By Jess Mcfadden
Remember when smartphones were invented? We feared the death of print.
Some people believe that reading from a screen is best, because it is efficient.
For the rest of us, magazines are a magical treasure. They are not curated by an algorithm, but by people who poured their time into a periodical-- something that will not live forever. Each page is like a love letter, hoping to inspire us. It defies the logic of urban culture, instead encouraging us to linger awhile. To explore with curiosity, instead of rushing from point A to point B.
The soft pages of a magazine like Apartamento combine art and enriching interviews with the unintimidating welcome of a phonebook. $20 to $26, depending on the issue, permits you a rainy afternoon or few to share space with creatives across the world, and hear their stories. Watercolor, photography, drawing and interior design are neighbors in Apartamento, living beside each other with varied degrees of comfort. Their conversations are always worthwhile.
If a magazine inspires you enough, might you break out scissors and cut it up, transforming the work into something else? Collages from an art magazine will naturally turn out better than from those with retouched bodies and flashy advertisements.
If you're shopping for holiday gifts, magazines are good for any budget. Use one magazine to make stacks of greeting cards, or give stacks of magazines to one beloved!
