Announcing the release of Michigan, a full-color photozine exploring the unique isolation of Great Lakes art photographers.
Featuring work by:
Meghan Colson
Jordan David Small
Andrew Jensen
Ethan Tate
Daniel Ribar
color laZer printed
24 pages
May, 2013
First edition of 33, more to come
Order it in the shop.
Likely expanding SPP into a full-blown distro. I’d like to stock books + zines that fit within the same ideals I create my work by: “an emphasis on intersecting contemporary art, activism, and the DIY spirit.”
What do you know that fits that!? I want to work with DIY/DIT publishers and artists to bring their work to a greater audience and, specifically, to a Mid-Michigan audience. I’m thinkin’ photography, graffiti, real-talk written word, punk stuff, etc. Taking traditional DIY themes + topics and planting them within the context of contemporary art.
Gimme ideas of things to stock!
1. Meghan Colson
2. Andrew Jensen
3. Ethan Tate
4. Jordan David Small
Working on a new zine with four rad Michigan photographers.
ALL KILLER NO FILLER
NEW IN DA SHOP.
Cardstock Swoosh is a collection of 15 full-color 8x10 prints of my old sports cards displaced in peculiar settings. The prints are fitted within plastic sleeves and sit within a 3-ring binder (screenprinted cover and all). Each copy of the book includes one of the cards featured in the photos.
Sports cards were my obsession growing up and it’s been really fun exploring that with my current obsession of photography and book-making.
Order a copy here.
A visual exploration of squiggles, featuring four small booklets held together by two shiny binder clips. All work by Ethan Tate
- Squiggs features small squiggly doodles
- New Weird 90s features funky clothing patterns
- Untitled features succulents
- Spot Healing Brush features Photoshop paintings captured via key command
Available now in the SPP shop!
Chicago Zine Fest didn’t go well. People keep asking me if it did. I sort of cringe because the only thing I can be is honest. After lugging a giant suitcase full of zines and books around the city for three days, I left with the suitcase just as full as it was when I came. The five or so zines I sold were replaced by the five or so zines I bought from others. There are a number of potential reasons as to why I had a table at one of the largest zine fests in the country and hardly sold anything. Here’s a sample:
- the size of the fest itself was the culprit. I was a small fish in a very big pond.
- my table was in a bad spot. I was tucked away on the top floor and in a small, middle hallway that folks seemed to hover all around but not walk down
- my stuff didn’t fit in. CZF is practically 50% perzines and 50% comics. I make weirdly specific art zines and books about things like sports cards.
- I didn’t engage attendees enough. I’m shy and awkward in situations such as this and people need a reason to stop at your table when you’re 1 in 300.
- I didn’t have any cookies at my table
- My table wasn’t laid out well enough.
It’s impossible to tell which of things was the killer. It was probably a combination of all them. The fact is, Chicago Zine Fest just didn’t go very well. As a result, I was bummed out the entire day. I went to a really rad workshop but didn’t engage with anyone. I walked through both floors of the fest but only checked out a handful of tables. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. Three quarters of the way through, my partner was crying because I hadn’t sold a damn thing yet. The only reason I wasn’t crying with her was because I knew it would scare away potential customers. I worked so fucking hard for CZF. I spent three restless weeks printing, cutting, and binding. I skipped classes. I didn’t work at work. I didn’t hangout with anyone. This was supposed to be my coming out party. My big break.
Sometimes you get slapped in the face.
The best way to deal with getting slapped is to take it, decompress, write it out, and learn what you can.
So here’s my learning. I’m going to look at all of those things that caused me troubles at CZF and change the things that I can and that I should. I’m gonna experiment with smaller fests. I’m gonna work with organizers to ensure better placement. I’m gonna table at events with different audiences and see how different people respond to my stuff. I’m gonna force myself to come out of my shell and TALK TO PEOPLE. Or I’m gonna hire one of my buds to help me out. I’m gonna bake cookies. I’m gonna make kale chips. I’m gonna grow carrots. I’m gonna experiment with different table layouts. I’m gonna see what gets people to pick up my stuff.
I’m gonna look at this as a process rather than each event being a culmination of a mass amount of work. I’m gonna breath. I’m gonna slow down.
=======================================================
What I am also gonna do is write about every single one of my tabling experiences in 2013 and compile them into a zine at the end of the year. Chicago, I’m comin’ for ya next year.
We’re sorry to hear you had a bad time.
CZF is a huge zine fest which can contributes to some of the situations you spoke of in your post. You might want to try out some of the smaller zine fests nearby such as Midwest Zine Fest, Milwaukee Zine Fest, and Grand Rapids Zine Fest. They can be more eclectic, give tablers more time to network, and you can have more downtime both with your friends, other zinesters, and the zine loving public.
There are pros and cons to every table. For fairness (and transparency), table assignments are done on a random basis. We want to be fair to everyone and not give anyone preferential treatment. We give someone a specific table if they request one for accessibility reasons.
Again, we’re sorry and hope you consider attending in some capacity again!
Trust me, I’ll be back! CZF is an incredible event and I definitely understand the issues I brought up are almost entirely out of the hands of the organizers. Y’all do a wonderful job. Really. Thank you so much.
Chicago Zine Fest didn’t go well. People keep asking me if it did. I sort of cringe because the only thing I can be is honest. After lugging a giant suitcase full of zines and books around the city for three days, I left with the suitcase just as full as it was when I came. The five or so zines I sold were replaced by the five or so zines I bought from others. There are a number of potential reasons as to why I had a table at one of the largest zine fests in the country and hardly sold anything. Here’s a sample:
It’s impossible to tell which of things was the killer. It was probably a combination of all them. The fact is, Chicago Zine Fest just didn’t go very well. As a result, I was bummed out the entire day. I went to a really rad workshop but didn’t engage with anyone. I walked through both floors of the fest but only checked out a handful of tables. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. Three quarters of the way through, my partner was crying because I hadn’t sold a damn thing yet. The only reason I wasn’t crying with her was because I knew it would scare away potential customers. I worked so fucking hard for CZF. I spent three restless weeks printing, cutting, and binding. I skipped classes. I didn’t work at work. I didn’t hangout with anyone. This was supposed to be my coming out party. My big break.
Sometimes you get slapped in the face.
The best way to deal with getting slapped is to take it, decompress, write it out, and learn what you can.
So here’s my learning. I’m going to look at all of those things that caused me troubles at CZF and change the things that I can and that I should. I’m gonna experiment with smaller fests. I’m gonna work with organizers to ensure better placement. I’m gonna table at events with different audiences and see how different people respond to my stuff. I’m gonna force myself to come out of my shell and TALK TO PEOPLE. Or I’m gonna hire one of my buds to help me out. I’m gonna bake cookies. I’m gonna make kale chips. I’m gonna grow carrots. I’m gonna experiment with different table layouts. I’m gonna see what gets people to pick up my stuff.
I’m gonna look at this as a process rather than each event being a culmination of a mass amount of work. I’m gonna breath. I’m gonna slow down.
=======================================================
What I am also gonna do is write about every single one of my tabling experiences in 2013 and compile them into a zine at the end of the year. Chicago, I’m comin’ for ya next year.
