ZINES ZINES ZINES. Maggie Lee is a lovely Brooklyn-based artist who creates
and collects zines. Her work was recently featured at the Vice Photo Exhibition and
her ‘Frenching’ issues are filled with personal stories, photos and collections
of her favorite things. What’s better than the art of self-publishing? Uh, nothing.
Where do you live and what inspires you?
I live in Brooklyn, NY and moved here for school in 2005.
New York fall weather, New York wind really makes me want to make anything/ everything. The summer is lazy and the air is heavy, and I find it difficult making any worthy work. The city in general really inspires me. It sounds cliche, I know, but there are new things happening constantly. Slow pace laziness really dulls me down, like being home in New Jersey.
How old were you when you made your first zine?
I was in the 8th grade. My first zine was called Smash Maggiezine and the first issue was called “no parents”. I wish I had it, but I probably burned it when I realized it sucked.
Are you currently working on any new ones?
I’m working on creating a new body of work, i’m not really sure where its going but I’m trying to go in a conceptual direction. The next zine I want to make will have color photos and black and white photocopy manipulation.
How did Zine Creamers start?
My friends were all making really great zines and I wanted to talk about them and have it for everyone to see. It’s really exciting, people from other countries send me zines. i love reading them, i keep them all. I havent done a zine creamers in a while, i’m going to do that right now actually.
Do you think that zines have a special sense about them because they usually come in limited quantities?
Zines are meant to be made in small editions, passed around, shared, displayed, and only for those who would really cherish it. Magazines are what’s mass produced and for everyone to see and read. Theres just really something special about the process of an artist or personal zine, its a work of art in a way, but i guess it really depends how its rendered, there are a lot of bad zines. But there are also great zines that come in large editions, i like those too but you dont see a lot of them. Its also difficult to make a lot of zines since the costs of production most of the time outweighs the actual worth. also, most of the time they are given away to friends.
Where is your favorite place in New York?
Its so hard to decide, either on my bedroom floor working on projects,
pho at Thai Son on Baxer and Walker in china town, or wandering the MoMA, PS1, or New Museum.
pho at Thai Son on Baxer and Walker in china town, or wandering the MoMA, PS1, or New Museum.
Three things you can’t live without are…
1. good people
2. mac computer
3. delicious treats
Any advice to young artists?
Always keep yourself aware of whats up and around. Keep on making work even if its terrible.
Frenching zine
2003-2005
