Karen
Karen Lubbock
Made out of the ordinary
A magazine about ordinary life.
Malmesbury, Wiltshire, UK
Godwins Farmhouse, Rodbourne, SN16 OEY
Email: karen@karenmagazine.com
- Category: Art, Lifestyle
- Periodicity: Bi-Annual
- Language: English
- Format: 168 x 230 mm
- Price: £ 6.50
- Web: http://www.karenmagazine.com
Founded in 2004
Exclusive Interview
Karen
What is your magazine about?
Ordinary everyday life as filtered through my sensibility. It’s about people, relationships, conversations. It embraces the humour and the sadness in life, the boring and the dull – simple things. Karen likes to get close to the small details in life. It features family, friends, neighbours and other people who come in contact with me. It speaks softly and doesn’t shout.
Who’s behind the project? Tell us about the founders, their backgrounds and their motivations!
Karen.
I have had quite a few different jobs in my life so far.
My motivation is to continue to make work that features the ‘ordinary’ people, places, conversation – life as I experience it.
How do you produce one issue? How much time do you spend on it? How big is your team?
My first response was to say my ‘team’ is me + 1. But then my friends and family talk with me about my work and inspire me so maybe they are part of the ‘team’; also people who feature in the work inspire me so are they part of the ‘team’? And where do my readers fit in, some are in dialogue with me? Maybe my team is bigger than I think.
The time taken on any one issue varies, as I do not pre-determine the narrative, therefore, I really don’t have any idea what will be in the content of each issue, the process reflects the unknown that is within day to day life. I collect material and when I have enough I edit it down until it’s ready.
What have been the important steps in the life of your magazine?
Birth. Growing up. Crying. Laughing. Studying. The respect and love of many people, and a big thanks to David Shrigley, Russell Herron and Jeremy Lesley.
Which are the key ingredients for the success of your magazine?
Nice people reading and enjoying the content.
What are the difficulties you are confronted with? What would be “the” thing to help the magazine to improve?
Getting the work to more people. The sentiment is ‘Have you met Karen yet? She’d really like to meet you.
Where do you want the magazine to be in five years?
Brushing its teeth, washing the bits that show, combing its hair and getting ready for another day.
Tell us about your audience! Who are the readers of your magazine?
Anyone. International readership not age, gender, culture specific. From the feedback I receive I usually like them – and I like that.
Is remaining independent important to you? Is it part of the strategy?
Absolutely.
What’s your relationship with advertisement? Does it influence your content? Do you care about advertising-driven-editorials?
Karen doesn't carry any adverts.
What do you think of your issue 01, when you look back at it?
Issue 01 came out at the end of a period of study and research I had undertaken. I was (and am) particularly interested in celebrity culture and how celebrity and ordinary people are mediated.
I contacted mainly gallery bookshops and asked them if they would stock it and then personally distributed. I did no promotion, it quietly went into a few bookshops and people bought it and I remember, I was so happy because I absolutely believed in the concept. This was the first time I had thoughts that there would be an issue 02.
Magazine favorite(s) that inspired you in your career.
My local 'Gazette' magazine is a constant inspiration. It's full of little bits of news about the local community.
Do you keep old copies of magazines? If so, what is your favorite in your collection?
Yes I do and I like all of them or I wouldn't have kept them. I do have a fondness for a magazine about cats called 'Catholic' it accompanied an art show in New York in 2003.
How many magazines do you buy / get / read each month? Do you qualify yourself a maniac?
I struggle with magazines as I find that they don’t relate to my life and I am not that unusual.
We are compiling answers from some of the most innovative magazine makers around the world today. Who else should we ask?
Should I know the answer to this?
Publisher
Karen Lubbock
- 2040
- 5180
- 2482
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