciplinary studio where she provides services in surface pattern, textile design, illustration, graphic design and brand collaborations. She licenses her work for products sold in major retailers and online stores in categories such as home decor, stationery, greeting cards and apparel. She is represented by the illustration agency Illustration X, creating commercial and editorial illustrations for publications, products and campaigns. Jeanetta also works one-on-one with artists, mentoring them on their artwork development and practice, and providing career advice and strategy. You can find fun gift products that she has designed on Girls GirlsPower Power Mug Mug her website and watch her on her new YouTube channel. @nettdesigns jeanettagonzales.com

self an artist for as long as she

This issue’s cover artist is Jemma Morris. I came can remember. Born in England across her cut paper family portraits on Etsy. One and raised in the United States, composition in particular caught my attention: Jemma is a versatile artist who a diverse grouping of five women leaning in and has two distinct styles. Her Emancipation Emancipation Art ArtPrint Print supporting one another—faceless but still friendly, abstract works are meditative in (framed (framedor orunframed) unframed) practice and full of vibrant, lumiabstract but grounded and powerful in their stance. nous, fluid colour, while her miniJemma uses commercially available patterned craft malist portraits support an overall papers for her figure’s dresses, but for an UPPERCASE mission to represent diversity and cover, it was important to me that proper credit could most importantly to cultivate culbe given to everyone involved in its creation. So I tural unity and inclusiveness. reached out to some UPPERCASE readers to license @loulouartstudio their work for this special cover that now features the LouLouArtStudio.etsy.com creative talents of four Black women artists.

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“Justice” “Justice”Art ArtPrint Print

Pantera Saint-Montaigne Pantera Saint-Montaigne is a selftaught screen printer and surface pattern designer. “I live in the hustle and bustle of Ft. Greene, Brooklyn, in a brownstone building named Crumbly Manor,” she describes. “I use screen-printing, block printing and freestyle painting to create bold, modern designs that I print by hand onto textiles and home goods.” She has been screen printing for over six years. “I always dreamed of printing larger pieces. This dream led me to donate all of my living room furniture and turn the big, airy room into my print studio and HQ of my company, Brooklyn Mojo.” In addition to printing fabric for quilting, Brooklyn Mojo has been a vendor and sponsor at Quiltcon since 2018, and Pantera was an instructor of blockprinting at QuiltCon 2020 held in Austin, Texas. @brooklynmojo brooklynmojo.com

Tafui McLean Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Tafui McLean is a multidisciplinary artist and designer whose wide range of works includes product design, graphic design and corporate branding and fine art. She moved to Canada shortly after graduating from high school to further her studies as an artist. She attended Dawson College and Concordia University where she received her degree in design. After graduating, she moved back to Jamaica where she continued a fine art practice in addition to working as an art director and university professor. Her work quickly received critical acclaim and was highly sought after.

Tafui moved back to Ottawa, Canada, in 2004 and continued work as an artist, art educator and art director for 10 years. Since then, she has had her own design studio where she makes a diverse range of art and design-based objects and also licenses her artwork. She is known for her modern, bold black-and-white patterns that adorn her textiles and art prints, and her work can be found in various public art collections such as with the Bank of Jamaica, City of Ottawa and City of Vancouver. She currently resides in Vancouver, BC. shoptafui.com @tafui

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U P P E R C A S E

L I B R A R Y

INTUITIVE

E M OT I O N A L

The Story of Every Flower

Find Your Artistic Voice

CA R R I E S C H M I T T

L I SA C O N G D O N

M E E R A L E E PAT E L

Every lush brushstroke and artful scribble that fills Carrie Schmitt’s canvases is an expression of her own perseverance and the power of authentic beauty. The Story of Every Flower collects a decade of paintings paired with hard-won wisdom, honest intuitions and personal poetry. It delivers an intimate and soulful experience of art and creativity that is both deeply personal and universal, inviting the reader to manifest their own petals of truth.

I’ve been an admirer of Lisa Congdon’s art and illustration since before this magazine, dating back to 2005. Lisa was just setting out in her art career in San Francisco, and UPPERCASE gallery, books and papergoods was a small retail shop in Calgary that was the first international gallery to exhibit her work. Her visual style and artistic confidence has grown considerably over those years. In Find Your Artistic Voice, Lisa shares what she and her creative friends have learned about honing in on your unique talents and point of view and developing your voice to further your artistic pursuits and creative career. Beautifully illustrated throughout!

