The Little Things: A Free, Online Zine-making Workshop

As part of Dark ‘n’ Light’s third anniversary celebrations, we had the pleasure of hosting The Little Things, an online interactive zine-making workshop, facilitated skilfully by Riya and Devashree, the incredibly creative duo who run Zinedabaad Collective. On 25th May, 2024, we explored the little things that make us feel connected–to ourselves, to other humans and non-humans, to nature and the spiritual world. From sharks to trees to bookstores, there were numerous wonderful threads that emerged through facilitated and ‘unruly’ creative processes.

What is a zine? Simply put, a zine is a DIY booklet made for love, not profit, and anyone can make one! It’s a non-commercial, small-circulation, self-published booklet. Zines are widely made by and within communities marginalised by traditional publishing, media or dominant social discourses. As a form, they are expansive; because there is no authority to tell you what you can or cannot say.

The workshop: The two hours flew by, with new and old zine-makers exploring this fun and accessible avenue for creative expression, delving deeper into their own lives and sharing generously of their thoughts, creations and discoveries. Each participant made an 8-page mini-zine about the little things that foster our sense of connection, facilitated by art-based and interactive prompts to explore this theme in different ways. We also learnt about the social and political history of this medium, all while having fun! 

We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our third anniversary. We had a full house. Thank you for the overwhelming response. We look forward to hosting more workshops both by Zinedabaad Collective and on other subjects to create more shared spaces. Thank you to everyone for co-creating a space of such creativity, vulnerability, and community.