In This Issue:
Featured Feminist: Mary Neely
Scarbo Digital Art Collective
Local/Upcoming Artists
Supporting Small Businesses
My First Zine feat. Adrianna Luna
Featured Feminist: Mary Neely
by Rory Smith
Instagram: @maryconnorneely
Twitter: @mneelzy
I had the opportunity to sit down with actor and creator, Mary Neely, over Zoom on January 12th. I first had the pleasure of meeting Mary on the set of Valley Girl (2020), which was filmed in 2017 when I was still in high school. She was very kind to me and gave me some amazing advice, and we have stayed in touch since then! In the interview, we discuss her college journey, her creative process, “Best Theatre of 2020” accolades, and the importance of art as medicine for the soul during the pandemic.
R: First of all, I guess, how are you? It's been… it's been a week. It's been a whole year of a week, it seems like.
M: Okay. I think I fully wore myself out, like so intensely. Like this whole week, I haven't been sleeping. I've just been in this clenched, like, doom scroll, like just like mind racing, like whatever. And last night I feel like it all kind of came to a head in this way. And like, I, I actually saw some, some things that genuinely made me laugh really hard. And I feel like I just crashed kind of, and I actually had a really good night's sleep last night for the first time in like, a while. And so I actually woke up this morning, like, “Oh, I don't feel terrible.” Um, so that was cool. And I went to the farmer's market. I go to the farmer's market every Sunday. Cause they're pretty good. Like in terms of COVID and it's all outside. And I like to support, you know, all the local farmers, and like local businesses and stuff. And that's where I got this apple.
And it's like all friendly faces, you know, like I get to see the same people every week. And that's another big reason why I go. And so in the past, I've gotten really upset going outside because I see a lot of people in LA not wearing masks. It's a big, big issue here. That is obviously not, I don't know if people are really getting it how bad it is. ‘Cause I still see it, but I feel good, because today I didn't see anybody that ignited this anger fire inside of me. So, you know, I'm fine.
No, I, I feel that way too. I mean, Long Beach is like part of LA County. So I'm like, “you guys know we're in this too, right?” Like, just some areas are very gentrified. And then the people who occupy those areas just seem very entitled and like, “Oh, like we're in sunny California. Like nothing bad can happen to me here.” And I'm like, no, people are dying in the gift shops of the hospitals, it's not…it's like [seeing] those images, but you can't get it out of your mind. Because there's so much doom to fuel the doom scroll. You could just go on for hours.
Never-ending it seems, right now.
Yeah. Um, I guess aside from that, I wanted to start by asking about your college journey, why you wanted to get a BA or a BFA, and where you went from there?
Totally. Um, well in high school I knew that I wanted to study acting. I mean, honestly, like I went to a college preparatory high school that was very academic focused, and they did have arts, like they had dance and theater. But we didn't have a proper stage or anything. We had like a little black box theater and then we had this multipurpose room that was for the musicals that like, you know, would be used for like everything else. But my parents wanted me to go there because they had both dropped out of college and they were like, hell bent on me going to college. They never agreed on anything except for that. And so it was literally like you're going to college. And I kind of just, like, was going along with that, because that was just like the only option it seemed.
My dad had been saving for me to go to college my entire life. Like he would put money aside every single year. Cause yeah, like I said, like him and my mom, they both dropped out and they both felt like it kind of haunted them. And so they were like, you have to go to college. And um, during the summers in high school, I, um, did like high school theater programs. Like I, um, I did a program after my freshman year of high school at UCLA. That was like, um, a performance-based like acting program. And then I did, um, plays and stuff at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, which is in Topanga, in LA, it's like Shakespeare…
I've been there, yeah!
Yeah! So I actually did the youth camp when I was like in middle school, which was so fun. And then when I was in high school, I got to do some plays there during the summer. And also after my sophomore year, I guess I, yeah, I did, um, Carnegie Mellon's pre college drama program. And, um, that was a really kind of big, turning point in my like journey to study acting in college because, um, that was doing that program is like a condensed mini version of the BFA program that they have for actors. And at the end of the program, you can audition for the school. But I went to, I did the program when I was going into my junior year, but I would recommend it if anybody's in high school, listening to this, I don't know, like, um, between your junior and senior year, because I wasn't eligible to be considered as an undergrad.
But like people that I did the program with were actually accepted into the school from doing that program. So it's kind of like an almost like scouting recruitment thing. That's like a little backdoor. Cause they really get to know you so much more than, um, just doing, you know, two audition pieces or whatever. Cause you're there for weeks, you're studying with the professors who, um, teach the classes, you know? So I came up with like a whole list and you know, I was an academic person. Like I really liked a lot of my academic classes, more of like the humanities. Like I did take calculus and sciences, but it wasn't really like my thing necessarily. I, I was like, okay, but I wasn't like, hell yeah. Um, so I was like, yeah, it would be cool to be able to study, like I was really into art history, um, and English literature and stuff and so I was like, it'd be cool to study those things, but I also just want to be an actor.
