New Frontiers
2023
New Frontiers is a fictional magazine, conceived during my electives course Editorial Writing and Digital Content at Copenhagen School of Design & Technology. The magazine served as a creative playground. One small caveat: publishing plain text wasn't allowed.
Inspired by the Backslash Edges 2023 Report, we picked out Mind Maintenance to be our theme.
In order for us to focus on writing some good stuff, we weren't allowed to deviate from the brand guidelines: two primary colours, four brand colours, one typeface, one logo.
● Editorial Writing ● Transmedia Storytelling
Mind maintenance. A heavy subject indeed. As my angle, I decided to proceed with escapism. I let my inner child come alive, through a tongue-in-cheek, lighthearted, and humerous take on the theme.
Knowing many people seek refuge in bathrooms (myself included), no matter the social setting, we usually bring our phones. Introducing a little noise to this auto-pilot pattern seemed like a fun idea.
My pitch for this piece goes as follow: Sometimes, the bathroom is the only place where we can truly relax. Yet, we bring our phones with us. We scroll like there's no tomorrow. We stay available for everyone but ourselves; wake up your inner child, and allow your imagination to soar.
Happy to get that out of my system. Pun intended. Next up, I decided to write a critical-ish think piece, speaking into why we feel the need to escape reality now and then. I dove head-first into an ocean of escapism, imaginative writing, metaphors, and similes.
Casually browsing the Merriam-Webster dictionary, as you do, I stumbled upon the following definition of escapism: “habitual diversion of the mind to purely imaginative activity or entertainment as an escape from reality or routine”. Until recently, I imagined escapism to be avoidance dressed nicely; nevertheless, it seems that escapism equates to deliberately painting outside the lines, simply because it’s pleasing.
I dove head-first into the cool and serene ocean of escapism. Here, I understood there to be two sides of the same coin: Escapism and Avoidance, also known as: Pull and Push; Active and Passive; Deliberate and Compulsive. Looking into both concepts, however, doesn’t explain where our need to escape reality stems from. So, what are we trying to escape and why?
Nothing but the ideal is good enough. We struggle to meet our own unrealistic expectations. For instance, after countless hours of wrestling my inner critic, unable to find the perfect example of paralyzing perfectionism, I surrendered. Only then, with a defeated look on my face, was I able to recognize the perfect example emerging before my eyes; I only had to look in the mirror.
We pursue the ideal life, like wide-eyed lizards frantically looking for noonday rocks on a warm summer day. Ironically, while pursuing the ideal life we forget to live. Instead, we drown in duties. We become walking to-do lists. We forget how to have fun. The illusion of the ideal is the ideal illusion; never realized, but ever evolving; like sailing up a creek without a paddle. How might we regain control?
Just like we should apply sunscreen to our faces, even on cloudy days, I believe we need to apply a little escapism to our lives too. We need to initiate dream-nourishing activities on purpose, rather than partake in mind-numbing activities out of compulsion. Dose your escapism right and you may just start living again.
Now, I had to find an appropriate platform for my writing. And it seemed inevitable. That sunscreen reference... I present to you: the instant relief Escapism Facial Moisturizer. Rejuvenating, nourishing, soothing.
