.. before making Zines by Sadie Joan
For the un-initiated, zines are self published booklets or mini-magazines with roots in counter-culture. Zines have been gaining in popularity recently, which is so exciting to see, so here at Tees Zine Works we thought it appropriate to compile this list and do a little myth-busting.
For the un-initiated, zines are self published booklets or mini-magazines with roots in counter-culture. Zines have been gaining in popularity recently, which is so exciting to see, so here at Tees Zine Works we thought it appropriate to compile this list and do a little myth-busting.
You don’t need to be able to draw.
If you’ve been to a zine fair or browsed #zine on social media you may have encountered beautifully and painstakingly illustrated zines and thought ‘Well I can’t do that.’ It’s true that there are a lot of really talented people on zine making spaces, one of our own directors is an illustrator by trade, even. Some zines are even designed and illustrated 100% digitally. However, there is also a large proportion of zinesters whose work features little to no imagery, or is created using collage methods instead. There is room for every type of style or process in zine making, all that matters is that you have something to say and you say it.
You don’t need to be able to spell.
Specifically there is a lot of crossover of poetry and prose writers and zine making. The publishing industry is notoriously difficult so it makes sense that a lot of writers would be drawn to zines as a self published option. However, similarly as above, you absolutely do not need to write perfectly and eloquently to get your point across in a zine and in fact your zine may not need any writing in it at all. As zines are generally cheaply reproduced, they actually lend themselves to a little imperfection here and there, as the only thing that really matters about a zine is that you wanted to make it. It definitely doesn’t matter if you can’t spell neccesary necessary.
You don’t need any fancy resources.
All you need to get started is a sheet of printer paper (preferably stolen from your place of work but you can splash out and buy a pack for yourself if you’re fancy) and a pencil. If you really want to push the boat out you can borrow some coloured pens and pencils from your little cousins. Look up a folded zine template online and then get cracking! Once you’ve scribbled down your opus, you can photocopy for very cheap at your local library, or copy them at work on your lunch break. Then get them out into the world! Give them to your friends, sneak them into leaflet stands, leave them in public bathrooms, and sit back and enjoy knowing that someone, somewhere is reading what you have to say.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money.
This is relevant to the above point but also it’s worth mentioning that, in our opinion at TZW, zines should never be expensive to purchase. The whole history and ethos of zines means that zines should be financially accessible (more on accessibility later) as they are fundamentally non-commercial and should never be profit driven. You should be able to go to a zine fair with £10 and walk out with at least two zines. Obviously we don’t want our zinesters to be out of pocket, so we are always happy to advise traders on cheaper printing options if they are running the risk of making a loss.
You don’t need to commit a lot of time.
There is no pressure in zine making. You can spend as much or as little time producing zines as your life allows. Zines can function as a kind of journaling or sketchbook practice for some, or you may find that you make one or two when you really have something to say, and it takes a while for inspiration to strike again. This is exactly why at our event, Tees Zine Fest, we have a community table. This is a stall manned by one of our volunteers where zines can be sold or given away without the zine-maker needing to commit to a full stall of their own.
Zine making is an inclusive community.
Okay so this one is a real biggie for us. Our event and all other zine fairs we have attended are always populated by the most diverse crowd. Because zines have accessibility baked in, there is always representation from disabled communities and neurodivergent groups. As zines have their roots in subculture, zine making naturally attracts people who, for whatever reason, don’t necessarily feel 100% at home in a lot of mainstream spaces. The community we have helped foster in Teesside is so beautifully accepting, which makes the events a really important part of our calendars. In the face of so much discrimination against certain political beliefs, LGBTQ+ and POC communities and people with disabilities, zine fairs are a really refreshing change of pace and a true example of how engaging with community as a practice is beneficial to our mental health.
Zine swapping at events is part of culture.
So this one kind of goes back to financial accessibility, but before engaging with zine fairs as a seller you probably wouldn’t know about zine swapping. It’s a very common practice at zine fairs, where zine-makers will discuss their work with each other and trade like-for-like. It’s extremely common to go home from a zine fair with armfuls of new material to read, and this practice is a great exercise in community.
Zine making has a rich history.
We’ll try to keep this short as this subject deserves a post of it’s own, but zines originated in the 1930s and 40s with the creation of a self-published, short magazine by science-fiction fans to discuss the content that they loved, thus the birth of the ‘fanzine’. This practice continued and grew well into the 70s and 80s, with a rapid growth in popularity attributed to the punks subculture of this era. Zines allowed punks to review and share the music they loved, as well as distribute political ideas integral to movement. A lot of commonly agreed upon zine ethics to this day are directly rooted in the anarchist politics of the punks.
There are zine communities all over the world.
There is a really thriving zine culture in the UK, as well as in many parts of the USA but did you know there are zine fairs in:
Mumbai, India – Bombay Zine Fest
Auckland, New Zealand – Auckland Zine Fest
Copenhagen, Denmark – CPH Zine Fest
And that’s just to name a few!
And that’s just to name a few! There are also a number of specialized zine libraries all over the world.
Zines can be about absolutely anything.
Hopefully this final point has been made clear throughout this article, but it is absolutely worth driving the point home. Zines could be characterised as the personal made public, but that doesn’t mean you’ve got to pour your heart out about your deepest darkest secrets if you don’t want to. Info-dump about your favourite band, review your local chip shop, take pictures of neighborhood cats, anything! If you’re feeling like you want to have a go but don’t know where to start there are lots of prompts you can find online, but our advice would be to make a zine that says something you want people to hear. For example, one of our currently running youth groups are making a zine about religion and cheese!
There are countless lessons and gifts to be gained from zine making, but the best way to see for yourself is to attend a zine fair in-person if you are able to do so, or to connect with other zine makers online if you are not. Community is absolutely integral to the culture, but if it feels like too big a step then just start small and make a one page zine about something. The cost is so small and the rewards are so big.