It’s More Than Just A Hue: Behind BLACK Magazine
The underground artists surrounding the creative depths of NYC have always motivated and inspired me to write. After taking a magazine writing course in college, I decided it was time to design something of my own. One night I was awakened by a rush of ideas. I started developing the layout for my magazine and I didn’t stop working until the sun came up. By the end of the week I had layout, a cover story, a tiny staff of contributing writers and a great support system, at that moment The BLACK Magazine was born. At first, my goal for this publication was to create a platform to showcase underground artistry, but now, three years later, BLACK has grown so much.
With my magazine I’ve networked with so many awesome people and had the pleasure of covering and hosting events. There are days when I want so much more, such as larger following but other days I’m happy that people are always excited and asking what’s in store for BLACK. So far my biggest challenge is working part time while trying to run a business. Juggling my passion and maintaining an income isn’t easy so I’m hoping that in a couple of years I can bring in some consistent advertising revenue.
In 2014 I decided to stop making print copies and created theblackmagazine.com: A simple site with articles on music, entertainment, art, fashion, beauty and news. When people visit the site I want them to realize from the content that the name “BLACK” means so much more than ethnicity or race, it is a movement for expression, it is the love of being unique and it is exploring your passion even when your days are dark. My favorite part about having my own magazine is being able to say I’m still learning. I’m very new to all of this, so creating something out of nothing is always a great accomplishment. My friends and family have been supportive from day one, so it makes the process a lot easier.
BLACK is different from other publications because it’s always changing. The idea and motto (more than just a hue) remain the same, but I’m always serving something new. It gives a voice to the underground artist who is not yet on TV or the radio, it promotes the idea that dreams are what you make it and best of all, it doesn’t hold back on news that most media outlets fail to provide. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this experience it’s that, the job is never done. There’s always something to edit, or tweak. You can always make your “finished” product better than it was the day before.
If you would like to be apart of the BLACK family visit theblackmagazine.com we are always looking for artists, writers, editors, fashion/beauty gurus and video bloggers.
Twitter: @_BLACKmag
IG: @theblackgazine