So, but you know, I think academic courses can inform you as a performer or any kind of creator or whatever. So I did a combination of both when I applied to colleges, I kind of, I came up with this huge long list. I applied to quite a few BFA programs that were conservatory acting programs. And then I also applied to some purely academic schools that had a theater program, but it wasn't like their main focus. And then I also applied to schools like UCLA, which have like a BA program that's almost in the style of a BFA program, but you're still getting like a liberal arts education. And it was really, I don't know, it was just like my friend who was two years older than me, she went to Carnegie Mellon.
She was the one who told me about the pre-college program at Carnegie Mellon. Like she helped me a lot. Like she helped me like, you know, talk through like audition pieces. And she recommended a coach that I used for my audition monologues who was kind of like my acting teacher at the time. And, um, she taught me how to do my makeup and like, I, you know, just things like that, um, that were really meaningful and I'm really grateful that she was kind of like my mom, she's kind of like my, my BA/BFA mom at the time. Um, but um, I like auditioned for a bunch of schools and then I applied to some just purely academically, but after I had turned in the initial applications, because for the theater schools, if I remember you turn in your written application first, and then the act, the auditions are like, January, February after that.
So, um, I submitted like all my applications in two in the fall of 2008 and then the stock market crashed and, um, dad who had been saving like money my entire life and who had like encouraged me to apply to like, you know, just all my dream schools on the East coast and everything was like, yeah, you can't go to any of those schools. And I was like, “no, like you're wrong, I'll figure it out.” He's like, “you really don't want to be in debt. Like trust me.” And I was like, “no, we'll figure it out,” or whatever. And so I continued on the auditions and everything, and I did get into some conservatory programs that were exciting to me.
Um, I got wait-listed at some that if I had probably, like, adamantly tried to get into, they might have accepted me. Um, but I ended up getting into UCLA acting program and, you know, I grew up in LA and I did not want to go because I wanted to leave the city. I wanted to get out. I was like, I can't believe that I'm going to a school 15 minutes from my high school or whatever. Um, and so at first I was like really fucking moody. And like the summer before I started, I worked at Urban Outfitters and hated everything. And all my friends went to school on the East Coast and UCLA starts like a month later than most of the schools on the East coast. And so I was alone in LA for like a month or a month and a half or something, just like folding the sales section and telling preteen girls to stop taking photos on their iMacs in the dressing room. And I just was like, “I can't believe I'm going. I'm still stuck in LA. It's the most superficial place ever.” And like, I was so bad. And then as soon as I started school, I was like, “Oh wait, this is an amazing program. I love my classmates. I have an amazing, amazing education.” So that's kind of the-- yeah, I don't know.
No, that's funny! Because I had almost the same exact situation where like, I don't, I don't really know what their logic in letting me apply wherever I wanted was, I think they thought I'd probably get better financial aid than I ended up getting or more scholarships or something. But I got into Emerson's acting program and I really wanted to go there. And then like they gave, they gave me an okay scholarship that made it like to me and my like 17 year old brain, I was like, “Oh, like it's so close.” Like I could totally do it. And they were like, “nah, we can't let you enter into this much debt at such a young age.” And I didn't understand it. And I had a moody summer too, and then like, I got to Cal State Long Beach and I was like, “Oh wait, this is dope!” Yeah. Like I had nothing to be... I mean, your feelings are valid, but yeah.
Oh, that's exactly the same. I got into Emerson too. And I got into some schools in New York City and I just was like, “I want to go.” And my parents were just like, “We can't even afford for you to have an apartment.” They're like, “I don't know what you're talking about.” And I was like, “I'll make it work. I'll work a job”. They're like, “Okay…”
“Okay. What job?”
Exactly. Um, and it's great being in LA because, um, I mean that's like, unless you want to only, only, only do theater, LA is just so like, I'm so grateful that I was able to like start making connections with people while I was still in school. And, um, just become really acquainted with the city in a way that I hadn't been able to when I was living with my parents. So I was kind of able to rewrite my relationship to everything. And that was really awesome. So there's a lot of benefits for sure.
Yeah. That's cool. That's… I mean, something to look forward to for someday! Um, I saw that you were moving to New York at some point. Is that soon? Or just like in the future?
March 1st.
Oh my God. Wow. That's it. Are you excited?
