Divided Vision | 2019
EDITOR’S NOTE Welcome to the 2nd issuse of the Collective Magazine! This issue is full of color and life as artists submitted work they feel resonates with the theme of Escape. In today’s time, I find myself feeling stuck. So many things to do, with what feels like not enough time. Over the years so many things have served as an escape for me. Some have helped me leave my world and enter others. But some have also led me to mistakes I had to learn from. All in all, I’m still searching for an escape, and a way to feel free from the cluster that is life. Creatives have such a unique escape through their work. But what is never talked about is how a creative’s artwork can also serve as someone else’s escape. So to creatives of all kinds... keep creating! Speak your truths and live your imagination! Because you don’t know who out there will see your creativity and have the chance to escape because of it. The work in this issue is beautiful! Thank you to all of those who submitted! Through creating this issue I’ve learned so much about the world we live in and the people who surround me. We’re all trying simply to live, and we never get a break. So take your time. Live as you wish, but live for something. Don’t give up! Take chances, and be kind. The Collective is an escape for me. I get to meet new people and build bonds with the creativity of others. So if you’re reading this, thank you for allowing me to escape, and for that I will be eternally grateful. I hope the Collective does for you what it has done for me - escape. Until next time,
Aviva @avivaaaaviva
1. Nowhere Man by The Beatles 2. Adult Diversion by Alvvays 3. Waiting Room by Rex Orange County 4. MySpace by TyBass 5. Can I by Drake 6. Antidote by Orion Sun 7. The Fox in the Snow by Belle & Sebastian 8. All My Friends by LCD Soundsystem 9. Can I Call You Tonight? by Dayglow 10. Still Don’t Know My Name by Labrinth 11. Fading by Vacation Manor 12. Purity by A$AP Rocky 13. Heaven Falls/Fall on Me by Surfaces 14. No Place in Mind by Justin Nozuka 15. Juvenescence by Verzache 16. BABYLON by Joey Bada$$ 17. Galang by M.I.A. 18. More Than A Women by Bee Gees 19. Bday by Isaiah Rashad 20. None Of Your Concern by Jhené Aiko
tunes made for you, by you
21. See You Again by Tyler, The Creator 22. Boy by Willow 23. Hatin by Rico Nasty 24. Guarding The Gates by Lauryn Hill 25. Glass Flows by Smino 26. Blaxploitation by Noname 27. Hold Me by Lil Halima 28. bad idea! by girl in red 29. Cigarette Daydreams by Cage the Elephant 30. Off and On by SALES Mollie Zoldan | @mollie.zee | Brooklyn
Joya Debi | @poltergeistjoya | Brooklyn
“People often want to escape themselves because they are not happy with who they are. But escaping yourself will never feel as good or complete as accepting yourself. Looking in the mirror, looking at your life, looking at those who surround you and loving what you see is better than any escape.� Mila Marzulli | @muthurnurture | Brooklyn
Madeleine Miller | @g0ldfisher | Brooklyn
Madeleine Miller | @g0ldfisher | Brooklyn
Lexi Hynes | @gymlex | Brooklyn
Zoe Steinberg | @industrial_bodies | Brooklyn
Zoe Steinberg | @industrial_bodies | Brooklyn
Cristina Alvarez | @dripwife | Brooklyn
Ana Beirne | @kweenoftherats | Brooklyn
Mila Marzulli | @muthurnurture | Brooklyn
Mila Marzulli | @muthurnurture | Brooklyn
Mollie Zoldan | @mollie.zee | Brooklyn
Sam Griffith | @samsimagery | Brooklyn
Ayathma Wickramasinghe | @atwfoto | Gaithersburg
Untitled I think about things I don’t need to think about In a loop cycling round and round and round And you’d think there would be no room to think about the things I need to think about But I think about them too Round and round and round And thoughts claw every crevice of my mind, bore into every opening And they clog my throat and tighten their ever pressing chokehold And I can never stop because even thinking about thinking requires thinking Round and round and round and round and round And I am so tired But I am still trying
Ronnie Bengal | @ronnie.bengal | London
Ana RodrĂguez | @artexanateresa | Brooklyn
