“The one thing that is maybe young about me is I’m never bored. I’m bored when I’m with people who are boring. I’m never bored when I’m with myself, when I’m alone. I do not find life boring. If I were here by myself I’d find it interesting. There’s a billion interesting things going on. I’m bored if I can’t think. I don’t necessarily mean profoundly – I mean use my mind. It’s what I hate about the theatre. The people are talking, sometimes they’re singing, people are too close to me, it’s a hard place to think. Whereas the subway is a very good place to think. It’s never dull.”

- Frank Leibowitz, Acne Paper, Issue 14

I know Fran Leibowitz has a bit of a reputation for being a negative Nancy and a grouchy old curmudgeon, but I can’t help loving and looking up to her. She seems so certain of who she is and completely unashamed of expressing it. As self-centered as it may sound, this quote in the most recent issue of Acne Paper really struck a chord. As much as I love visiting friends, socializing, and meeting new people, sometimes my own company is exactly what I need – at least I know it will never be boring.

xx S.

“The idea of a place without hope having hope is something that people want to hear.”

This week I confided that there’s a new creative project stoking my flame these days, and I’m really excited to share it with you!

In addition to my full-time job, I’m now co-editing a brand new magazine called The MASON. The project is the brainchild of a friend of mine and together, we’re putting together this publication completely independently along with a team of uber talented writers and creative collaborators.

When Elyse first came to me with the idea and asked me to get involved, I was all “Hells yes!” The MASON is right up my alley: it’s a magazine about the revival of Detroit through the work of the city’s artists and creatives. It combines my love of art, creativity, social entrepreneurship, and community building with my passion for writing and independent publishing. In other words, it’s the perfect project for this crazy idealistic girl.

Detroit is a city that has suffered the devastation of capitalism’s failures. It’s true that neighbourhoods remain abandoned, houses burned to the ground, and people performing desperate acts out of a desperate situation. But so often Detroit is represented solely in terms of this destruction. What’s usually ignored is the beauty of the people who are tenaciously working to create life and hope out of the wreckage.

From the pages of The MASON, artists, social entrepreneurs, performers, artisans, activists, and other creatives will speak of the new Detroit that they are building and to the power of the individual to change the world. Like a mason laying the foundation of a building, they are laying the foundation for a new Detroit.

This project is all about hope and I have such high hopes for what it can become. I hope we can represent a demonstration of encouragement and support to the creative community in Detroit. I hope we can help carry their voices to those who might not have heard them otherwise. I hope we can inspire dreamers in cities facing their own difficulties to get involved with making a difference in their community.

We hope to show that out of decay and destruction, beauty can be created. The MASON will be a testament to the fact that through the dreams and hard work of those who love a city, it can be born anew. And perhaps we can inspire others to share our belief that the creativity of individuals is a truly powerful force.

This is a project with so much creative potential and I’m finding it incredibly exhilarating to help bring it to life. It’s going to be so much work, but I know that all of the long nights will be worth it. I think that it will be fun to share some of this crazy process with you and in a couple of months, we will have a big, beautiful magazine to show for all of this. And who knows where it will take us? I’m so excited to find out!