I am so excited. Because like I was just saying like I've wanted to live there, literally my, almost my entire life. Like my mom is from Connecticut and um, my cousins grew up in Connecticut and I'm an only child and so we would go and visit them and they felt like my sisters, you know, like I have a cousin who's one year older than me. And then I have two cousins who were two years older, uh, two years younger than me. So it was like me and my older cousin and then my two younger cousins and I would go to Connecticut and I would visit them. And then we would sometimes go into the city and see a Broadway show. And, and then when I got older, like a lot of my friends lived there and it was like, I had a map of New York city, like pasted on the wall in my bedroom, in high school.
And I just, I wanted, I only wanted to live there only, but it was all I wanted. It's really funny. It's like, I always felt like LA was like, “No, not yet. No, not yet. No, not yet.” Because I've had so many different points in my life where I'm like, maybe I can move to New York now and like trying to force it and make it happen. And it just doesn't work out that way when you have that mentality of like trying to control the situation, you know? And um, now the doors have opened and I actually am like, Oh my God, this is it. This is my chance. And like, if I don't do it now, it might be now or never. Um, and so yeah, I'm selling all my stuff and I'm going March 1st and, I mean, who knows what's going to happen.
That's really exciting. Um, okay. Yeah, because you were on the Best Theatre of 2020 [List] of the New York Times and the Washington Post and probably other places, too. Like, you're an icon.
It's so wild. I can't believe it. Like I was so like honored and it feels like this fever dream since I've been living alone during this whole thing, I'm like, I can't, it's like really hard for my brain to process it kind of like doesn't feel real almost because it's still just me and my face. I'm like, Oh, I'm still here.
Yep. Same walls and stuff everywhere. But, uh, that was a big part of me wanting to move to before the write-ups even like, you know, when I first put my videos out last spring, like a lot of theatre actors who I really admire were encouraging me to go. And I've always had this kind of insecurity or fear, because I did so much theater when I was growing up and I did it in college and stuff, but I haven't done a play since I was in college, really. Like I haven't done theater. I cause I started focusing a lot more on film. Like, and I have gotten worried that I've forgotten everything or like the muscle's not there anymore or that I won't be like welcomed by people because I'm not like currently reading, like Sam Shepard's complete works or something like, but I was so it was so nice and awesome that like all these theatre people were like, you have to come and like do stuff with us. And I was like, literally, that's all you needed to say, I'm packing my bags right now. Like I'm ready.
Yeah. That's awesome. That makes me so happy. Um, what is my next question? Let me find it. Oh yeah. Well, on that same note, how, how do you push past the lack of motivation or like despair? Like the impulse to create is often elusive, especially right now, but you've made some amazing stuff. What's your process?
Um, well, I've just always really relied on work and creativity to get me through things. Like even when I was really little, I wanted to always be doing a play. Because when I was doing a play, it was like a refuge from like the rest of my life, which was kind of chaotic. And so it's weird. Like I'm kind of used to this dynamic. Like it feels weirdly familiar. I mean, living in a pandemic doesn't feel familiar, but just in the sense of like there's chaos, there's uncertainty and I'm like, “I've been here before.” So when, when people, you know, when people ask me, like where did you get the motivation? It was just like, like, and I've said this in interviews and stuff. Like, I was just sitting on the rug, like over there. And I looked over at my DVD case and I saw all these movie musicals and I was like, Oh yeah, those were the things that made me feel better when I was feeling lonely or depressed or scared when I was younger.
So what if I brought that back and, and I don't know, like that was, that was it for like the musical videos, but just in general, it's like, I, I pushed myself a lot, like for better or for worse. Like I'm really hard on myself and I'm trying to be nicer to myself, uh, in that process. Um, but, and, and also trying to make it so that I'm not deriving all of my self worth on my like output and, and material success or whatever, which has been like a struggle for me because I really fell into that trap. Especially like when I got out of school, um, it was hard to manage, um, because everything was so out of my control, like in school, I feel like I could control certain things of like up to a point. And when you're out of school, you have no control over anything.
And I was, Oh my God, I've totally derived all my self worth out of my ability to kind of like beat the system or be creative all the time. And I don't want to be like that and I don't want my whole life to be like that. So I'm currently trying to balance it out. But I do know that when I'm working on something that I really care about, it brings me joy. And I have to constantly remind myself of that. And like, honestly, this past week, like I couldn't concentrate on anything except for what was going on in the world. And I was just completely paralyzed and I hadn't really felt like that this whole time, which might be not the most relatable thing. Cause I know a lot of people have been feeling paralyzed this entire pandemic and stuff.
And I've had moments of feeling really horrible and feeling like, you know, really lost and like really depressed and really lonely. Cause I live by myself and like, but I always was like, okay, just onto the next thing. But this first week back, I was like, I am, I am at a loss right now. And so, um, you know, like, I honestly, here we go, whenever I listen to Taylor Swift songs, I always like, cause if you ever watch interviews with her talking about her work ethic, she has one of the most incredible work ethics, I think, of any like living professional person at the moment. Like, and she just like, Oh my God. Like, so she, she just inspires me because she talks about like, you know, how she gets these ideas for songs.
