Welcome to the first issue of The Article. We are so pleased to have you here, reading, and celebrating local artists in the Peace Region.
In the little time we have spent creating this magazine, Melanie and I have learned so much about the arts community in the Peace Region.
We hope that, in the future, these pages will become a place people go to learn about the region’s arts and culture scene and how awesome it is.
Art is important.
It can be fun, but it can also serve a great purpose.
By telling the stories of local artists and sharing their work, we get a glimpse not only into their lives but also into those around them. We see the world from different perspectives and tell the story of this region through brush strokes, photographs, words, or whatever medium they wish.
Shortly after announcing the magazine while at a market, a high school student approached Melanie and me and asked, “How do I become an artist and not starve?”
We both thought the starving-artist motif was dead, but here it lives on in a high school student.
They said all they had heard from family was that a life in the arts was not a good life.
The more time you spend with people in the arts, the more you realize they are creative forces who carry the label ‘artist,’ but in any other industry would be called entrepreneurs, small business owners, and teachers.
They give back to all of our communities, beautifying our communities and homes, and teaching others to take time away from their busy lives to sit and focus on something else for a little while.
Artists here are thriving, and not starving.
Although some may not be making money from their art, they still do it because they enjoy it, while others earn an income working in arts organizations or simply live their dreams as working artists.
To young artists out there, you will find your path, and you have barely touched the surface of what the art world has to offer you.
Creativity feels like one of the most essential pieces of the pie for any artist.
It felt fitting for it to serve as the theme of The Article’s first issue.
I was inspired to make the theme of this magazine’s first issue creativity because of a workshop from my personal mentor, Greg Fulmes.
Fulmes taught me while I was studying photojournalism at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
During my time at the school, when it came to photography instructors, we had some who were very technical, saying we needed specific gear and had to do this and that. Then you had Fulmes, who simply encouraged us to get out there and make photos.
It was something that frustrates some photojournalism students to this day, yet may have been the most important thing to learn as young photojournalists being thrown into the world of a dying journalism business that truly discredits the work of photographers.
Looking back, I appreciate everything I learned from my instructors, but what Fulmes taught us may have been the most important lesson.
Go out and create something, and don’t worry about whether it’s good or bad. Create something for you, not for Instagram likes, not for a gallery, but for you.
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