What the hell do I put in a zine?
By Morrigan Ivy
The urge to create buzzing at your fingertips, excitement as you see the supplies you’ve gathered around you, but your hand stops before it even picks up a pen. Your mind goes blank, and you realize you have no idea what you even have to say.
Inspiration is a fickle thing, even more so when you’re staring at a blank page of any kind. It is never that you have zero ideas of what to do but that your brain simply can’t access what it needs. But you don’t need to fear! There are a few tactics I take when my brain stutters:
One: Make a Mess
Sometimes the transition between intent and doing can be difficult. An abstract thought is very different to actively doing and sometimes our brains hate that. Just pick up your pen, paint, glue, or whatever medium you enjoy and put something on the paper. Make pretty patterns, collect beautiful images, or something ugly to fix later. This breaks the seal on your creativity and can be the spark to get into the meat of your zine.
Two: Create a List
Take a moment to bullet point everything on your mind. It doesn’t matter if it’s mundane and seemingly uninteresting, write it down. (You can even write it on your blank zine! It can be covered up later). Try to get at least 5 items down, you want to have a choice.
Next, you’ll look through this list of topics, these are all things you’ve been thinking and you will have something to say relating to them. See which one you have the most feelings about or think you’d have fun with. Even something as simple as ‘what should I have for dinner?’ could make an amazing zine full of illustrations, recipes, or even be a mini comic. The mundane is interesting, not everything needs to be groundbreaking or political (but certainly can be).
Three: Get a Friend
Creation doesn’t exist in a bubble, all things are inspired by something else, and collaboration is a powerful tool. You don’t necessarily need them to work on the zine with you but try giving them your list. Ask if there are any topics on it, they think are exciting. Bounce your ideas off them, let them feed you their thoughts and see if any stick to what you already have. You can also ask them to start it off for you, get them to make a background or provide you with a prompt. Working within a prompt or background can bring out the best ideas because you can’t just do anything. It lets your brain focus rather than running wild.
Incase you’re still feeling stuck or don’t currently have access to a friend here is a list of possible zine ideas/prompts:
The worst and best plants
A collection
A place I wish was real
Worthless treasures
Pets you’ve loved
Write a critique on a movie/book/show/game
Fangirl about something
Memes you hate
A day in your life
A letter you’d never send
Bingo boards
Favorite childhood toys
Write a TED talk
Review other zines
Coloring book
Get mad about something
Random objects you found
Favorite things from last year
Hopes
Research a historical event.