A couple of people asked a valid question which we answered by email, but I think the explanation bears repeating for the sake of others who were wondering the same thing. We didn’t just “forget” to put a linked index in the front of the zine - so you could just go to whatever article you thought would be interesting. We left it out on purpose. Here's why:
The internet is full of links and that is wonderful for lots of reasons. But, the down side is that very often we get “lost”, and we easily forget what we were going to go back to. We find lots of things “by accident” - many folks have said they found our site and this magazine that way. We don’t want our readers lost, and we hope that you discover things “accidentally” by reading this zine, and that you find new areas of interest! One reader said “I would have skipped around because I'm not interested in clay at all.” But, that article also taught you how to make shadow box mats, and the concept of arranging letters in that unusual way could be applied to any project in any media. She would have missed all that - because she didn’t think she was interested in “clay”. Because we are a multi-media magazine, our articles combine information on a variety of media techniques. There is no way to know, from the title, whether or not there is something in there for you.
The internet is full of places where you can “point and shoot” to your heart’s content. This zine isn't one of them - it’s different. We know it takes a person, who is really reading it, just about an hour to go through. We are trying to give you the gift of that hour as a pleasant and inspiring retreat. We hope you are having a cup of tea and relaxing while you read each month’s issue. If you have a very slow loading computer, we are sorry, but we have pared things down to the nub to minimize load time, while still maintaining quality graphics, and an art magazine needs graphics. We have also laid out the pages so that you can be reading interesting stuff already while the pictures are loading.
One of the “not-so-good” things the internet has done for us is that it has made us impatient. We are so used to being irritated that we forget to appreciate the magic of what we have in front of us. We forget how much time it takes to drive to the bookstore to buy an art magazine, for example, and how much time it took to make the $6 to pay for that magazine!
That subtle point made, let me tell you that we want you to be able to easily go back to articles you wish to reread, so there will be a “BackTracks” page at the end of each issue. There will also be a Back Issues Library with links to contents, so you can point-and-shoot through old issues. But, as each new issue “hits the stands” as it were, you need to be ready to spend a fraction of the time enjoying the issue that it took us to create it, and at least, turn each page.
Readers have also asked if we will have a set “publish date” each month. Maybe. Right now, as this zine is being born, I am learning a lot, and being reminded of things about myself too - that I am a perfectionist, for example. Perfection (whether or not achieved) takes alot of time. I found myself actually feeling stressed trying to get this issue out the door. “Oops,” I thought. Stress is not pleasant and I am supposed to enjoy doing this. So I will promise that there will be an issue every month. Sometimes, it will be by the first. More often, it won’t. If you are on the subscriber list, you will be notified by email as soon as the new issue is up.
Our subscriber list is nice and fat already, thanks to so many of you letting us know you are out here. You don’t need to do it again. But if you haven’t, all you need to do to subscribe, is hit and send the email link at the end of this paragraph. If you would like to add comments, feel free to do so. We will be reading every word. Your email address will not be used for any reason but to count you among our subscribers, and it will not be shared with anyone. Let us know you are here!
Jessica