Do You Feel That? The snowflake-like powder, kept so freshly and content in a clean, miniature ziplock bag lays in between his calloused fingers. We both gleam at this foreign, yet familiar substance as infinitesimal specks of light, almost like glitter stares back at us. We are both sat on a thin, frail cloth, filled with hues of greens and blues, sand surrounding us, flying in all directions as the crippling breeze whips through our bones as we shiver in each others arms, the cold engulfing us. He props me up, out of his arms. I wrap my navy blue, heavy denim jacket around my body, to keep warm. He carefully opens the ziplock bag and sticks a finger inside the angelicwhite powder and places it on his gums. I cautiously do the same, mirroring his actions. Even though I place it out of reach of my tongue, in the far crevices of my pink gums, I still taste it, sticky and abhorrent in my mouth; the taste of burning paper, and sizzling, hot battery acid. After a mere five minutes, after it feeling like I have been waiting my whole life for it to kick in, I ask: “Do you feel anything?,” A typical question to ask, but I ask him anyway. He’s sat crossed-legged opposite me and runs his hands through his messy, unkempt but ironically and contradictorily perfect hair. He then waits a beat, his honey eyes, shimmering in the moonlight, staring into my bare soul, then, “No.” he responds quietly. “Not yet. You?” I shake my head simply. We sit in silence, listening intently to the sound of the waves; calm, unbothered and swift. They crash onto the sandy shore, every so gently, like the soft caress of hands on skin.
Ana RodrĂguez | @artexanateresa | Brooklyn
Ana RodrĂguez | @artexanateresa | Brooklyn
Then, the sand, all over his god-like face seems to glisten. Specks of gold. I feel light. Floating, whimsically treading the sea, with my arms stretched out wide. I feel, as simple as it sounds, happy. All my problems: vanished. Thoughts of school, my future, my parents, life, simply disintegrated like a dead leaf in autumn. There are purple, iridescent butterflies dancing on my skin, in my blood, encircling my entire being. The hard, gritty sand on my skin, looks like glowing pixie dust and feels like warm droplets of silky rainwater. I gently place my cold, shaking hands on his face and pull him in for a kiss. His lips on mine feel like fireworks on New Years Day, sunlight on my skin, the taste of rain. I pull away and look up at his face. He is smiling, the euphoric feeling present in his beautiful smile, the kind of smile that makes up your whole face, that brightens up the room, that feels like home. Our hands on each others faces, we giggle, the giggles become louder and now we are both back on the soft mat, laughing and laughing until salty tears stream down our flushed cheeks. He looks at me intently, with love in his eyes, bodies intertwined on this cold and sparse beach, “I love you.� I do not even hesitate, and say it right back to him. I feel the love in my bones, all around, pure, without malice or judgement, no ego or spite. We stay like this until dawn, the sunrise waking us, and leaving us solely with a tingle in our limbs and that ever-present feeling of euphoria.
Michellie Reis | @michelliereis | Bangkok
InterviewbybyAviva AvivaPusey Pusey Interview PhotographybybyAviva Aviva Pusey Pusey Photograhy
@atwfoto
1. what’s your name? how old are you? where are you from?
My name is Ayathma Wickramasinghe. I am 20 years old. I’m originally from Sri Lanka, but I’ve spent most of my years growing up in Maryland. My mom was a diplomat so we had to travel a lot, but my family settled bn Maryland. .
2. when did you first get into film photography? what attracted you to the medium, and drives you to continue to pursue it? I always had a lot of self doubt, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a diplomat like my mom because I wanted to travel. But then I realized it wasn’t for me. What keeps me going is honestly how I want people to see art. You don’t have to do what everyone else does. Art just has to be what you want it to be. Instagram and Twitter make people do what other people are doing. I had to get out of that phase, and just do whatever envisioned my art. Photography became a way for me to express my ideas.
3. what is your creative process? what patterns do you see in your creative routine? A lot of money goes into my shoots, and its very frustrating. Right now I have two jobs, I work from home and at LL Bean. It can be frustrating because I still have school to balance, and other things to deal with. I make money, and I use all of it for my shoots. Going forward with my creative process, it’s a lot of just holding onto thoughts that come in my head. I plan a shoot, but it could go a completely different way. I’m not religious, but sometimes I like to think that God is definitely watching over me. I believe you can speak something into the universe and it could become possible. Sometimes my models will come to me with an idea, and I’ll have had it written down for days! I spoke it out, and it came back to me.