She gets lyrics or like melodies or whatever in her head. And she always just writes it down immediately when it comes to her. And it's like, I can't remember the exact saying, but there's some saying of like, you know, being able to actually execute those ideas that come to you is part of your work ethic. Like you're blessed with creativity and in certain ways where ideas will come to you, but it really, the people that are able to execute those ideas and really like bring them to fruition is like the way that I think a lot of creative creatives can kind of like break through certain barriers of like, I don't know, like, like being seen as like a whole, if that makes sense. Like being seen as someone who is just, is like purely creative and hard working at the same time.
I think marrying those two things can be really hard. And so whenever I'm feeling like, you know, really depressed or like this past week when I was just like, Oh my God, I was like, I think I know the answer. I think I have to just create something. And that's what my plan is for this week where I'm like, just, just try it, just do it. And like, cause as soon as I start getting in the groove, I just feel better because it's a distraction. Um, I feel like I'm being productive. I feel passionate about something. It brings me joy. And, and so that's really been my main motivation this whole time is just like, how can I get through this? Because I think like, I, I need things to concentrate on. Like I need, I need things to be doing otherwise I'm just gonna succumb to like, serious melancholy.
Yeah. A hundred percent. I like, I like that way of looking at it. Cause it can almost be, yeah, like you said, like a distraction and also just like a salve, like, especially when you're working on something like Taylor Swift or like musicals that are already very like nostalgic and comforting to you.
Yes. Yeah. And am I also, you know, like, especially when I made my, my musical videos, like I was at this point where I was feeling really just like, like I, I was feeling really lucky, you know, like at the start of the pandemic and like the first few months of the pandemic I really was, I was like, wow. My life is really amazing. I am able to support myself, live in a nice little apartment in a neighborhood that I really like, that I'm able to buy my own food that I'm able to go on nice walks. And so I started kind of like thinking like, you know, I want to be of service to people who maybe don't have those things or don't feel grateful, you know? And like, so I started doing these little, just little things every day for fun. Like I started like making these stupid little videos on my Instagram stories and I was like, I would go to this one spot and my, I would walk and I would go to this one spot in my neighborhood to dance.
And like a lot of people were messaging me saying like, thank you for posting this. Like, it makes me so happy. And I was just like, yeah. You know, like that's, that's what, to me, that's like kind of what a performer's job is. Like if a performer is able to do that, then I feel like a kind of responsibility. So that was like another part of making my videos. Cause at first it really was like me. It was just for me and my parents and a few of my friends and just making them happy gave me the motivation to keep making them because they were like, “Oh, I woke up and I watched this and it was an amazing start to my day.” And I was like, “okay, well then I'll keep making them because I would like to do that for other people,” you know?
And so I had no idea that so many people would, would feel that way. And so when that happened, it was, it was awesome. It was also really overwhelming. Um, but that was the best part about it was just getting like really beautiful messages from people who I've absolutely never met, who were just profusely thanking me and who still continue to say nice things to me that like they remember it, you know, and, and it sticks with them. And that that's like the most meaningful thing to me. And like, I've been thinking recently, just, you know, I, I am pitching this show right now. That is kind of like for kids, but it could be for adults too. And I'm like, yeah, I would love to make content for like little kids.
Oh, I love that. I'm excited. Um, I have one last question and it is, with things as they are… Um, do you believe that the artist has like a specific role and if so, what is that role? Or like a specific, I don't know, duty to like society or to like humanity. That's kind of putting it in some big terms.
I think that there is like a duty, but there needs to be reciprocation, right? Like I feel like Europe, Europe has a very nice reciprocation and kind of like the culture and the society. They value artists because they see the necessary value in being able to, um, watch something that reflects an experience that you relate to, that makes you feel less alone and that makes you feel validated. And they realize that that's really necessary for people to have. Um, and it makes your society better and they value craftsmanship. They value like, you know, like history and, and these things like I'm actually working with this artist right now who is doing this oil painting of me, which is like really cool. Um, and you know, she went and studied oil painting in Italy, like in Florence, like at this school, that's probably been around for like hundreds of years, teaching people, these like apprenticeship style, like techniques of, you know, that, that are valued and, and like taught and like brought through generation after generation, after generation.
There's like, there's so much value in that. And inherent respect in, in that kind of like dynamic. And I feel like America really struggles with that idea. And so much is, um, placed upon celebrity and celebrity TA it takes so many different forms. It's not just theater people. It's not just like painters. It's not just whatever, like actors, like whatever. It's like almost anybody can be a celebrity now we've, it's embedded in our culture in this really intense way. And so I think that there's not as much of a reciprocation. Um, and, and I think in New York it exists maybe a little bit more, uh, which is why I'm excited to go there. I think that, I think that there is like, especially with theater and stuff, like it is respected really intensely. And, and I do think that, like, I think that sometimes it's hard to balance like the self-fulfillment in, in any kind of artistry with like, thinking about the output and how it's going to affect other people.
