is it in the cards, or do we fold?
Before you get “art”, you need the “st”!
First off - trust the process! What’s meant for you will be dealt to you, just maybe not in the round you wanted it! Delayed, not denied, UNLESS you fold. If you fold, you’ll deny yourself the “st” of “start”: “spontaneous transformation”.
I could’ve given up these projects after realizing how tedious it is creating a collection, let alone with so much variety. What would y’all know? But that, to me, would be a sad story; I don’t want to deprive y’all of the chance to “feel seen”, nor a demonstration of the process you gotta trust!
Let’s examine the humble beginnings of 3 separate projects (Alphabet Soup, protoarchetype, and rygbingo) and their overlaps & mishaps.
how do people make friends?
If the people we are referring to are children & teenagers, they are so naturally curious and socially driven that they conjure up many ways to communicate, which is then accepted or rejected by their peers. They communicate which friends they seek through their seats on the bus, in class, or at lunch. What equipment is used on the playground. Which quirks receive a laugh in a mean way or a harmless way. Those sort of trivial things.
If the people we are referring to are young & older adults, they are so unnaturally saavy and predisposed to using their “digital brains” (phones) that they conjure up many ways to communicate, which is then followed or blocked by peers and strangers. They communicate which friends they seek through their celebrity fandoms and political manifestos. Their comment section beefs & blessings. Numbers. Images. Those sort of trivial things.
So, really - how do people make friends, if that’s what is genuinely wanted? Through interests and activities.
When interests & activities are shared between people, friendships and relationships develop easier and naturally maintain themselves. But the absence of similarity doesn’t have to equal the absence of familiarity; it can produce a deeper desire to experience - and sustain - a connection.
After getting settled in the Queen City, I made a plan to explore this concept with those 3 projects.
Project 1: Alphabet Soup
I honestly thought this was gonna be the easiest project of them all to finish. It’s based off me, myself, and I, so what could be the hold-up? Me again. They say the devil is in the details (he definitely dabbles there), but I say they’re the proof in the pudding.
The same way I maintain such an expansive “catalog” for the blog (click for context), I wanted to provide that same scope through a zine. Two issues came at hand at the time: 1) I wanted to try a new style that was somehow even more limiting than the basic fold with bleed borders, and 2) use it for each letter of the alphabet to share my childhood favorites.
But she is determined, so dimensions be damned. She carried on. (until letter C, for Crapped out!)
Project 2 (which also became 3): protoarchetype + rygbingo
Going back to the topic of making friends, I was in desperate need and wanted a more creative way to find them than Bumble. My profile got bypassed by a plethora of people who wanted to explore the city, go & get pretty, and shake ass & titties. I wasn’t opposed, but it had to be more nuance than that! Even AI can come harder than “Netflix, gym, dogs, beer, reality TV, and beauty & cosmetics”.
I looked for book clubs, writer’s groups, 20-something socializing meet-ups on Facebook, Eventbrite, and Meetup. Even geocaching y’all. My search had me convinced that the only people still attending were 40-somethings desperate to be away from their spouse and kids (which is probably what put old school Bingo halls on my mind). What if I just found friends from a bingo board I built with cordial conversation pieces?
And the sexy cherry on top: I’d make this 80s (?) style function 90s fine, by featuring bombshell black women who influenced the black girls I wanted to befriend. I printed a bunch of different pictures from Pinterest, glued them to the back of playing cards, and paired it with a little square from a bingo board. The game was that each girl would only get 3 cards, and would have to fill out her bingo board trying to make matches based on what cards were in her hand. She could only trade out if she made a pair on her board.
Getting bored with “boards”
I’d made a flipping mood board and “Icebreaker Bingo” cards & boards. Do you see what I see? A BUNCH OF SMALL ASS PIECES TO KEEP UP WITH THAT AIN’T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR. Like truly, I still don’t have the type of time it would take to finish these projects in these states, so let’s just skip ahead to where I wanted to simply “fold” under the pressure [that I was putting on myself, by the way]. I stepped away and didn’t look back for ahile. It allowed me to complete Emotional Baggage and draw a few drafts for new ideas, but then epiphany hit when I went back to an old draft.
“In a Place We Call…America” is a Twilight Zone fanzine with personal commentary about Rod Serling’s brilliance and the show’s acute reflections on the American culture. This, like the rest of these projects, has yet to meet its final form. However, it is the inspiration behind the (hopeful) final form of Alphabet Soup! The original form of Alphabet Soup is the inspiration behind the (hopeful) final form of protoarchetype! And the bingo boards have long since been broken down to develop another project (discussed at a later time) and assume a more efficient form.
The future of IPWCA, it’s either on its way to becoming a digital zine or limited print, B&W set like Zoinks! Jinkies! Zinkies! TBD later in the year, when all the previous projects have potentially been concluded. (FYI - when they do drop, they’ll be in 3s and they’ll definitely be limited prints so keep your eyes peeled!)