4. what does your photography mean to you? what do you want it to mean to others? To me it means freedom. Letting my built up thoughts come out. I love all my shoots, but in every one of them I think to myself how there is something else I should or could have done. So I always look at it as something to improve on. I’m
never fully satisfied. To me, it’s like an exercise almost. I’m putting my thoughts out there and seeing what I can create with it. For other people, I just want people to see that they can do whatever they have to do to create what you want. I want people to see originality, and to distinguish me from others. Fear is a big factor in why people don’t do what they want. I just think people should do whatever is in their head, and never let fear get to them.
5. where do you see photography taking you in the future? I see it taking me into complete independence. I feel like what I do is something Vogue doesn’t want. My art is something that others may want. I’m definitely gonna create something just for me. I always think I’ll maybe get hired by Nike to do a brand shoot, but it’s never gonna be what I want. I hope that one day people can look at my work and trust me. That’s where I see it taking me, into personal independence and freedom.
6. what aspects of your photography do you feel make you stand out? Definitely lighting, and the concepts. People either hate my work or they love it. That’s what I like, because I create just for myself. Work that I am proud of and appreciate might not resonate with my audience, but that’s ok. My work is truly me, and I think that makes me stand out.
7. at this point in your life, what do you find yourself trying to escape from? Definitely, I’m trying to escape fear and my family. I really wanna just get out. When I’m out, I think I’ll be more creative. I love being with my boyfriend a lot because he gets me out of this funk at home. We do so many things and it helps me with my creativity, it keeps me thinking and active. On the fear part, I can’t let fear get to me anymore. It messes with my head on a daily basis. I can’t let it do that anymore. I’ m trying to escape the power it has on me. I don’t think anyone can really understands my brain except me and its something I have to deal with. It’s all in my head.
8. what parts of you need an escape? what parts of society and life make you want to break free? People get on my nerves! And my dad keeps saying, if I wanna be a photographer I’m gonna have to deal with people. In my community, I can’t really work with anyone other than my friends. I really wish my community would change in that way, but they love to suck up to each other. All I wanna tell them is to do their own thing, focus on your own brand and keep moving. Society is full of people that are so closed minded, so stuck on their phone, and so stuck on materialistic things. Social media definitely plays a big role in photography, so you have to keep using it.
9. how does your art serve as an escape for you, and for others? My mom is my main supporter. Once I got into film, she was more open to me going out and pursuing my photography. I don’t know why, but she changed. I was going out more, and she was accepting of it. Now I’m traveling a lot, I’m visiting New York more and more. And I think she sees my passion. She sees me following my dreams and she can escape her own conservativeness and accept me for what I wanna do.
10. if you were speaking to the whole world right now, what would you say? Oh my goodness! I strongly believe that everyone deserves to do what they want to in life. Speaking to the world right now I would say to never let fear get into your head! We all have this fear of not getting the support you need, or not succeeding. But you have to work for what you want. Keep going on a path of kindness! Once you go through the struggles, you’ll get there eventually. Never give up! I’ve had times where I’ve wanted to quit, but I know that there is value in what I’m doing. I see a lot of people who save my work and I know I have to keep going. Even though I have a small little community on my Instagram, people look at my work and feel things. That’s enough for me to know, this is just the beginning.
Ayathma | @atwfoto | Gaithersburg
@champagn “I’ve had seventeen trips around the sun & hopefully more to come, art has always been present in my life. All of these items were made by my hand & all have meaning. Designing clothes is an outlet, my form of self
expression.”
neskingdom
Huge thanks to... @avivaaaaviva @mollie.zee
@muthurnurtu
@poltergeistjoya @g0ldfisher
@gymlex
@artexanateresa @michelliereis
ure
@industrial_bodies
@kweenoftherats
@dripwife @atwfoto
@samsimagery
@ronnie.bengal
@champagneskingdom
@thecollectiveartmag
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