M
usic, art, and writing have always been my passions. As a child I spent hours with the headphones over my ears singing along to my mother’s albums. In junior high, when I was failing a class (historyyuck), my parents punished me by taking away my stereo until my grade came up. It was a fate worse than death and I’d rather have been beaten with a thousand bone-tipped whips. In high school I plunged myself into dance team and spent endless hours making mixtapes of unusual new music I had “discovered” for my friends while reading any book I could get my hands on. College came and I double minored in English and Art. I can barely remember my own birthday but I can still sing lyrics from songs released in 1982. That was me, and I often remember feeling very strange and out of place among my peers because I would rather discuss a new piece of art I’d seen or a new band I’d heard than the recent football game our team won or the weather. Over the years, I came to embrace that difference. After all, aren’t the passions we hold in our hearts what make us “us”? With the onset of the internet, I found others like me-people who held the same things and ideas dear to themselves. There are creative communities of people everywhere, each feeding into the next as they bring their unique brands of art, whatever that art may be, to the world. Fourculture magazine is one of those communities. We are music lovers. We are art appreciaters. We are readers, writers, and speakers. Our shared passions have brought us together as we share the things that inspire and move us with you. We strive to bring the art and inspiration of our culture to the world. For our premier issue, we’ve gotten together music from the US to the UK, along with gorgeous artwork and writings from some fabulous authors. Check out the music and listen while you read the interesting viewpoints of our featured interviews and peruse our “My four” section which gives you an inside look at our feature’s favorite things. As we bring you this premier issue of fourculture magazine and take our first steps on this journey, we invite you to walk beside us. Spread the word, submit your own works and ideas, speak what is within you. In sharing our own passions, we hope to ignite yours. Calling all artists!
PAULA FRANK
MANAGING EDITOR
JULY/AUGUST
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