The awesomeness that was the Hamilton Zinefest 2017

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The awesomeness that was the Hamilton Zinefest 2017

hamilton zinefest 2017 zee zr southcombe

Setting up at Hamilton Zinefest

The first zinefest I ever attended was the 2016 Hamilton Zinefest, so it was great to be back at this year’s event. I managed to sleep in, then got ready in a rush, and somehow arrived half an hour early. Yeah, don’t ask. It was definitely a coffee day.

I’m all set up!

What I love most about zinefests, and zines in general, is the creative freedom you get. There’s so little monetary investment that there’s less pressure to make something commercially viable, or mainstream, or even necessarily ‘good’. The room was filled with truly diverse expressions of creativity, and a huge range of people.

What really struck me this year was how incredibly nice everyone was. There was no judgement or comparison. The local school zines were as valued as a professional illustrator’s posters which were as valued as the lady next to me who’d just started drawing (Mini V – you can follow her on Instagram). This is what a real celebration of creativity looks like. More of this please, Universe!

The room begins to fill…

I also loved that, compared to other markets, there was very little emphasis on sales. What we were all there for was to share our work, to invite others to share with us, and to make connections through our zines and conversation. Kudos to the zinefest committee who made this such a successful, seamless day – I am already looking forward to the next one!