Editor'sNote

Welcome to AGAVE. This publication becoming a reality is nothing short of a surprise even to myself. I never really thought about writing at an extensive level or communicating my thoughts through a magazine to begin with. The thought would vaguely pass in and out my mind but I feared I lacked both the talent and vision to make it an actuality. Behind every bold and expressive piece of media I produce whether it be photography, video or even now an entire magazine, lies an original fear of my inability to produce any quality material. The months leading up to AGAVE’s creation have been beyond testing although I don’t outwardly show it. Depressive spells, anxiety and true emptiness regarding my future endeavors and how to best capitalize off the God given gifts I had in front of me. There was a daily battle between me and my mind on whether or not I had amounted to a true failure after all this time. Being directionless in life is such an intimidating prospect and one I found impossible to be open about to others fearing they wouldn’t understand that similar feeling. But despite my sulking I did have an idea that awaited outside all of the fear of judgment, mediocrity and wandering that appeared clear as day in my mind. A compilation effort that would combine all the things that have gone into defining my life and creatively presenting it in a passionate display only I knew how to accomplish. And thanks to the effort of friends and family, I, for the duration of this magazine’s creation have been able to see clearly with no confusion the muses of my life that inspire me to do what I do. Making AGAVE was in itself an exercise in faith. I had no experience copywriting, formatting page layouts, and had never even bought a magazine let alone read one. My ignorance of what could be made, made me more open to things I didn’t know and gave me the opportunity to study why industries like editorial publication still stick around today. This was a lot of work. And it took a daily belief that this was a worthwhile step even if no one around me understood it. In the end, like any stubborn kid I took a gamble on my imagination and deeply hoped that the risk can be carried over to whoever takes the time to read this work of mine. I can't express enough how connected I am to the creation of this work and how much it has made me grow as a result of the first volumes completion. It warped into a hunt to be myself and be proud of it. So in that vein, for anyone adventuring to check out AGAVE I pray that you don’t stay bogged down in the fears often enforced by everyone around you and stick to the script that is sometimes hard to express out loud. I hope Volume 1 drives your imagination and provides more ideas, thoughts and creative feedback that will lead to feature innovation and improvement. And whether this project and the works that follow it end up being a grand success or the shallow writings to an indifferent audience, I can genuinely say that right now I feel completely infinite and grateful. Thank you and welcome to the show.

Sincerely,

Jarell Gibbs