June Editor's Letter: A Love Letter
WOW, we’re actually here! I had thought about making Jawbreaker many times - well many many versions of Jawbreaker. I am so happy to say that I finally did! But we wouldn’t be here without you. Because of all of you and your support, we were able to make it happen, so, dear reader, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
There’s so much the Jawbreaker team wants to do with this!
I don’t know what to say in this letter to you. I’ve put off writing this many times as I rack my head for the right things to say. But there probably isn't the right thing to say. Sooo, for now, let’s talk about the origins of Jawbreaker. Jawbreaker came to my mind maybe freshman year of high school after obsessing over The Messy Heads (know known as Messy), currently run by Emma Czerwinski and Cybelle Corwin. I thought it was so cool and different from all of the other magazines out there. It featured real people, short stories, intimate thoughts of the people who worked on it, fillable pages that asked existential questions like “who are you”, and much more. There were no guides on what season skin ton you were, or what lipstick shade was perfect for you.
It made me feel good about myself and inspired me. The Messy Heads was a magazine that you were supposed to be able to keep and read through over and over again. I’ve had mine for nearly four years and I still look over it and come back to it as I’ve changed. It showed me that art and creativity can be beautiful flawed and so can I. Although, I’m not sure Jawbreaker can be that for you right now, I hope it can one day.
Since then, The Messy Heads has evolved and grown into a big, beautiful space that still calls for much less than perfection. It's so unique; I can’t successfully describe it in words.
Another inspiration for Jawbreaker is Rookie. Of course, Rookie, formerly run by Tavi Gavinson, is the fantastic melting pot of creativity everyone knows it to be. When I look at it I think of bubblegum and crayons. Although it is now not making anything new, the colorful skeleton of the website still remains to remind you even though it seems as though it ended, there was so much life in it and it will carry on with the readers and creators that got their start on Rookie.
Fast-forward to January 2019, I decided to finally try to start it. I decided that I didn’t want to listen to all the self-deprecating voices in my head anymore. I wanted to create a little space on the wide web for people to express themselves in any form that they choose.
Even if you're only here for a little while, I genuinely hope you enjoy your stay here.
As for updates, Jawbreaker is currently working on our FIRST in-print zine, FEMINASTY!! * big applause *
It’s been super fun laying out everyone's stellar art! Everything is truly breathtaking (almost as much as the artists themselves! I really can’t wait to show it to you!
Let’s talk about pricing (bleh I know). I really want to make it as accessible as possible! With our printing service though, it may be a bit more expensive than we originally thought, but nothing too crazy when you think about all the work and love that goes into the art, laying out the zine, and more. We will also be having a pdf version that you will be able to purchase for much cheaper.