Hi, how are you doing?
Today was very tiring for me, so I decided to stop everything and turn off the computer. But then I remembered that I wanted to write this letter, so here I am, after a lot of work, resting my mind and playing words accumulated during the day.
I wanted to talk a little about how these last few days were, because it was a little different than usual.
I don't know if you followed the ig stories, but on the last two Saturdays, I taught a workshop through Brava, and it was my first live workshop. I've already taught courses, and of course, I record videos for YouTube, but it was really the first time I had this experience of give-and-take withthe students. And I have to say: it was amazing!
On the first Saturday, more people attended the workshop live (as the workshop is recorded and available for those who bought it later, not everyone watches it live), I said the things I needed to say and then we talked ideas about the final project of each. The proposal was for each one to idealize a zine applying the lessons learned from the workshop!
I had already found it super cool to hear about the experiences that each person wanted to record in a printed object, and I left the Zoom call full of ideas. That's where the "Advice you didn't ask" project was born, by the way!
Next week, the workshop was more hands-on. I explained the steps I follow to make personal projects - zines included - and I showed my Photoshop and InDesign files, from the zine I made especially to show during this class, "Pelos". To make it more fun and actually be a workshop, I wanted to incorporate a task during the 3 hour call. I decided that it would be perfect to make a short, 6-page zine, to learn the special fold (and magical: it turns an A4 sheet into a little booklet, without any seams!).
I was already super excited about my mini zine, which I knew I was going to do together with the students. We set aside about 40 minutes to think of something, even if it was very sketchy, or something super simple, and show it to the rest of the class. Doing everything on time, it was easier to understand the doubts and for me to be able to help.
When we took this little time to create, I sat at the table and started doodling my original idea, which was to explore the growth of a flower seedling, on a little head. I didn't know, however, where I was going with this, but I scribbled on it.
As I was sketching, the idea grew, and I realized that I was illustrating the situation I was going through, the situation of HAVING an idea. I incorporated this into the narrative, and the result was this:
When I finished and saw something new in my hands, which appeared there, that Saturday afternoon. I was filled with joy. It was an almost new sensation, and it made me reflect. Why was this news to me? And I came to these conclusions:
It was something I did in less than an hour, without much planning;
It was something that I enjoyed every second of the process;
It was something purely for me, I didn't think about anyone else while doing it;
It was something imperfect, I did it "in a hurry", the lines were crooked, the colored pencil smudged...
Today I look at this zine and think: Oh, no big deal...
But I don't think it's a bad reaction! I know the process that was important and that makes me happy.
Working with what I like often makes my head spin! What this for me, what that for others, what this for company X, what that for nothing? I think this experience and the exchanges I had, made me stop and breathe a little, focus on something specific for hours a day.
Anyway, I wanted to share this with you.
If you have an idea, be sure to pay attention to it! It can be beautiful.
Oh, I almost forgot! I arranged the zine I made in this workshop for anyone who wants to have it at home.
Just print on an A4 sheet in black and white and paint with whatever you want (color pencil is a good idea). If you do, show me on Instagram! To fold it right, try to follow these steps, if you can't understand, there are several tutorials on the Internet hehe
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