Making a zine a day for 365 days: Sarah Mirk’s Year of Zines

As a novice zinester, I am eager to absorb everything there is to know about making zines. I've just finished reading Sarah Mirk's Year of Zines. In 2019, Sarah committed to creating one zine a day and, a year later, published a book chronicling her experience, along with a hundred of her pieces.

This is how Sarah summarized the project:

“Making zines forced me to pay attention to the brilliance of everyday life, to find something to observe and laugh at and share even in the most excruciatingly mundane circumstances.”
“I started making zines because they’re quick. But the daily process taught me a surprising kind of patience. These zines taught me to appreciate how lucky I am to be able to do the basic things: to move, to draw, to think, to write, to share. They showed me how to slow down and be patient with myself, most of all.”

It's a similar practice for me to post something on this blog every day. I started doing this looking for self-expression, and writing helps me figure out what really matters in my life and understand the things that are happening to me through reflection.

When you have to publish something every day, you begin to notice mundane things that previously escaped your attention. Many of Sarah's zines are serious in nature, addressing issues such as white privilege, gender inequality, environmental concerns, or gender identity, but there are also many humorous or emotional ones. What they all have in common, though, is generosity that comes from sharing honestly and vulnerably, allowing for connecting with others through observations.

The book made me painfully aware that when it comes to creating, I don't take action between an idea and execution very often. I love the idea that Sarah took on the challenge of making zines for a year while also working on a difficult project, Guantanamo Voices, and suffering from a hand injury that made everything even more stressful. I truly have no excuses…