I think that, especially because we live in a celebrity culture, it's really easy to get wrapped up in your own self-fulfillment. Um, instead of, you know, realizing that what you're making is reaching a lot of different people and can actually have a really wonderful effect on others. Um, and so I, I just always try to like, think of it in a not selfish way while also trying to look out for myself and fight for myself and make sure that I'm not being a doormat. You know what I mean? Um, it's hard. And like I do, like, I, I do personally believe that if you have the skillset to make people laugh, to make people cry in a nice way, to have like a catharsis or whatever, I do think that it's like, your kind of like moral responsibility to try and do that for people and not just out of your own self interest. Um, that's what I, I believe, but it's hard when you're online every day and you're seeing, you're just constantly inundated with so many different opinions from other people. And, um, I just get, sometimes I get influenced by what I read online from, from different people, especially on Twitter. I feel like I'm like, Oh wait, should I be thinking that? Should I be thinking this, what do I really believe in? Like, sometimes I get lost and I lose my sense of self. And that's when I know it's time to log off. As soon as I log off, I'm like, Oh right.
Yeah, no everything you said, a hundred percent. Um, and I had legitimately forgotten that this took place, but I was watching a video the other day, and it mentioned how, um, like with the New Deal, after the Great Depression, like actors and theatre people were given money to like make shows and like start companies because the industry had been affected by the Great Depression. And I was like, “wow.” Like, I couldn't really see that kind of relief happening now, which is sad, and there's so much other relief that is just like, it's so needed, but it's not coming because of our individualist culture and like the things you were saying as well.
Yeah. I'm really not sure. Like, because I know that people, I see people advocating for the arts, you know, and I see heavy hitters, like there's like, Warren Light who is the showrunner of Law and Order: SVU. He's, he's been making a point to try and hire a ton of Broadway actors who are out of work or the show right now in a way that it's like, okay, that's hopeful and cool, but he's not a government official giving people money to be able to make things. Um, so yeah, I really don't know about that. I do have faith in like theatre and movie theaters, like reopening. Like I just don't see that ever dying. Like, I think it's inherent to like humanity, especially for like live performance. Like it's just, I don't think you can ever kill it.
It's existed for literally centuries. Um, but it's just, it just sucks right now really bad. And it's really like, uh, it's going to be, it is going to be really interesting to see how it's handled, because I was, I've been thinking about historically to have, like in any time of crisis, how imperative theater has been and how imperative movies have been and just content and how it's always reflected, like the time that it's in, like, you know, where it's so funny. Like the movie that I wrote is a musical. Um, and before the pandemic, a lot of people said no, because it was, it's really earnest and it's really fun. And it's actually about grief and it's about dealing with grief. And now that the pandemic hit, everyone's like, we need the happy! We need the happy things, guys, like, cause we've been in this kind of intense, like murder, mystery, thriller horror, or whatever vibe for like a while it seems. And I think that won't go away, but I definitely, but definitely more escapist things are on the rise that people are more inclined to watch, like how Bridgerton is doing really well right now. And like Emily in Paris did really well. And just like these shows that are just comforting to watch. Um, and you know, I think there's like a tendency for people to kind of write those kinds of shows or pieces of media off. And in a way that they think they're being intellectual of being like, “Oh, this doesn't really have quote unquote artistic value,” but I completely disagree. And I think it just has its own function, you know? So it's like, I think people sometimes critique things in a way that, um, they're saying like, “I don't like this,” but that doesn't mean that it's not like a valid piece of art, you know?
Exactly. Yeah. I really liked that. Like, they're just being pretentious, because not all art is supposed to serve the same purpose. Like not everything can be like a political thriller, like a really heavy drama, especially ‘cause, exactly, like different times call for different things and the communal mood shifts a lot.
Exactly. No, exactly. Like when I made, when I made my web series, I made a web series that is like a dark comedy. And um, my, one of my aunts was like, “Oh, I wish that like, at the end, they got together or something.” And I was like, “okay, well, watch a rom-com.” Like, I don't know what to say to you. Like, I just did not make that genre of a thing.
Funny! Um, well, I don't have any more questions, but I really enjoyed talking to you. Thank you so much for meeting with me.
Of course.
Scarbo Digital
by Rory Smith
Instagram: @scarbo.digital
Website: https://scarbo.digital
“A digital community for arts, music & fashion dedicated to collaboration and inclusivity.”
Interview with Jacob Ward, founding member
What inspired the creation of this collective?
