Exploring DIY publishing as a powerful creative exercise
In the age of algorithms and likes, it’s easy to forget that not everything has to be for someone else. Not everything has to be optimized for reach, engagement, or sales.
Some things you make just because they help you grow.
Zines — short for “magazines” or “fanzines” — are one of those things. A zine can be anything: a small booklet, a digital PDF, a folded page with words and photos stitched together. It doesn’t have to be shared. But the act of making one can completely shift the way you approach photography.
Here’s why creating a zine might be one of the most creatively valuable things you do this year. Even if no one else sees it. Especially if no one else sees it.
✧ 1. It Forces You to Curate
Making a zine asks you to make choices. What theme are you exploring? Which photos belong together? Which ones don’t? What sequence tells a story, or builds a mood? You learn the power of omission.
When you’re creating for a feed or a folder, it’s easy to just keep adding. But a zine has edges. A beginning, a middle, and an end. The moment you’re working within that kind of structure, your work becomes sharper. Stronger. More intentional.
Bonus: The skills you develop curating a zine carry over to your portfolio, your website, and your storytelling.
✧ 2. It Teaches You to Pair Words and Images
A zine can be visual only, but it’s also a beautiful way to practice writing. Maybe you add a short poem. A caption. A quote. A memory.
The goal is to layer the photos.
You learn how image and language can live side by side without stepping on each other’s toes. You begin to trust your creative instincts in a new medium. And you start to see your photography not just as a series of images, but as narrative.
✧ 3. It Makes Your Work Tangible
A zine takes your photos out of the hard drive and into your hands. And something about that changes everything.
You notice new details. You connect more personally to the work. You feel a quiet pride.
It becomes a record of a creative season. A capsule of where you were at, in your art, your life and your mind.
Even if no one else sees it, you will. And that’s enough.
✧ 4. It’s Low Stakes, High Growth
Making a zine doesn’t require a publisher, a degree, or a huge social media following. It doesn’t need to “succeed.” There’s incredible freedom in that.
You’re not worried about metrics. You’re not trying to impress anyone. You’re just making something — from start to finish — that reflects your voice.
And in that process, you’ll find clarity. Confidence. A new way to express something you maybe didn’t even know you were trying to say.
✧ 5. It Builds Momentum
Finished work fuels future work.
When you make a zine — even a tiny one made with scissors and glue — you get the creative high. You break the loop of endless shooting and editing with no end goal.
You realize: I can do this. And you’ll want to do more.
✧ How to Start Your First Zine
- Pick a theme. It can be simple: “windows,” “winter,” “solitude,” “street corners.” Anything that gives structure to your photo selection.
- Select 8–20 images. Print them out if you can. Spread them out. Sequence them.
- Add text (optional). Captions, poems, song lyrics, quotes, or your own thoughts.
- Design. Use software like InDesign, Canva, Affinity, or do it by hand.
- Print or export. Keep it physical, or share a digital version via PDF.
Don’t worry about it being polished. That’s not the point.
✧ Final Thought
Making a zine is a quiet rebellion against perfectionism, pressure, and the endless scroll. It’s a way to reconnect with the joy of making something for you. A place where your voice, your vision, and your work can live together, with no expectations attached.
So yes, you should make a zine. Even if no one sees it. Especially if no one sees it.
Because you will.
MELISSA MARTINSEN 