Collaboration

UnBound - Issue 1

Things are going well! I’m excited to share the release of the first issue of UnBound: a digital zine highlighting feminine/nonbinary/trans voices! It includes a collection of art, essays, and poems made by a diverse group of creatives. The project is the brainchild of my friend Lashonda Love and takes aim at unnecessary limitations and roadblocks people face based on how their identity.

My contribution to the zine includes four mixed media illustrations that combine photography and digital illustration. They are inspired by the contrast between the timeless beauty of nature and the newness of our digital world. Our society is experiencing a technological (r)evolution at an exponential rate. So much has changed in the past 20 years, let alone the last century, and it’s showing no signs of stopping. I’ve been reflecting on this while living in the mountains of Kentucky. People joke that it takes 20 years for Appalachia to catch up with the rest of the world, but perhaps the mountains protect the region from dependence on tech’s rapid growth. Not everyone has a smartphone here, or internet at home. This is much different from my home in Columbus, Ohio, which embraces tech with open arms. Which is great! I love being from an aspiring tech city! I consider myself to be an aspiring techie. But, being a tech city definitely shapes the culture. It’s important to be aware of this, especially if we hope to evolve into a healthy and balanced society.