Meera Lee Patel is a self-taught illustrator and bestselling author of heartfelt and helpful books and journals about finding one’s way through more challenging emotions. Her latest publication is Create Your Own Calm, a guided journal that invites the reader to quiet their anxiety through creative exercises, reflection and making art. Beautifully hand-lettered quotations throughout the journal provide invitations to introspection.

carrieschmittdesign.com Carrie’s work is featured in 2017’s Botanica: Volume B of the UPPERCASE Encyclopedia of Inspiration. Look for a reprint of Botanica coming soon!

CA AR RR R II E E S SC CH HM M II T TT T C

M OT I VAT I O N A L

artistic empathy

lisacongdon.com

Create Your Own Calm

meeraleepatel.com Meera is part of Work/Life 3, the UPPERCASE Directory of Illustration published in 2013. Limited copies are available in our online shop. uppercasemagazine.com

UPPERCASE also published Lisa’s 2010 book, A Collection a Day, housed in a beautiful collector’s tin. Available through Lisa and uppercasemagazine.com.

RECOMMENDED READING by janine vangool

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B E I N G

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another—the ability to see and feel the world through someone else’s eyes. Without empathy, I limited my ability to understand and connect with myself and others. My lack of empathy was reflected in my art—it prevented my work from evolving or resonating with audiences. Most disappointingly, the disconnect I felt within myself prevented me from making art that genuinely reflected who I was.

Empathy Carries You to Your Creative Voice Cultivating empathy through regular introspection emboldens us to make work that is vulnerable—and therefore more honest than it would have been otherwise. When you feel connected to yourself, it’s easier to shine a light on the parts of yourself that you would normally keep hidden. Organically, your art becomes less of a mask that you crouch behind and more of a bridge that connects you to yourself. When I began approaching myself empathetically, I found that I was magnetically drawn to my creative voice. I discovered that I was able to deal with failures more easily—I had the ability to forgive myself and move on, rather than dwell on what went wrong. I had more compassion

first began focusing on empathy after noticing that I had a natural tendency to withdraw—from people, from new ways of thinking or learning, and often, from myself. I didn’t know why I did this, only that it felt comfortable and familiar. It was far easier for me to dismiss a new habit or person than it was to invite either to be a part of my world—after all, cultivating new practices and relationships requires a considerable amount of energy, discipline and vulnerability. As I continued to explore this behaviour within myself, I realized the common thread that sewed all of my aversions together: my fear of rejection and failure. I was afraid of rejection and not being liked, so I didn’t form new relationships. I was afraid of failing or being a slow learner, so I stuck with what I already knew, refusing to even try alternate methods of learning. This made things stagnant in my personal and mental well-being, but I noticed it the most in my work as an artist.

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Empathy Is a Boat that Carries Our Creativity

for myself, which made it easier to experiment without expectation. I stopped trying to quiet the internal pulses that were drawn to contrasting styles and projects, and my creative voice naturally began to reflect the multifaceted person I genuinely am. Empathy also helped me build creative resilience, which made rejections less painful, and instead reinforced a tenacious desire to simply try again. This latter trait is especially irreplaceable for any artist who wants to continue developing as an artist throughout their lifetime. Empathy Carries Your Creativity to New Places For years, I had made up my mind that abstract art was not for me. Instead of exploring why certain artists were drawn to creating with shape and colour, I dismissed the genre as less challenging than illustration because it didn’t tell a story. This isn’t true, of course—every single piece of art has a story, and it was me who was unable to see it.

When I saw Hilma af Klint’s work, I was stunned by her ability to use colour and composition in a way that stopped my heart and froze my breath. I read more about her life and work, learning that her paintings were spiritual investigations guided by a higher force. It was empathy that allowed me to see myself in Klint—as an artist who also explores spirituality in her work—and it is empathy that propels me to feel gratitude for her as a person, and for her incredible body of work. Inspired by Klint, I recently began creating abstract paintings as forms of active meditation, and I have been comforted, stretched and invigorated by this practice. Without empathy, I would have closed myself off from an entire realm of work that now offers me endless inspiration, emotional comfort and technical challenge.

Empathy Carries You to Others Empathy encourages you to use your creative voice as a therapeutic practice for yourself and those who hear it. In my work, empathy has always been the practice of finding myself inside someone else. The more I pay attention to what I have in common with someone else, whether it’s a perspective, an emotional reaction or a shared experience, the more I find that I can make work that speaks directly to them.

The practice of empathy has led me to unbelievable freedom—it has helped me feel less alone, and allowed me to create work that helps others feel seen and understood. Now, my paintings cease to be external pieces of art that reflect only my face. Instead, these paintings also become a part of whoever comes across them, reflecting their individual faces and voices— works of art that they carry wherever they go.