So I was taking an arts leadership course when COVID kicked in, and the whole time I was thinking about how can I a) do something I love, and b) do something different from what I’ve seen other arts collectives/publications/etc? I was doing all these little projects for my website but I wanted something different from a website with my name on it. So during brainstorming I thought “why not do something that encompasses all arts?” I’m a musician that dabbles in graphic design, fashion photography, writing. How about put all these outlets into a virtual studio space? I pooled all my friends into a Zoom meeting and presented the idea of “SCARBO” to them and asked for feedback/ideas etc., and they loved it!
What are some challenges that come with creating during a pandemic?
The biggest challenge is trying to find ways to create around the stay-at-home orders, building closures, etc. We feel super limited. We can’t create the ideas to their fullest extent simply because everything’s closed and everyone is at home! But, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, if the goal is just to make art :-) That’s why one of the biggest points was to make this an open, collaborative space. Like an art gallery that anyone can come see, and put their art in.
Do you have any goals for the future of the collective?
Our future goals are just expanding as much as possible through collaborations, social media, and building networks with artists in our area and across the globe. Doing installations, creating more content, and hosting events when COVID is over are goals within the next two years. Long-term goals are to find a real physical space where we can create and open it up to the public. My fantasy is having studio space in Detroit for kids to come in and learn about fashion, photography, music and other visual art forms for free. Having an arts-centered entrepreneurial program so that kids have an opportunity to create without worry of societal barriers.
City Girl Sentimentalism
Photography: Jack Merucci, Julio Wagner-Tearney, Jacob Ward
Model: Olivia Johnson
Litourgia: A Collaborative Project
Photographers: Alec Redding, Jack Merucci, Jacob Ward, Julio Wagner-Tearney
Model: CJ White
FTM Local/Upcoming Artists
by Jackie Jimenez
Staying at home 24/7 means you have mostly been listening to the same playlist and songs over and over again. Now, there is nothing wrong with that! We all have that one song or album that just speaks to us and gets us through our days. For me, it is any song written and sung by Beyoncé. If you want some new music to add to your playlist, we have some amazing artists for you to check out!
From releasing new songs to streaming live performances, musical artists and performers have been making sure to keep music alive during these crazy and difficult times. Since the beginning of the pandemic, artists have been inspired and eager to share their amazing work with everyone on a variety of streaming platforms. If you want some new music to add to your playlist, we have some amazing artists for you to check out!
Reminding us that you are never too young to follow your dreams, young artists such as Alysia Macias (aj) and Sophia Suzanne, are taking Instagram, YouTube, and SoundCloud by storm! Sophia and Alysia provides all their followers with live-recorded acoustic sessions of songs they cover and personally written themselves.
Check out fellow alumnae of CSULB Becca Bishop, Michael Barnum, and Justin Louis Jenks, on Spotify and Instagram! If you want some nice acoustic songs with a piano and guitar as the backbone of the song, give their songs a listen to! We also have an amazing and talented artist here within the CSULB Theatre Department, Ryan Manikowski. The only word to describe him is, artist. He writes, acts, and performs! Another CSULB artist to check out is Caden Bartlett, who has an amazing song called Tether streaming on spotify now!
Not only are there amazing artists in LBC, they are everywhere! Camie Del Rosario is an artist from San Diego who currently released their new song “But You Did,” which currently has 28,000 streams on Spotify!
These artists are only beginning to make their mark in the music world today! Be sure to follow them and give their songs a listen! Believe me when I say, you won’t regret it.
Supporting Small Businesses
by Rhiannon Lewis
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to devastate many communities across the United States, local high school and college students are still stuck at home. After being in virtual classes for what is nearing a whole year, students find themselves searching for creative outlets outside of their computer screens to combat “zoom fatigue” and fill their free time. Rhiannon Lewis interviewed four local students, Karla, Victoria, Marissa, and Brianna, who have shops that sell handmade goods and operate primarily through social media.
Each shop owner spoke about how Instagram specifically is a convenient platform not only for sharing their work to a wider audience, but because the direct message feature makes it easy to keep track of orders as well. It is also a great way to connect with other small business owners and support each others’ work. Karla mentioned how she has been able to learn a lot about running her business from following other accounts like hers. She shared how she recently had a local order get sent all the way to Rhode Island. After doing some research, she discovered that due to the pandemic, the LA County Post Office has gotten so overwhelmed with packages that sometimes they get sent to other post offices to be processed. There are a lot of challenges that come with running a small business on your own that a lot of buyers don’t know about.
Brianna mentioned that pricing can be an issue, and they actually undercharge for a lot of their pieces in order to make sales. They started up Charms of Luv in February 2020, and has since struggled with their creative identity. They found that the best ways to avoid artist’s block are to keep being experimental and not feel confined to one specific style. All four entrepreneurs expressed their passion for creating things, and their shops are inspired by a desire to share their work.
