How did you hear about Visible Ink and why did you want to use our space?

I (Rhiana) heard about the space through a friend who suggested that we take advantage of the free printing on offer at Visible Ink.

We love the facilities and the support that we get from the staff, and the fact that such a space exists for the sole purpose of supporting young people and encouraging them to be creative and innovative. Overall, though, I’d say we’re in it for the free milo.

What are you currently working on project-wise?

We’re putting together our fourth issue (to be released on Christmas day, if all goes to plan), which entails organising our submissions, finalising our own inclusions and deciding on the look and feel we want for the issue. We’re also working on expanding our website and developing our new YouTube channel (IbisTV), so that we can display a broader range of content.

What do you do, why did you choose to go down that path, and what do you love about it?

We (myself, Jamie, Jack and Seamus) create and distribute a free zine called Ibis.

We all wanted a platform to showcase our own work and that of our friends and the wider community. We basically thought a free zine would be an awesome, inclusive way to encourage creativity, positivity, sharing and community in Brisbane. It’s also just really nice to dedicate time and attention to something that feels meaningful.

We love the freedom and the lack of constraint that comes with publishing our own zine – we have total creative freedom, can include and create whatever content we like, and we have a platform for our own work whenever we want it. We love receiving submissions, giving something to the community and the collaboration that working on the zine has brought us.

What would you say led you to where you are today?

I think we all love creating and sharing our work, and we’ve all been brought up to be very community minded. I’m about to graduate from a degree in creative and professional writing, Jamie’s graduating from a bachelor of journalism/history, Seamus studies visual arts and Jack studied animation, so the zine is a really practical way for us to gain experience in our chosen fields.

What do you get up to in your down time?

Jack does a lot of Simpson’s themed photoshopping; Seamus skates, surfs and creates for his visual arts degree at QUT; Jamie is learning calligraphy and his times tables; and I love watching movies, singing, dancing and eating (usually all at once).

Is there any advice you would give young people wanting to get involved/started in this field? Or any advice you wish you’d been given beforehand?

As our friend Shia Labeouf says: JUST DO IT. Making use of the free resources at Visible Ink is a great way to start out.

In terms of helpful advice I’d say… Make sure that you edit your zine really thoroughly before you distribute it. Also, try to be as organised as possible – keep tabs of all costs, numbers and anything that could possibly be important at a later date. Don’t just assume that you will remember it, because you probably won’t (or is that just me…?).

How would you suggest young people get involved? Or opportunities like this in Brisbane?

If you’d like to contribute to our zine, you can send your work to ibismagazine@gmail.com.

If you want to stay up to date with zine related events in Brisbane, check out the Zine and Indie Comic Symposium (ZICS) Facebook page, and if you’re interested in zines in general, I recommend paying a visit to Junky Comics in West End, which has a really cool collection of national and international zines and comics.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Where can people get in touch with you?

Email: ibismagazine@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IBISzine/

Website: ibiszine.com