Dear Reader,

As creative people, we are driven by something that exists within us: a feeling we need to express, a thing we need to make, a perspective we need to share. It’s just part of who we are. Creating and making is our language of expression, our self-identity and, for those of us who make a living through art, our currency. 

Although the bright glow of algorithmic social media might sway us from time to time, and the novelty of new artificial intelligence tools might grab at our attention, it is always worth remembering that how we use our creative time and talents is up to us. It is through mental exertion combined with physical effort that art and crafts are made. The marks that we make are uniquely ours, made real through our own hands. 

No artificial intelligence can replace what is unique to us as creative individuals. It’s what contributor Sharon VanderKaay calls “AH-HA”—authentic human-hand art—in her essay “Artists Wanted.” Authentic human-hand art is what we need now, more than ever. 

So get your hands dirty. Eschew modern technologies. Mess around with mark making. Find yourself.

Janine Vangool
publisher / editor / designer