Victoria believes that small business owners like her are using their platforms to exchange art, even though some people wouldn’t consider it art. “It’s really cool to me that I make things that didn’t exist before,” she shares. She started making earrings out of toys from the 99 Cent Store over the summer and sharing them with her friends. She initially wanted to sell similar pieces in her shop, but decided to make jewelry from crystals instead, which she is more passionate about.
Marissa started out by making jewelry for her friends as well. She said her friends were the ones who encouraged her to post her work on social media. Almost a year after starting her Instagram account, she has sold jewelry to customers in over 10 states. Orders can be overwhelming for small businesses that specialize in handmade goods because each piece is unique and typically made by one person. Marissa said that patience is the most important thing to have when working on completing several orders.
Other people can support their businesses by following their Instagram accounts, liking and sharing their posts, and buying pieces if they are able to. When stuck at home, creating and sharing handmade art can be a great source of inspiration. Brianna shared that “if there’s something you have been wanting to do but have been holding back, even if it’s totally unrelated to starting a business, this is your sign to go for it!”
Follow them on Instagram!
Karla: @Karlitas.Kloset - selling clothes, handmade steel spoon rings, custom jewelry
Victoria: @Over.Accessorized - selling handmade crystal boxes, crystal rings
Brianna: @CharmsofLuv - selling handmade beaded necklaces, earrings, custom jewelry
Marissa: @marissasjewels - selling handmade earrings, charm necklaces, wire wrapped rings, custom jewelry
My First Zine feat. Adrianna Luna
by Mattie Limas
Instagram:
@aloversdaydream
@adriannaluna_
The following interview is with Adrianna Luna, creator of the upcoming zine Made in Love.
Zine (n): pronounced "zeen"
"A zine is a self-published, non-commercial print-work that is typically produced in small, limited batches (...) Zines can touch on a variety of topics from music and art, to politics, sexuality, humor and personal memoir. Their content may be written, drawn, printed, collaged, or any other form of combining words and imagery—a zine’s structure may be narrative, journalistic, comic-like, or completely abstract."
How did you get involved with Zine culture?
Yeah. So me and my friend, Toni, when we were in high school, we would venture out and do a bunch of random stuff in the art community in Long Beach, between going to shows. One day we saw one of our friends had posted about entering a Zine Fest, and this was 2016. It was at MOLAA (Museum of Latin American Art). A bunch of vendors and independent artists presented their zines and you can buy them there. There was a bunch of different food and
music … wow pre-COVID life [laughs].
So we would go and we got really into that first one, then we just kind of went after and we haven't been since 2019. That's when I got into it. And I have some zines, like, here's the first thing I ever got. It's called From Black Boy with Love by Lawrence Lindell.
And it's just really cool. And like each page has its own little character. And that was the first one that I ever got. I never really thought, “Oh, I can make one of these things.” I just felt like I wasn't good enough and like I couldn't do it. Um, but that's like how I got into them.
What is one zine that sticks in your head?
In zine culture, you can tell that they're made from a very personal place with a pure passion for whatever the theme is. And I remember having one that had no words at all. It was called Under the Weeping Willow and it was a landscape zine. It was just a bunch of different landscapes from places that this person had been. I write a lot about people and feelings, but this time I was like, “Wow, there's places that mean so much to people enough to immortalize it in print forever. To care so much about these places and this view to put it in a book for other people to see.” It means a lot to me only because it means a lot to this other person.
So your current project, is this your first zine, or have you made some before?
Yeah, my first one ever.
What's the process been like? You had mentioned that you have a deadline for February 1st, how has that influenced your work?
So I got this idea that I really wanted to do it at the beginning of January. I was talking to my friend and looking for something in my notes app. I had come across one thing I didn't even remember writing. I read it to him and he was like, “Dude, it's kind of good.” It felt weird that no one has ever read these things, not that anyone needs to, but I was like, “Oh, maybe I could do something with them.” I had been wanting to make a zine for a while. It's really hard to find creative motivation in quarantine. But then when I made a gift for (my friend) Beth, um, I felt really inspired. I thought, “You know what, I'm going to make these poems.”
Even though some were one-liners, I took my favorite ones over the past year, reworked them, and wrote them all out. It's discipline: sitting down and being like, “I'm going to do this thing,” because the idea is always better than the work.
I just wrote them, aiming for a poem done at least every week, because I didn't know how long the paintings were going to take. All of the poems are about love. So I was like, “Oh, February’s coming up. Valentine's day is my favorite holiday. What if I do it around Valentine's day?” It'll be February 1st and I can ship them out so people can get them on Valentine's day. So February 1st was like my hardcore deadline.
The type of mediums a zine can include can be varied, with some focusing on photography, others on painting, etc. Is there going to be a primary medium for you?
