While FOLKLIFE had been a seed of an idea for years, it didn’t start forming until March of 2019. I was working two hospo jobs in the little town of Wanaka, New Zealand, and in my side time, I made myself feel valuable by slowly putting together FOLKLIFE’S 30-page business plan. I sat in its library, poring over their beautiful magazines, and taking out books on best crowdfunding practices. I grew restless in Wanaka, and throughout the following 5 months, as I hopped from NewZealand to Bali to Malaysia to Vietnam to Malta to Italy to Spain to Paris, and then to home, I worked on it, knowing I couldn’t make it happen if I didn’t find someone who could make it beautiful. But it’s a risky endeavour and I understood the designers that I asked who were unable to say yes to the gig, as much as they wanted to. I dont operate on hope or expectations, so I knew it would happen if I found someone and it wouldn’t if I didnt, and no matter what, all would be well and as it should. I was in Italy whenPatrickreplied with automatic enthusiasm. So when I got back to Gabriola Island, after 20 months of being away, I met with him, and our ideas aligned beautifully. “Oh god” I thought. “I guess this is going to happen now.” It would be a real change from floating through life across continents. It was the perfect time though, as being away for so long cemented what a paradise it is that we live in in our corner of the country. So we dove straight into it. That was June of 2019. 2019, a big year for FOLKLIFE. Five months of planning, five months of implementing. Seeing our dreams realized one step at a time, again, knowing that all would be well no matter what happened. And here we are, in 2020. All of the 1st edition editorial content with Patrick. 2019 was FOLKLIFE’S forming. And 2020 is the birth. And while the future is a dense fog - all we can do is swim through it, trusting that it will become clear. 2020 is FOLKLIFE’S year. There will be more sleepless nights, and more growth, and more mistakes, and more regret, and more putting that soother in its mouth just a little too hard when we’re tired and cranky. Heh. But it will continue grow, looking more and more like something too. And for this, we are grateful and excited, and we cannot wait to see what kind of publication FOLKLIFE will truly be. Thank you, kind souls, for being a part of this journey. Cheers, to a bright and new 2020. And to drinking good beer on the misty beaches, throughout.
