lofi-ghosts 2.0 ✸ getting my creative groove back, redefining what i want the zine to be, and working on volume 3.

i’m currently working on volume 3 of lofi-ghosts! i wasn’t really sure if i was initially going to continue working on the zine since i felt like there was a lot going on in my life. but one of the reasons that i started this zine was to practice the art of creating. and just like any other habit, being creative is a practice that needs consistency. i had two big mantras going into this year: one is create more, consume less. and the other was to embrace imperfections. and both of these things are something i have always struggled with. buying things, collecting things, has a way of, admittedly, making me feel happy. but deep down, i know what also makes me happy is being my most authentic, creative self. i also want to encourage anyone reading this to practice in being more creative even if you feel like you don’t have a creative bone in your body. humans are naturally inclined to make things. you don’t have to be a fine artist to create something for yourself or for an audience. i don’t think i’m particularly skilled at anything. i make simple illustrations in my zine, even my designs are pretty minimal, and i’m terrible at copywriting. but making lofi-ghosts, with all of its imperfections, putting it out there, and having people actually read it, fills my creative soul in a way that things and money cannot buy.

these are my initial sketches and ideas for the cover design. i just put pen to paper and hope for the best lol sometimes you get nothing that you like and that’s okay. rough drafts are key to starting.

i don’t want to change anything too dramatically, but since my last volume, i’ve given the zine some further thoughts and wanted to explore a bit more about what it was all about. i think the first two issues were a great practice in just getting something out there, but i also felt that the zine was lacking coherency and structure. like, who was this zine for? who would enjoy reading this? who am i trying to target? so in an effort to tighten things up a bit, i’m calling this the 2.0 version. i also want to create physical copies still but i’m thinking of shrinking the size from an A5 to an a6 or even a pocket size. i just feel like there’s something nice about a small form factor. like maybe it’s something that i can carry around in my jacket pocket for when i need a sense of comfort or something. i also felt like the a5 size was so big and the booklets felt so thin for how much work i felt like was going into them. so i’m thinking moving forward, a smaller booklet just might make more sense. also, traditionally, zines are pretty short and pretty small. so even though lofi-ghosts is a little bit longer than a traditional zine, i want to keep it more compact.

i’ll be honest, it’s been a brutally slow amount of progress with the zine ever since i lost my full time day job. and i really thought that i’d be motivated more than ever to crank creative projects out, do my own thing, make more content, blah blah blah. but really, all i’ve done is feel sick, sulk, and use my journals as a form of escape. and really, is that so bad? can i not just chill for a bit? i know that at the end of the day, it’s about making a living and making things happen with the free time i have. but i don’t really feel free at all. if anything, there’s an ever-growing pile of things i need to work on. the difference is that i’m my own boss now. and i’m not a productive boss lol. i’m just trying to survive honestly. and the thing is, i am writing all this, not to be negative but to give permission to be okay with not getting it done. i want to take my time with my own personal work. i don’t want to rush things just to do it. i want to do it right this time.

sometimes, the creative process requires you to not do anything at all. to stare at the ceiling, to couch potato, and just meditate. no phones. no distractions. just sitting alone with your thoughts, ideas, and maybe listen to some music. zone out. give your brain the break it deserves.

at the end of the day, i want my zine to feel like a place of rest. a place i can reference and remember that it’s okay to choose peace over productivity. that it’s not “doomed” when it comes to jobs, my health, my anxieties. i want it to feel like an escape but also something real. and figuring out what that would look like is part of the journey. if you’re reading this, i hope this can feel like a comforting space as a supplement to the zines. i plan on updating this blog / online journal space for lofi-ghosts more often, so i hope you’ll stick around.

chat soon.

xo, lo