For the last few years, us DuMMiEs have been astonished by the process of revamping the zine include a weekly web presence while putting on IRL events.
What’s resulted in more than a year of “VOX & Voices” events and Text Message Interviews has been a constantly growing, accumulating amount of responses to 1-Question Interview we request of everyone who’s gotten involved in DUM DUM Zine: What inspires and astonishes you as a creator?
In this #DuM compilation, we present to you a selection of responses to this single, compelling question…our hope is to turn this page into a living, breathing archive including interviews to come, and, the hopes that you’ll join in, too! #GetDuM with us, and tell us: What inspires and astonishes YOU as a creator? Email info {at} dumdumzine {dot} com and let us know.
“Oddly, frustration motivates me to create. I don’t know that I could call it inspiration. Most of the time I write because doing so allows me to express anger or sadness. I am motivated as hell right now!”
– Alice Bag
“What inspires me most is the amazing, rad work created by other women writers & artists, past & present. I spent the day yesterday at the Women, Action & the Media conference meeting and hearing talks by so many brilliant women journalists, critics & media makers whose work inspires me so much. One of the keynote speakers was Salamishah Tillet, who gave a really great talk on the connections between activism to end sexual assault on campus and racial justice movements–it was so illuminating. I’m always so inspired by critical and creative work that brings a really incisive & bold intersectional feminist lens to culture and media, whether that takes the form of essays, poems, YA literature, visual art or TV shows. It motivates me to keep doing the work that I care about.”
– Marisa Crawford
“Pop culture feeds my work, and it astonishes me in both good and bad ways.”
– Kate Durbin
“As a creator, everything. the world. the sky. breath. my mooshes. love. I try to observe and feel as much as I can. exist as much as I can.”
– Janice Lee
“I think before my answer would have all been about the actual art, how I am astonished when I come up with something in my comics / art that is surprising even to me, etc. etc. and that is still true! Making the art is always a joy in itself. These days I am just so inspired by where my own artist journey has taken me, and how much of a direct correlation there is between being a good artist and living your life well. Like, am I stagnating or growing? Am I hiding behind a mask or being vulnerable? Am I willing to risk everyone’s good opinion of me to say what is on my mind? Am I going to be cynical and complacent or care to the point of having my heart completely broken? Am I going to face my worst demons and learn to love them? Every year has been an expansion in being braver, more open, more connected, and so I am so astonished/ inspired / grateful that my own art practice continues to push me to become a better and braver human being.”
– Yumi Sakugawa
“It’s really hard to narrow down what inspires me. A lot of what inspires and astonishes me are things that some people would probably find really boring. This world hasn’t yet been assembled by robots, and the human element in every detail of life astounds me.”
– J Ryan Stradal
“Paying attention to the world keeps me inspired and astonished. Seeing work makes me want to make things to be in conversation.”
– Michelle Tea