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F R E S H

Yang Liu D U B L I N , CA L I F O R N I A , U SA

You’re welcome to submit your work for consideration.

I am a paper artist, based in California. I aim to create handmade artwork that sits somewhere between dreams and reality. Through botanical sculptures, I explore the natural world and flowers that have traditional meanings in my Chinese heritage. My work often combines different weights and colours of crêpe paper over a wire, cotton or papier-mâché frame to build the beautiful flora that you see. It is often then coloured and sometimes glazed to further emulate a variety of textures. Typically, each paper botanical specimen takes at least 15 to 20 hours of work. I hope my work encourages viewers to slow down and appreciate the beauty that the world has to offer.

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fresh talent W H ET H E R YO U ’ R E A F R E S H G R A D UAT E O R M AT U R E A RT I ST, I T I S O F T E N A D R E A M TO B E P U B L I S H E D F O R T H E F I RST T I M E !

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Helen Nhan OT TAWA , O N TA R I O, CA N A DA

I am a Canadian abstract artist based in Ottawa, Ontario. I did not graduate with an arts degree; instead I studied to become an optometrist. Though I still love my day job, my passion for the arts never left me. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always created art for myself, and in 2018 I decided to finally share it with the world. My work is based on the expression of colours and how they interact with each other on canvas. It has been an amazing creative journey so far. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to be able to reach out to more communities to invite them to speak their creative minds with me. helennhan.com @helennhan.art

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Kat J. Weiss T R A B E N -T R A R BAC H , G E R M A N Y

I am originally from Hong Kong and I now live in Germany. I have a pattern-like illustration style, inspired by Art Nouveau and 1960s poster illustration. I specialize in capturing nature and diversity in art. I want to spread radical compassionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;for the self, others and the planetâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;through my art. katjweiss.com @katjweiss 20

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R E A D E R

S T U D I O

M U LT I - C R E AT I V E

Maria Over

mariaover.com @maria.over

My jewellery studio is a tiny space just large enough for a table, a place to sit and lots of materials. The studio has amazing light and is where I work on my one-of-a-kind jewellery that I sell online and in boutiques across Germany. Last year, I painted the walls to give the studio a warmer feeling and have a nice place to display an array of vintage treasures that I often use as photography props.

I’ve split my workspace into a digital area and a physical table, where I paint, sketch, sew, etc. I enjoy balancing on-screen and off-screen work and currently illustrate a lot. I just finished illustrating my first full-length children’s book.

I have a vintage Etsy shop, for which I enjoy treasure hunting at flea markets. From all the beautiful vintage china I collected sprung another creative project of painting on vintage porcelain in mostly blue-on-white and on delicate 1950s shapes.

Show us your studio! uppercasemagazine.com/participate 110

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P O RTR A IT BY U L L I SC H A RRE R

MUNICH, G ERMANY

My name is Maria, and I’m an avid reader of UPPERCASE. I’m an artist, designer, illustrator and all-round creative. I live in Munich, Germany, with my two kids. Since I work from home and in a variety of media, I have pretty much occupied our tiny apartment with my work spaces. I’m glad my kids don’t know anything different!

S H A R E S

Please share your pictures and stories of my books, magazines and fabric on Instagram @uppercasemag with your friends, family and colleagues. It means a lot to me! #uppercaselove for all things UPPERCASE #uppercasemag for the magazine #uppercasekraft for art made with the kraft envelope sent to subscribers #uppercasereader to share what you make #encyclopediaofinspiration for the books #uppercasefabric for my fabric collections with @windhamfabrics #littleumag for my little magazine for the young at heart

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C I R C L E

Looking forward… There’s a lot to look forward to at UPPERCASE—and many ways in which you can be involved or even get published! Look for all the details and deadlines for the open calls on our website and be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes updates!

Circle

Ceramics Volume C in the Encyclopedia of Inspiration, co-authored by Carole Epp and Julia Krueger, will be released in October 2020. Botanica

Make connections, nurture your creative spirit and grow your business!

Due to popular demand, Volume B in the Encyclopedia of Inspiration is being reprinted! Order your copy on our website. Yarn-Thread-String In Volume Y in the Encyclopedia of Inspiration is in progress and will be released as soon as possible. Little U Little U is the offspring of UPPERCASE magazine—creativity for the young at heart! Volume 3 is in the works for early 2021. Look for open calls about how you can be published in Little U. Future issues of UPPERCASE magazine The fourth edition of the UPPERCASE Surface Pattern Design Guide will be accepting entries late in 2020. Over the next year, you can look forward to themes about authorship, stationery, science, surface pattern design and more. Pitch your article ideas and theme suggestions anytime by emailing submissions@ uppercasemagazine.com.

