desktop zines

for distraction + reflection

I keep a tin of stickers and little cut-out bits from magazines and a glue stick to use for this purpose. I don’t want to drag out a bunch of art supplies. You can also use just a piece of paper and a pen. Simple all the way.

When you are at your desk all day working on a computer and need a break, do you (like I do) sometimes reach for your phone and scroll around or play an inane parking or merging game (like I do)?

In addition to jumping on a trampoline and rage cleaning for 10-minute bursts, I have been making quick zines that I have no desire to share or even finish to a polished state. They are extensions of journaling and scratch an itch to make something sloppy but meaningful to me.

This week, I made a catalog of the things that help me survive when I am feeling like shit. Nothing is new or groundbreaking, but the act of writing these little lists of things I KNOW work was a salve and made me feel agential.

Like, I can make beans and turn it around.

Or talk to the clerk at Aldi.

Or listen to the radio (a new/old habit that I am loving. I found an old boom box at Goodwill and discovered WPKN out of Bridgeport, a listener-supported radio station that reminds me of WMNF in Tampa. Their motto is “Our station could be your life.” I sort of agree. I cancelled Spotify and became a member.

The one-page zine works perfectly for this. You can just use printer paper, but consider lined notebook paper, magazine pages, opened envelopes, or other shipping materials. Make the zine, decide on the focus, and return to it throughout your workday. Look to it as a respite in lieu of your phone.

Possible quick zine topics:

• things that make me happy, sad, wonder

• things to do when I am bored, depressed, feeling out of control

• people I like

• a list of things noticed during the day

• a tour of my desk/room/house

• my pets

• the pets I wish I could have (raccoon?

• overheard conversations bits

• the food I ate today/this week

• movies to watch/movies I loved/hated

• new/curious words from my reading today

• a record of a daily tarot pull

• poor drawings of random items lying around (a button, coffee cup, chapstick…)

• a catalog of my immediate neighbors and what I know about them

• smells from my childhood/teen years/early parenthood (Love’s Baby Soft, burnt popcorn, Pinesol, Lip Smackers…)

• Songs

• Copywork (just copy a poem, excerpt, or song lyrics that are hitting)

What else? Anything! The lower the risk, the easier.

And because this is not to copy or distribute, there is no worry about it being perfect or even clean. And the feeling it can create is richer than matching up fruit to make other fruit on your phone.