Issue No. 10: Connection
In middle school, circa 2006, I’d walk up to another kid who looked cool and go, “Hey, wanna be friends?” Granted I was bold and weird, but it worked 100% of the time. I didn’t have a cell phone yet, although some lucky kids did. I didn’t have Facebook or Myspace, and I wasn’t allowed in chat rooms over the dial-up AOL internet. I had to connect in person. Now, in an age where technology reigns and being “liked” is a number of button clicks, people like me don’t know how to connect anymore. Not naturally. You’d be surprised how quickly “how to make friends” can pop up in your search box as soon as you start typing. And there are a myriad of apps to make friends. I know, I’m on one. But as I grow and change, I’m learning that nostalgic me doesn’t have to fight the tide of every change.
Issue No. 10 is exclusively sold in person at Assembly Coffee this season!
It doesn’t matter how we connect, all that matters is that we do. While I’ve talked to many people on friend-making apps, I’ve only connected with a few. It’s an electric feeling, connection. When you feel this flow of relation to someone and this excitement to ask more questions. When you just NEED to know everything about them. You think about what your future in each other’s lives will be like. Will there be platonic love? Will there be that familial bond? Will you be old and gray brunching and farmer’s marketing together? Or will it fizzle out? Will they just be here to teach you a short lesson? My mom always told me people come into your life for a reason, a season, and a lifetime. I like to think that actual connection leaves a lasting impression. Like, even if we don’t remain friends for the rest of our lives, if we truly connected, I’ll have kept a piece of you with me forever.
And that’s what creativity does to us. Creative works that change us and feed our souls. Images that leave us in awe and films that scar us, quotes we tattoo on ourselves from our favorite books. It’s something we truly connect with, or connect through.
Our Featured Créatives in this issue, that’s what they do. They connect us with each other, and they leave us with something that will last. Max Gregory connects us through psychology, the major theme in his projects unraveling the inner workings of us all, and his reflection on how the PNW shapes its people. Elina Dmitruk connects us with her community murals, and connects to us through her social media presence, which she uses as a platform to show her work and her process. And Debi Boyette is part of a collective space for artist studios called BallardWorks, connecting creatives and creating community. She also doesn’t hesitate to share her story, invoking the power to share in others.
Through creativity we can meet. We can meet other passersby looking at the same pieces, meet other creatives, and meet ourselves. We can connect to something larger than ourselves, something lasting and impressionable. It’s a natural connection, and you don’t need an app for that.
I invite you to try this: recapture that childhood ease of connecting with others.
See someone interesting in the coffee shop? Ask them for guidance on the best autumnal drink.
Is there someone standing next to you staring at the same street mural in admiration? What’s their take on it? Maybe you’re an introvert like me, in which case connecting irl makes your heart race in the panicky way.
Message those people on social media that inspire you. Creatives, shopkeepers, that old high school buddy you’ve been meaning to catch up with.
Or start a blog and interact with your readers. Start shallow, end up deep. Or you could try diving straight into the deep end.