I'm very indecisive, especially with art. I wish I could create this thing in eight different ways to do all of my ideas, but you can't do that. I'm very comfortable with acrylic and watercolor, but I wasn't seeing either of those things in my vision for the zine. I was either going towards a more colored pencil, Crayola-crayon type of vibe, or it was going to be with gouache. Gouache paint is like a mix between acrylic and watercolor. And so that's the medium I decided on because I feel like it encapsulates the paintings and the poems more cohesively than the colored pencil idea.
You mentioned the main inspiration being those unvisited poems in your phone’s notes app. What other sources are you drawing from?
I've always been like a hopeless romantic, and if my cancer Venus isn't enough to help people then the zine is definitely a thing that’ll make people think, “Damn, this, this girl…,” you know? Some of the poems are definitely influenced by my last relationship that ended right before COVID happened. I remember like those two years were very transformative for me: just growing up, being in love for the first time, and really understanding how that feels. So a lot of it is sourcing from those two years. After that ended, I still kind of find it easy to find people and things and life to be in love with. Music also has definitely been like a really big thing, especially when I'm working on it. I've been listening to like French classical music, Blonde by Frank Ocean for an entire painting, and Amy Winehouse.
What difficulties have you had making this?
I'm using Adobe InDesign, and I have to photo scan my paintings. When those are scanned, book pages one and two are next to each other, but since they're stapled, one and eight have to be next to each other for when you fold it. That's really hard to wrap your head around, but I've been watching YouTube tutorials and teaching myself how to learn the program.
So, you have a plan of how much you want to include? Have you been editing some stuff out?
Yeah, I've been trying not to keep long; I have eight poems and six or five pieces of art and I may have to cut one out. It also sucks. You have to choose which ones to not keep and choose which ones to say. You don't want it to be long ‘cause then it defeats the purpose of the thing.
Has making the zine been a kind of coping mechanism or escapism for what’s going on in the world? What has this brought to your life?
The world is so scary and I have very bad anxiety and it's really hard to constantly hear bad news every 30 minutes of your day for nine months. Especially going through a really hard breakup. I would say both a form of coping and a form of escapism because escapism isn't always good. It's not always a good coping mechanism. But the process has been very therapeutic and I feel better about my breakup, cause it'll almost be a year. I feel better about it and (my ex is) excited to read it and see it. It's very vulnerable, but I also think that's what other people need right now. I think other people would like to feel connected to either themselves, to a person that they know, or to me. Even if no one's ever been in love, they read it and can kind of live through my words and the pieces of art.
A lot of the time, people make things really for the sake of making it without the intent to share it. What really drives you to share the stuff you make?
I hardly ever make things truly sourced from myself, ever. This is the first thing that I'm making out of like my own vice. No one told me to do any of this stuff. All of the poems came from me. All of the paintings are my own ideas, I'm painting them myself, and I'm gonna staple the pages by myself and that's scary! I keep kind of talking myself out of it, like maybe I won't do it ‘cause what if no one cares about it. But I feel so good about it that I'm in a place where I don't even care if no one likes it. With this one, I just kind of feel like people will connect to it so much in a way that I can't keep it to myself. I just can't keep it for myself cause it'd be selfish to do.
Has the thought of your work being immortalized in someone else’s life popped up while creating it?
Oh my gosh. So I had sent my friend Beth a thing I'd written that I didn’t include, and she was like, “God, Adri, I wish I had read that in my hands.” I hate Kindles, like ew. I want to hold the book in my hands! But for someone to say that about like my own words, I was like, whoa, this will be in people's hands. And like that physical, visceral connection with the words and the images will do something, or it won't [laughs].
You already have your experience with theatre, film, and art-making; where does this fit in all of that?
I wouldn't say it's theater, but there is something to be said about the importance of the words and the story. I think if a theater person has this, they're going to make some sort of story, either tying all of them in together or taking one story at a time. I mean, I don't know, it feels weird because it's very personal to me. So I'm like, oh, it's not theater at all because I'm just a human, but I do kind of get how someone could read it that way.
If you were talking to someone who was interested in starting a zine, what's some advice you would share about getting started?
You have to have something that ties in the entire thing. Like one unifying theme, or the complete opposite. There's no middle ground. Also, I think it's best if they're not forced, because we've been talking about the intentions of art and like where it comes from. It's also easier to make something from that place of genuineness instead of being so heady about it.
At that point, you're making something for what? I also write everything out because I have to clear my brain space.
Just freaking do it. There are no rules. Like in zine culture, they can be whatever you want. Anyone can make a zine. Everyone should.
Luna would like to credit Instagram users @andrishow @80lovesong and @eamal.haram for being inspirations to her. Information on how to purchase Made in Love will be made available in early February.
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