I thought I'd share some more behind the scenes activity for the next issue of UPPERCASE magazine! (Because that's pretty much all I've been doing for the past seven days.) There has been quite a change from last week. Here's a screenshot of the magazine at a glance as of this afternoon:
After last week's message, I received many comments in awe of this bird's eye view of the magazine—it's funny how many readers never thought about the design aspect of the magazine before!
Yes, it really is just me laying it all out.
With one week to go before issue #72 (Jan-Feb-Mar) heads to the the printer, I've got 94 pages designed out of 132, so I'm feeling pretty good about that!
I just finished photographing some items from my own ephemera collection—they're 100-year-old French monogram sketches made for transferring to embroidered linens.
I used the window as a light box because I really wanted to accentuate the translucency of the papers.
Some of the drawings are on old cheese or butter wrappers, others on drafting papers or what looks like geometry homework.
They exemplify the fragile, delicate, transparent theme really well. I bought them on Etsy years ago, without any particular use in mind, other than that I knew I'd find a purpose for them someday.
And, voila! Here's the spread:
Designing a magazine like UPPERCASE is a huge job for one person, but I have a few techniques or mindsets I can share. If you're faced with a big project and are feeling overwhelmed, perhaps this can help:
• Don't resist the workload. You know it will be a lot of work and take up most of your time for a while, so just accept it. Don't exert mental energy on wishing you could be doing something else. This is your focus, right now. The more fully you dive in, the easier it is!
• Respect yourself, respect the schedule. With print and mailing schedules and literally thousands of readers waiting for each new issue, I can't afford to procrastinate. Negative self-talk and standing in your own way is a big waste of time. Accept the challenge with confidence.
• Do the math. I look at how much time I have and what I have to do. 132 pages over 2 weeks means I have to design 9-10 pages every day on average. I can use this daily quota as a gauge to see if I'm track, realizing that some articles will be easy to design, others take more time.
• Work with your energy. Putting together the magazine isn't just page design—I'm also editing the text, getting clarifications from authors, sourcing images, writing blurbs, editing photos. I recognize that different tasks require more effort and energy and plan my day accordingly.
• Understand your motivation. Knowing why you're doing something is important. If you feel like you're floundering on a project, reconnect with why you're doing it. Who is it for? Why is it important to them? Why is it important to you? However small, how can it make a positive difference in the world?
• Small tasks are valuable, too. If I'm feeling tired, I can still spend time fixing up images—every single one of the 500+ images in each issue require adjustments and prepress. It's an essential activity that still moves the project forward. If I get bored of one particular task, there is always something else I can do. I let myself go with whatever next thing in the project sparks interest because moving forward is the goal each day.
• Rewards! Recognize your small accomplishments as you go.Oftentimes, just putting another tick mark in my notebook for another page designed is reward enough to entice me to keep going. Other times, I bribe myself with the promise of chocolate, or flaking out on the couch for an hour.
And now, with this newsletter sent and many pages designed, that's what I'd call a good day's work. My reward? I nice supper and then a long, hot bath.
This message has been sent to a general list. If you're already an UPPERCASE print subscriber, thank you!!! If you've already pre-ordered JOT, thank you!!! (Please refer to your order receipts from shop@uppercasemagazine.com.)
Current issue: issue #71 (oct-nov-dec)
The code creativepath gives CA$12 off subscriptions and renewals.
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