Issue five is here!

It’s been almost two months since the release of Dwelling’s fifth magazine issue, and the response has been really heartwarming.

With artworks, artist experiences, poems, short stories, do-it-yourself guides and more, issue five is the most packed and outstanding issue created so far. I took a completely different approach when I decided to pursue issue five, and after publishing issue four almost two years ago I harshly critiqued myself and the work I had created. I knew I wanted to push further and make something that blew everyone and even myself away.

Dwelling Magazine started out as a desire to connect with other artists and writers, I craved community, and I looked toward the internet to find people with a similar goal. I did find creative people, and whilst making international friends and the allowance to share their art, I craved something closer. I am so lucky to have made those friends, and to experience the ability to put together several magazines (and i’m sorry to anyone wondering, but issue one will never see the light of day!). It has led me to where I am now, and I’ve never been more proud of the community that has accumulated and all the artists that I have met along the way, but I also felt like something was missing.

Looking back at 2024

This whole year has been really fulfilling, meeting and working with artists from different countries, and zoning in on the local creative community around me. DwellingZine hit it off at the start of 2024. I had a line up of artists over the first half of the year, working hard in our workshops and collaborating in person and over zoom calls. Aligning our time zones was the hardest part, but that was truly the joy of working together. The artists crunched out a hand full of artworks in less than a month, and they trusted me to adjust and edit the work to fit a theme and sequence of pages. Altogether, four collaborative zines were published, plus my initial zine My Flower Garden. Thank you Daphnee, Freya, Saidat and Donna for allowing me to share your beautiful work through the DwellingZine project. You are what makes Dwelling so special.

I would argue that issue five was a success! From what I saw, people were blown away by the amount of content inside the magazine, and the variety of different creative people. I poured my whole self and all my time into this magazine (to the point that I ran myself dry and once publication came around I had nothing left to give, hence the two month hiatus 😳), and I think the hard work really shows. I’m very proud of what it has turned into, and I truly appreciate everyone who contributed and agreed to me pestering them for their time and work. I feel a real presence on each page of the magazine, and every time slicing white borders and binding the printed copies, I feel such a profound joy that I get to be the one that shares your stories. Thank you, and thank you, and many many thanks. I appreciate all of you.

I also started a community catch up, the Creator’s Catch Up! This has personally been the biggest highlight for me, I get so excited for each event, and I really enjoy looking for new locations around my hometown for people to join in, make some art and talk about the projects they are working on or what they’d like to see more of in the community. I’ve been looking at locations in the Albury region from a new perspective ever since, and it’s really amazing! The next Creator’s Catch Up will be 9-11am, November 23rd at the Albury Wodonga Farmer’s Market. We will have a break in December, and I will be announcing the first 2025 dates and locations very soon!

My heart is full, and I think I’ve found my purpose moving forward.

What’s next?

You’re probably wondering!

I’m hoping to expand on Dwelling in a way that the audience and the artists can connect better. I’m ready to move onto something bigger than a zine, but smaller than a full blown magazine publication, and take advantage of the digital space. I still want the publications to be tangible in a real, physical way because I worry that things get lost online and in the many, many folders on my computer, but I can also see how a massive magazine with over fifty pages can be intimidating when you’re reading on a phone. So, hard copies will always be available, but more digital content will be coming your way.

I might also be dabbling with the idea of workshops (maybe, maybe).

I don’t want to give too much away (mostly because I’m not 100% certain on what that looks like yet)! But watch this space, and stick around for more news and blog updates. 🌻

Make sure to purchase your own copy of issue five in my shop. A digital version costs $10AUD and a hand bound hard copy costs $15AUD plus shipping.

Thank you for being here 💛

Danielle J. France

artist, writer, editor