Ioana is an arts facilitator based in Forest Gate, passionate about bringing communities together to play and reimagine the act of making. She started Artizine UK in 2019 as a platform aiming to heal and restore everyone’s relationship with creativity via zines and zine-making.
"I moved to Forest Gate at the end of 2019, right after I finished my MA in Visual Art and Communication in Southampton. I was in search of finding a community of creatives where I can develop my practice as an arts facilitator. East London always attracted me and Forest Gate ticked all the right boxes. I was so happy to live nearby so many local businesses and entrepreneurs. For me, this was the perfect place for someone young to start a new journey!”
What’s Zine?
A zine is a small-circulation, DIY work of original or appropriated texts and images.
In her workshops, participants are encouraged to allow mistakes to happen and embrace the imperfections and surprises which shape the process behind art-making.
‘We often feel anxious when we’re about to start something new, especially when it’s something creative. In many cases, we are thinking too much about the outcome instead of the actual process behind what we are trying to achieve. Zine-making is a great tool to release this certain pressure we associated with ‘making’. Zines combine immediacy and intuition which wake up parts of our subconscious brain, where believe it or not, 90% of all of our creativity is stored.”
In 2021, Ioana introduced a zine-making session at Tracks which involved repurposing old materials into new visual stories. Designed as a fun and relaxing evening after work hours, this workshop gathered Forest Gaters to create together whilst enjoying a couple of pints and networking.
“I was absolutely delighted to meet so many creative individuals who lived so close to Tracks, but never had the opportunity to initiate a conversation with. It brings me so much joy to introduce people to what I do - especially if they never heard of zine-making before. Everyone brought their A game and came up with the most amazing designs and layouts. Zine-making is all about coming together and sharing ideas and this workshop has definitely made that happen!”
Testimonials:
‘This was the most relaxing 2 hours I’ve had for so long. Thank you!’
‘Thanks for the opportunity to PLAY! Great creative workshop’
‘I loved it! Thank you for introducing me to ‘ZINE’. Never heard of it before - well…not anymore!'
Why start zine-making?
- Release creative blocks.
- Cultivate mindfulness by disconnecting from technology and making things with your hands.
- Train your mind to become more visual and retain more information.
- Develop your inner creativity.
Ioana posts zines and regular workshops on her Instagram @artizineuk and monthly newsletter. She'll be hosting a book-binding workshop on Tuesday 22nd February at Tracks which you can book here.
