#WhatdoyouZine? Sick Love is the pink, pioneering magazine championing young creatives
This is A HOT MINUTE WITH, a quick-fire interview series championing all the rising talent catapulting into fashion, art and music’s fickle stratosphere. From pinch-me moments to bad dates and even worse chat-up lines, think of it as an overindulgent conversation – like the ones you have in sticky club toilets at 4.A.M. Except these guests don’t regret the overshare…
Launching SICK LOVE magazine in the height of the pandemic, Izzy Gorman-Buckley is embarking on a quest to champion creative ability while tackling issues surrounding unpaid labour and performative activism.
Courtesy of @thesicklovezine
NAME IZZY GORMAN-BUCKLEY
AGE 22
LOCATION London, England
STAR SIGN Virgo
BIGGEST PET PEEVE People that think they're too cool.
Alice May Stenson: Let’s discuss your personal journey to Editor-in-Chief. Can you tell us a little about yourself? Have you always been drawn to the written word?
Izzy Gorman-Buckley: I've always loved writing since I was a kid! Although I veered off this path a little and experimented with some different creative outlets like styling and art direction, my passion for writing came back to me a few years ago and hasn't left. I began writing for a few fashion publications but got bored of the kind of content they wanted me to produce.
AMS: And how was the magazine born?
IGB: I started Sick Love because I wanted to create space for young creatives to voice their opinions on and concerns with the industry. I was really frustrated with the media aimed at young creative people – I felt it was really soulless and never addressed the personal or sensitive topics I was interested in. Young creative people face so many issues in and outside of the creative industries, so I thought creating a space that voiced these concerns and offered support to the creative community would be beneficial for all.
“I love the drive and passion of young people, as well as the boundless talent. I'm so inspired by how energetic and passionate everyone is. it blows me away and spurs me on to make the platform the best it can be.”
AMS: In which ways have your own experiences contributed to the content we see?
IGB: As a young creative person I have experienced a lot of the issues we highlight firsthand and have seen my friends face many others. As I select and edit every piece of content that goes through the site, I select pieces that express genuine concern or a call-to-action. They do not have to relate directly to myself or my experiences – after all, I am only one person in this big, big world – but they have to be genuine in their goal and expression. That's what we are about; platforming the voices and views that need to be heard.
AMS: What can readers expect from the new print edition 10 ZINE and, going forward, the platform’s future?
IGB: 10 ZINE centres itself around the London-based creatives and activists we believe are set to make progressive change in their fields over the next ten years. To mark Sick Love’s one year anniversary, we wanted to create a print issue that embodied our ethos, aiming to champion young creatives whilst reflecting on the issues that affect many in the community. All ten creatives have answered the same two questions: “What change do you hope to see in the next 10 years? And how are you going to help create it?” and “What advice would you give to yourself 10 years ago?” to best learn about their inspirations and ambitions for active change in the current decade.
We talked to a variety of creatives – from GUTS GALLERY founder ELLIE PENNICK to TRANS + PRIDE founder LUCIA BLAYKE – and are super proud of the final product! Now that the zine has been released, I am looking to expand the Sick Love team! I'm currently in the process of hiring a team for the zine, to allow myself more time to work towards Sick Love becoming a sustainable community platform which will offer mentorship and networking opportunities for our young creative community. Watch this space...
AMS: What are some things you love?
IGB: I love my friends, cats and a good anime!
AMS: What are some things that make you feel sick?
IGB: Literally: cars and gherkins. Figuratively: skinny jeans.
AMS: Most embarrassing moment you can recall?
IGB: God my whole existence is a bit embarrassing! I spend a lot of time falling over things and making bad jokes so I'm not sure I can whittle it down.
AMS: Can you share any advice for young creatives trying to pave their way?
IGB: Fake it until you make it! Imposter syndrome is a real pain and I still struggle with this massively, but you need to remind yourself that you are worthy and that your ideas are good. Learn on the job instead of holding yourself back; you only have things to gain.
AMS: If you could host a dinner party with any five guests – dead or alive – who is going and what are you eating?
IGB: Such a tricky one! I would love to meet Kathleen Hanna from Bikini Kill, MICHAELA STARK (whose work I am OBSESSED with), JUNKO MIZUNO, Dora Maar and Claude Cahun. We'd eat an aubergine tagine and then hopefully each other's faces because I'm in love with them all.
AMS: Do you have a film that changed your perspective on the world?
IGB: Not a film so much but my favourite anime, Nana, really shifted my view on living. That sounded quite morbid but the love and lives that it depicts are so extraordinary and intense it's inspired me to seek a life of love and passion and try to escape monotony and apathy.
AMS: Just how important is art in society?
IGB: Art is of the upmost importance! It's a reflection of our time and one that outlives us, as well as an incredible form of self-expression. I do not think an artless society could exist, creating is an inherent part of being human.
Courtesy of @thesicklovezine
AMS: Your website underscores “many issues in the creative industries.” Could you expand on these issues?
IGB: There are so many I can't count! But the two that really stick out to me have to be unpaid labour and performative activism. Unpaid internships are still somewhat of the norm and are completely unfair on young creative people who are expected to be able to afford this experience. This also leads to the gentrification of the creative industries, as only those who can afford to work for free are deemed qualified enough to earn paid positions further down the line. This is classist and must stop! Your qualifications should be based on ability instead of your wealth, and this practice has led to only 16% of those working in the creative industries to come from a working class background. I understand that smaller companies may not be able to pay their staff, but larger companies exploiting interns for profit is a practice that needs to be erased ASAP!
Performative activism extends past the creative industries and is an enormous social issue. People seem to believe that infographics on social media actually makes a difference, and that sharing them proves that you care about the issues raised. Yet these same people will 'forget' to vote, leading to a disproportionately low amount of youth votes compared to older generations. This is so baffling to me! There is no issue in sharing on social media, but active change requires action offline too. It seems that individuals – and companies – want to be seen to be active, but will not take any action towards active change. People need to realise that united we have the power to create change if they actually wanted to, and that 'wokeness' does not come in the form of a pastel infographic.
AMS: What’s the best thing about working with young people?
IGB: I've worked with over a hundred young creatives whilst running Sick Love, and it's one of my favourite parts about the platform. I love the drive and passion of young people, as well as the boundless talent. I'm so inspired by how energetic and passionate everyone is. it blows me away and spurs me on to make the platform the best it can be.
AMS: Can you tell us something nobody knows about you?
IGB: That I only just finished university a few weeks ago! I always hide this from people as they don't take me seriously and see me as 'just a student' so I normally reveal my student status a few months after working together and people are really surprised. I'm a very capable person in or outside of education but people don't seem to get that.
AMS: Finish the sentence. I’m absolutely obsessed with…
IGB: Cute socks and fake eyelashes.
AMS: The last thing I overheard at CSM was…
IGB: I'm always wearing headphones so not much! Once in first year though I overheard some students on the other table scoffing about how 'keen' LCF were for the White Show and that they should start charging them an entrance fee... there are a few losers who are pretentious like that but generally the uni is such a lovely place! I've met so many amazing people whilst studying there.