I returned from a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland a few days ago. I fully intend to make a zine about the experience, but first I need to sort through the trip and try to figure out some kind of narrative arc. I guess I could just slap together some photos and anecdotes, but I’d prefer to have a more polished finished project. (Not that some of my zines aren’t just pictures and words slapped together, but I’m in the mood for something different this time.)
It’s a strange process, taking a bunch of random things that happened and trying to convert them into a story. It’s one of my favorite things about writing memoir, even if it can feel a little false sometimes. Ersatz. But art of all kinds is generally a step or two removed from reality. That’s part of it’s appeal, I think. These projects exist in a kind of parallel universe, very similar to our own but a little…whatever the artist chooses to make them. A little prettier, a little tidier – or a little scarier, a little more cynical. The possibilities are endless, I guess.
Anyway. Edinburgh zine coming as soon as I figure out what I want this new parallel universe to look like!
Emma Atkinson 