Call for Submissions

Yes, folks, you heard it right.

Having become tired of beating my head against imaginary walls just thinking about editors, agents and galley proofs, I have gone ahead and embraced the zine scene. I wrote the first issue of my little honey, A Handmade Life, in the fall. I made an extremely small run since I did a lot of hand collaging and hand stamping for each issue, and Issue One is Sold Out. Actually I gave them away, but who's checking?

For Issue Two I plan to print a run of about a hundred copies. I'd like to get them coil bound too, because let's face it, that's cool. Some will be for sale, and if I'm lucky I'll recoup my costs. But this isn't about the money. It's about Art, man. It really is. It's about communicating the thing that means the most to me: the creative spirit.

Because HL is about just that: living creatively. This means not only the act of creating (in itself a broad term, inclusive of art, music, poetry, tattooing, etc), but living an original, free-thinking, unfettered life. Whenever I see someone doing things their own way, or coming up with new solutions to problems, or speaking from the heart, or lying on the grass in May--I see someone who's living the handmade life. And I love it.

Here's where you come in. For Issue Two, I would love to include your creative perspective. I'm looking in particular for essays, how-to articles for artistic endeavors, and black-and-white artwork. However, if you've got something nifty you'd love to share with the world (or at least a small, interesting part of it), then send it on! In return, you'll get a free copy of HL to share with your friends so they can see how cool you are.

You can send your written work in the body of an email to me at alchemystudios@gmail.com, or attach artwork in a jpeg or gif format. If you need to snail-mail me, email me for the address. Please send it in by February 28th. But most of all, please send it!

And when Issue Two is ready, I'll post about it here. Don't miss it! It's gonna be good stuff!