Q&A: Jawbreaker
FOR THE BUDDING ARTIST - Jawbreaker taps into the plethora of creatives rising up and finding themselves. Highlighting talent both online and offline, Jawbreaker features an array of creative work, all creating a dreamy aesthetic you can’t seem to get enough of. With big goals and aspirations ahead, Jawbreaker continues to make their impact on the community and inspires many to just keep moving forward and to believe in their art. Currently working on their upcoming issue, Teen Kingdom, Jawbreaker has plenty of plans ahead, always allowing room for growth. Read below to learn more about their roots, advice on starting a zine and more.
LUNA: For those unfamiliar, can you please introduce Jawbreaker?
JAWBREAKER: That's such a hard question for some reason! Simply put, Jawbreaker is an art magazine made to feature artists in all of their glory! We do online and offline stuff. While I feel like Jawbreaker is constantly changing and having growing pains, we’ve adopted this as just being a part of our identity. Just like an actual Jawbreaker, our mag has many layers. Jawbreaker is a magazine that isn't just for artists that are super established or have a bunch of experience. I wanted to create a mag that was for artists who don’t know what their creative style is, who just want to make art, who don’t think their stuff is good enough (even though it is), who are still finding themselves, etc. Jawbreaker is for the budding artist.
LUNA: What ultimately lead to you creating Jawbreaker?
JAWBREAKER: This idea had been brewing for around four years, but the more direct events right before finally doing it were me having the worst time of my life. It was the winter of my senior year and I was stressed beyond belief - like the kind of stress that fucks up your skin for a year or the kind where you can't really remember that time. It was really because of college apps and falling behind. I won’t go into the dramatic details, but it wasn’t pretty. In January of 2019, after finally concluding that I was taking time off from school after graduating, I decided that 2019 would be my year. I was going to do what I wanted. I’d love to say that my acne cleared up, but that wasn’t the case. My mental health, however, got better almost instantly and a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders, which I guess is just as good.
Tldr; girl goes through it and just says “fuck it”
LUNA: I love the visual aesthetic on your Instagram - always such a vibe! What have you been inspired by lately?
JAWBREAKER: Thank you thank you! Our feed tends to change way too much just because what I like changes too much. One day I’m inspired by hyper feminism and another I’m inspired by gothic lolita fashion. It pretty much changes every day. Right now, I’ve been planning out the future visuals for Instagram and I’m noticing that it's very green which I can only guess is coming from the lack of being outside. Nature is always a huge inspiration though!
LUNA: How do you stay motivated in your creative endeavors?
JAWBREAKER: It’s really hard to! I get these huge bursts of creativity and I'll work for 9 straight hours (and even forget to eat ugh). I’ll do that for one or two weeks and then crash (and burn). 75% of the time, I’m in recovery. I’m getting better about this though! (Now, I’m down to 6 hours at a time….)
I tend to get a lot of inspiration by interacting with other creatives that inspire me! It helps that there’s always something new to try or learn! Weirdly, it feels reassuring that I’ll never be the best at it. Art is probably my greatest love; I want to be able to say I created everything I wanted to create….and I’d love to not die with regrets.
LUNA: What do you love about your audience?
JAWBREAKER: How interactive they are! A lot of our audience are people that have submitted something to us before! I love the blurry lines between reader and creator! They are also so inspiring and uplifting! I love how supportive they are! I’ve been able to get myself out of creative slumps because of it! Also, they are so cool!!! Their art is amazing and they work in so many mediums and have unique creative styles.
LUNA: Do you have any dream collaborations / features?
JAWBREAKER: Eventually, I want to work with Fever Dream Collective on an event! Working with some artists that I look up to would be great as well. Featuring artists I admire like Erika Kamano, Yuki Haze, Jheyda McGarrell, etc would be a dream come true! I also am looking forward to featuring more amazing POC creators (especially more that look like me!) I would LOVE to print something with another mag/another established creative project or even something with one artist.
LUNA: Why is it important to have a community for young creatives, including those that pursue the arts just for fun?
JAWBREAKER: I think in our society we focus too much on money and turning something you love into something that generates an income. While it's an amazing feeling to profit off of something that you enjoy, having a hobby is just as fulfilling. Something you can use to get away from the hardships of life is important!
Community is also something that only makes you grow! I watched a documentary recently and in it, there was a short mention of this huge group of creatives called the “Downtown 500” (literally 500 creatives, like what?). Basically, if you were a creative within this group and you wanted to work on a project but you didn’t have the skillset for something, you could reach out to someone who did! I love that idea and it's amazing to have peers who are interested in similar things as you and have a network of people you can work with.
LUNA: If you could share any piece of advice for those wanting to start a zine or creative project, what would you like to pass along?
JAWBREAKER: Literally, just do it! I wanted to make Jawbreaker for four years! I was thinking about the “what if’s” and how “unqualified'' I was, but as soon as it was fine! Sure there were bumps in the road, but you don’t want to live with regrets. This advice could go for literally anything. 2. “Don’t deprive the world of your perspective.” No one else can be who you are. I know it's cliche, but it's true! If you and another person have the same idea they won’t think of the exact thing you do. Also, side note, it's never too late to start! I seriously thought I was late to the game when I was 17/18 (dumb i know). Some people don’t even start going after their dreams until after retirement. I mean that’s cool and all, but do it now! I would always say I’m not experienced enough for this project, I’ll do it later. Don’t do that! Um, you can’t get experience unless you practice on something…*insert Shia Labouf’s “just do it” gif*
LUNA: In what ways would you like to see Jawbreaker expand?
JAWBREAKER: I want to do so much! I want to be able to focus more on print projects and have a team for the web and a team for print! Eventually, I want us to have a gallery/space in New York - a LONG way from now and could be a reach, but why not? I also have some smaller goals like being able to pay creatives for work with, throwing shows, start producing video content, have physical copies in stores, and start a podcast.
LUNA: How are you taking care of yourself during quarantine?
JAWBREAKER: Honestly, I’m kind of struggling. As a hardcore introvert, I forgot how much leaving the house affected my mental health. But to maintain my health, I’ve been working out in the morning and not beating myself up for not being productive. I’ve been trying my hardest to remind myself that there’s great value in rest, while also trying to keep on top of my stuff.
LUNA: Do you have any upcoming plans / goals you’d like to share?
JAWBREAKER: Currently, we are in the proofing stage of our upcoming issue, Teen Kingdom, and I could not be more excited! Plus, we’ve already started preparations for a bigger print project (think a coffee table book), collabs, and starting other side projects!
