Sometimes It Hurts
Musings on a tramp abroad + first zine interview
Hey, Substack family.
It’s been a while but it feels good to be back.
It goes without saying that this time of year can get a little hectic. I suppose I’ve fallen victim to that a bit in recent weeks but in addition to the holiday season and your typical end-of-year calendar filler, I’ve been preoccupied for good reason.
Earlier this month, I had the chance to travel overseas to visit a close friend who’s been living in the UK for the past half-year or so. It was my first time visiting another country since before the pandemic and considering the increasingly strict COVID regulations currently being enacted both at home and abroad, I’m extremely thankful I had the chance to squeeze in this adventure before the year was over.
In total, my trip lasted 11 days, four of which were spent in Lisbon and the remaining seven in London. Though it flew by, my brief tramp abroad was fulfilling on so many different levels. I was able to connect with old friends and form fresh ties with new ones, take in the sights and sounds of two beautiful cities, and most of all, indulge in the freedom of being adrift in an unfamiliar place.
Since returning home, I’ve thought deeply about my trip and what it means to travel; not just as an idea, but the actual significance of getting on a plane or hopping in a car and endearing yourself to the journey that comes with venturing somewhere new. In doing so, I keep coming back to an Anthony Bourdain quote that has always resonated with me.
Travel isn't always pretty. It isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that's okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.
Reflecting on the time I spent in both Portugal and England, so many highlights come to mind: the abundantly delicious seafood and cheap cafes in downtown Lisbon; mingling with strangers over ginjinha shots in the back alleys of Bairro Alto during the early hours of the morning; browsing the shelves of London’s many eccentric bookstores; strolling through the moody streets of Soho in search of the perfect pub; and soaking in the atmosphere of Camberwell’s hole-in-the-wall jazz clubs. These are all memories I will cling to fondly.
In between the moments of bliss, there were also six COVID tests; a sinus infection; a lost credit card; several hours spent waiting on public transport; two tube malfunctions during rush hour traffic; a few bad hangovers; and not nearly enough hours of sleep.
These consequences and minor inconveniences, not punishments, were a healthy reminder that no matter where you go, shit happens and sometimes there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it. Every trip you take is as much about the lows as it is the highs. Put the two together and you just might have something substantial.
Here’s to always trying to leave something good behind.
Zine News and Updates
Sunday officially marked a month since the release of A Sense of Place. It’s been both humbling and inspiring seeing all the positive feedback on the zine so far. I’ve especially enjoyed hearing about everyone’s favorite excerpts and how different parts of the zine have resonated with people in different ways. My goal is to continue sharing A Sense of Place in both the digital space and (hopefully) through more in-person engagements into early next year, so a huge thank you to anyone who has shared about the project in any capacity and helped spread the word. You are appreciated!
With that said, I’m excited to share a few updates about the zine and some of the places it’s been in recent weeks.
Interview with The Luna Collective
The Luna Collective is an online platform and film magazine spotlighting new music and other creative projects. I had a great chat with writer Hazel Rain about the zine medium, creativity, and some of the inspiration behind A Sense of Place. Read a snippet from our conversation below and check out the full interview on their website.
LUNA: In your newsletter, you said, “the writing is an extension of the photography and vice versa. One couldn’t exist without the other.” Can you elaborate on the way that your photography and writing are connected?
RJ: That was specifically in relation to this zine. When I got the idea that I wanted to make this project, I had accumulated a decent chunk of photos that I wanted to do something with other than just posting them on Instagram. That’s where the idea came from in terms of pairing those and writing because I always knew writing was going to be a part of it. I was doing a lot of journaling last year and started writing about the trips I was going on, and I always brought my camera with me everywhere I went. Those two inevitably became married and are kind of inseparable. A lot of the writing coincides directly with a lot of the trips and travels that the photos document, so they’re joined at the hip in that way. I guess in a spiritual sense, both the photos in the zine and the writing excerpts carry the same spirit of searching for meaning and having a deep love for nature, so there’s a lot of parallels between them for me. When I’m practicing either of those mediums, shooting photos or writing, I’m in a similar headspace no matter which one I’m doing.
LUNA: What made you decide to use the zine format for your first collection?
RJ: I knew I wanted to utilize photography in some capacity. I think just noodling around online, doing some research, and consuming media like I normally did, I fell in love with the zine format. There are a lot of cool indie music zines and DIY art zines that I came across in the past year or two that really made an impression on me. I just thought the medium was so cool and I guess as time went by, it hit me that it was the perfect fit. It was something that was going to allow me to utilize those photos and be able to present them visually in the way I wanted to, while also including writing excerpts. The cool thing about zines is that there’s no rulebook; there’s no black and white definition of what they have to be, how they have to look. It’s pretty much freeform and anything goes. There’s a lot of things that drew me to it but I think the freedom within that medium specifically [stood out], plus it’s just a cool little digestible way to present art. It’s fun to distribute them around and it’s something you can easily keep on a bookshelf too so I think just generally people dig it.
LUNA: What were some inspirations behind A Sense of Place?
RJ: Music always plays a huge role in the way I’m seeing the world on a day to day basis and how I’m interpreting things. That can be extended to art in general but there are definitely some major inspirations for this project in a musical sense. This past year, I've really been drawn to more ambient and instrumental music. Part of it is probably a reaction to the hectic attitude around the early pandemic and the noise on social media, but there's something about the space in instrumental recordings that really resonates with me and how I think about my work. It can be bold and evocative, while also being simple and elemental. I find a lot of the music I gravitate to feels attuned to the patterns of nature, which is something I really identify with and strive to do in my own writing.
Other Good Stuff
A Sense of Place in The London Bookbarge — Without question, one of the top highlights of my trip to the UK was paying a visit to Word on the Water, a one-of-a-kind bookshop located on an old Dutch barge that sits on a canal near King’s Cross in central London. Their staff was kind enough to stock the last handful of zine copies I had brought with me. Big shout-out to Paddy and Oliver for making this happen. Honored to share a shelf with so many wonderful titles.
Second shipment of physicals is in! — Zines are fully stocked once again, so if you missed picking up a copy on the first go-around, you can purchase one for $10 by placing an order through my website or by sending me a DM on Instagram. New orders will ship out within a few days. Beyond grateful for everyone who has picked one up so far.
A Sense of Place Digital Edition — If you haven’t had the chance to buy a zine but are still interested in checking out the project, you can now view the digital version of A Sense of Place for free on issuu.
Until next time…
Planning on another newsletter in the next week or two. Until then, wishing a safe and warm rest of the holiday season to all. Peace and love.
A Sense of Place is available for purchase on my personal website. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter for more frequent updates.
“Without experimentation, a willingness to ask questions and try new things, we shall surely become static, repetitive, and moribund."
— Anthony Bourdain