The UPPERCASE Circle is a vibrant community hub. One that is a valuable source of motivation, inspiration and encouragement for like-minded and kind-hearted creative people from around the world. Although the community is initially brought together by its support for and appreciation of UPPERCASE magazine, the Circle will enhance your experience of all things UPPERCASE while providing additional value to your creative life through conversation and sharing of knowledge. •

Connect with members of the UPPERCASE community— both near and far—who share your interests.

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Share your work with your peers, mentors and potential customers.

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Find inspiration, motivation and new perspectives.

Fabric

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My fourth collection with Windham Fabrics is available for shop preorders by retailers. It will be available in stores next year.

Move your creative business forward with tips, tools and support from peers and guest experts.

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Live video conferences and video chats.

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Access to this community is FREE when you subscribe to UPPERCASE magazine! uppercasecircle.com

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U P P E R C A S E

B O O K S

A multi-volume book series released in whimsical (non-alphabetical) order on all manner of intriguing and creative topics.

I N P RO G R E SS

Help fund the publication of these books by preordering your copies today!

This book gets up close and personal with fibre, telling the stories and processes from venerated traditional thread companies to individual artisans raising sheep to make their own wool. We look at natural fibres and how they are made, and how design plays a part in the visual appeal of fibre brands. We’ll also explore innovative fibres that repurpose and recycle our valuable resources. Yarn-Thread-String also highlights artists, craftspeople and creative entrepreneurs who use these fibres in unique and inspiring ways. Through this book, you’ll gain a new and exciting perspective on what fibre is—and how we can use it to express our individuality, creativity and humanity.

encyclopediaofinspiration.com

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C O V E T

the art of seeing

STO RY A N D P H OTO S BY

and re a j enkin s

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e filled our red plastic tray with sweet and savoury pastries—scallion hot dog buns, sugar doughnuts, moon cakes. On the morning of our last day in New York, we found ourselves at a small bakery in Chinatown. As we sat down to eat, I spied a man across the street, a waiter on break. What caught my eye was the deep slump of his shoulders against a painted block of pink and I slipped quietly out the side door to see if I could catch it. What I knew in this moment was that even if the photograph didn’t materialize the way my mind’s eye had seen it, I would always remember the way the scene had made me feel—the heavy curve of his spine, the way he seemed to wear the weight of the world so early in the day. Standing there, camera in hand, I felt his exhale all the way across the street. And then, as quickly as it had presented itself, the moment was gone.

moving from viewer to photographer, the intentional practice of looking through a particular lens at the world, is a specific lesson in empathy. As photographers, we meticulously train our eyes to seek light, but ultimately, it’s the stories that pull us in—how (and who) we see, moments we choose to distill, truths we knowingly (or unknowingly) uncover, what we opt to share with the world.

Photographs have the power to show us the world, if we’re willing to look. As viewers, we see ourselves reflected back—moments distilled, frames that make us feel something, that punctuate our histories, reveal technicolour spectrums of perspective. But the act of

As we wandered the streets that last day in New York, I thought about that waiter. I wondered who he was, what his story was. The truth is, I still wonder. Years later, I look at that photograph and still feel the weight.

U P P E R C A S E

Knowing when to put the camera down is as much an exercise in empathy as knowing when to pick it up. And just as there is no way to predict what scenes we might stumble onto during the course of any given day and feel compelled to capture, there is no real way to predict how much impact any one photograph might have. We freeze stories and moments in time because it feels like one of the most human things we can do. We reflect the world back in hopes it will see itself with new eyes— what is beautiful, what is truthful, what is ugly, what should be celebrated, what should change.

F A B R I C

VOTE is a mini quilt pattern by Sam Hunter made with the forthcoming BREAKING NEWS collection designed by Janine Vangool for Windham Fabrics huntersdesignstudio.com â&#x20AC;˘ uppercasemagazine.com/fabric â&#x20AC;˘ windhamfabrics.com

F RO NT C OVE R

j em m a m or r i s F E AT U R I N G PAT T E R N S B Y

p a ntera sa i nt- m onta i g n e ta f u i m cle a n j e a n e tta gon za les BAC K C OVE R $ 1 8 CA D/ U S D P R I N T E D I N CA N A DA

kristina yu

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