Monday, April 28, 2008

CDJN 101 - So You Want to Start a Magazine?

As promised, I totally want to post about my experience over the weekend at the CDJN 101 course at Ryerson University in Toronto.

Since basically doing 'zines in college, and layout ever since highschool, I have known without a doubt that I wanted to head up my own magazine. And it never sunk in more than when I was given full reign to run the design and production of Centre of the City magazine when I worked with Metroland's TCN.

But, as many, many, many, many, and... many of my friends and family know, working through the Metroland way made me really frustrated, angry, depressed and many more things. It also managed to make me incapable of ever being able to set a magazine up on my own, because I knew that I needed REAL information from people in the REAL magazine market of which TCN had absolutely no contact with, nor wish to. Except for the amazing person that was my editor-in-chief, no one there knew anything about magazines at all, and it made for a very limited feeding ground for learning about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. (One day I may venture into the dark and devoid blog that would be my feelings about Metroland, but that's another story.)

So, during my tenure there I ventured upon this course with a colleague of mine that has similar aspirations. However, as previously noted in another blog, attending just never seemed to be in the cards for us. We even both ended up leaving TCN before ever getting the chance to go.

Until now!!

I am overwhelmed, but so excitingly so, with all the information that this course provided for me this weekend in terms of starting up my own publication. So many aspects seem daunting, but many of the lessons taught were specifically designed to help someone deal with those daunting tasks.

The course is led by D.B. Scott who is a wealth of history, information and current trends. He not only knows his stuff, but he knows the industry through and through. Check out his blog Canadian Magazines for all the latest news in the industry and some great hints at the market today.

We not only had two full days of straight info, info, info - but someone who was open to any and all types of questions. We were even provided a massive "bible" of information on every aspect of creating and developing our own magazine. From financials/advertising, development and management, to editorial, circulation and design - If you could think of it, it was covered.

I'm really looking forward to spending the week poring over the bible, and wait in anticipation for the digital files D.B. is sending to us this week to use in helping us "figure out all the number".

So inspired!! I hope that it lasts and lets me see to fruition what I want to so badly!

Friday, April 25, 2008

Amazing Course of Inspiration

After years of trying to attend this course, I'm finally doing it!! The CDJN 101 course at Ryerson is a two-day crash course about starting your own magazine.

Of course, as usual, each time I PLANNED to go to the course, either something waylaid me or it was cancelled.

However - the other week - I was totally feeling crappy about life and my ambitions in general and happened to take a look at what was up with the course - and lo and behold - there was one happening today and tomorrow. So right then and there I wrote to the admin, sent in my fax, plopped down the course fee - and there (here) I was (am).

And damn am I glad. The instructor is awesome and he's given us SO much information. After I finish tomorrow, I'll write a proper post with better information and notes, but yeah - I just wanted to post right now out of excitement!!

Monday, April 21, 2008

Something Learned

I watched something amazing happen this weekend and I was ithcing to share it with A.V. but she's in Cuba!

My father changed.

The whole situation with my Nan has been trying to say the least, and I think, for reasons too many to account for here, especially hard on my Dad. He won't talk about it - he may spill a sentence here or there, but mostly we've been seeing his emotions in outbursts of frustration and anger - and sadly - mostly towards Nan.

But this weekend... I don't know - it just all changed.

When I think of any situation that involves multiple players, my personal visual connotation always evolves as a white void that has floating pods of grass and dirt where people stand. Each pod represents a different way of being, or thinking, or a "side" that you are on.

For our current environment - my father has been stuck on the same pod from the beginning till now - Anger and Frustration. In the beginning, he actually had some company, but as the months have passed by, most everyone in the family has fallen onto one of three other pods: that of Appreciative Laughter, Caring Manipulation, and Ever-lasting Patience. I myself have been skipping around on all three - with a few dips to visit Dad every now and then as his feeling isn't wrong, and we all get to the same place at points - it was just for him, it was lasting too long.

But this weekend - Dad magically appeared on Caring Manipulation with a hop and jump to Ever-lasting Patience here and there. It was so weird - but so... good.

So Dad - congratulations and awesome job. You changed, and it was amazing to see.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

The things I don't remember...


One of my favourite songs is 'White Rabbit' by Jefferson Airplane, featuring Grace Slick. There's multiple reasons, but mostly the very last line sticks in my head more than anything else. I first ran across the song when I was only 14. I was doing an ISP on the evolution of Rock & Roll and Jefferson Airplane played a huge part in that, as well as affecting major movement and sentiment in their songs about the war.

The funny thing is, that previous sentence is actually the point of my post. I can't remember that huge project in any shape or form that would let me make a more factual statement than the vague one I have given.

And this song fits perfectly I think... for this and so many other things in life.
White Rabbit

One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice
When she's ten feet tall

And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you're going to fall
Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call
Recall Alice
When she was just small

When men on the chessboard
Get up and tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving low
Go ask Alice
I think she'll know

When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's "off with her head!"
Remember, what the Door Mouse said
"FEED YOUR HEAD"
"FEED YOUR HEAD"

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Tomorrow is approaching...

Tomorrow is approaching,
So much so that it is already here.
Hard steps to be a'takin.
Walk slowly, but not in fear.

I ruminated with Michele the other night about how, this time around, during this extremely hard and stressful time - I haven't done the one and only thing I usually do - which is write.

Whether it be a blog, or a page, or a short story or even just a "scene" - I've always written. Mostly to escape, sometimes to be creative, and always to find some piece of 'me' to hold on to.

Writing just does that. Even in the smallest amounts.

Usually - I've at least always "written" through prose and indirect intimation towards my state of mind in quick lines that fit into my msn handles. People are usually thoroughly confused or thoroughly shocked - but most definitely not dismissive.

But even that... for so long... has been... missing. Catapang even once commented how wax poetic it all was... but I just haven't been there in so long.

Until tonight.

I have begun with the above. It isn't great. It isn't meaningful - except in invisible ways. Oh the effort to get there - I crave to return to the ease that it used to flow from. Perhaps soon....

Sunday, April 13, 2008

To layout, or not?

My first thoughts on this new space was definitely layout, because one of the pie pieces of my future self is going to involve magazine layout very heavily.

However - what I am currently realizing is that such a venture requires time that I do not have. Instead - I've taken the simplest template and highlighted. Not even really tweaked or customized. Perhaps in awhile I will create my own banner, but for now I'm content.

I'll be honest - my belief in my art, work, loves has been severely tested this last little while - but I then realized that it was being tested on the likes and dislikes of two particular people - and the magnitude of that has finally hit me.

The power people feign to hold is so unreal, and is only given to them by those that believe in it. So instead of dwelling on their dislike of what I do, I simply will remove that ability from them by not giving them anymore. I will save it for those that really want or need it, and save it for myself as it makes me happy - and I refuse to let someone tarnish that what makes me happy. There's so few things that do make me happy anymore in life that I can't afford to let other people mess with them.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

A re-start of sorts...

Through the influence of more than a few friends, I realized that I have to get back on track on almost every road that I am travelling on.

I hope that this time around, I'll be able to write for the reader as well as myself, and be mindful that here, along lines of digital access, while the rules are all different, the viewer is still the same.

I can't promise to escape from my usual darkness or angst - as they drive me to write more often than anything else. What I can promise is that I will move towards a greater arena of thought and coverage, so that maybe, once in awhile, I may actually achieve a smile or a chuckle instead of worry and fear.

See you soon.