A new publication called Swell Magazine is coming this summer with a collection of creative art from a multitude of freelance creators. Swell is a passion project of Emily Rippe Desmond, Laura Upton and their collaborators at Social B. Creative.
Social B. Creative is Desmond’s freelance digital agency that connects artists with people who are looking for different creative work. Desmond started the agency in 2011 after working in marketing for several years. She felt pigeonholed creatively in corporate marketing and wanted to find a way to help people who felt the same way.
Desmond started this project in 2020 and hoped to publish within the year but faced some setbacks with the outbreak of COVID-19. She wanted to carry the bee imagery of Social B. Creative to the magazine and was originally going to name it ‘sting’ but as the project grew Desmond decided to change it. Over the past four years, the “project has ‘swelled’ into something bigger,” Desmond said.
The project is meant to be a way for creative minds to share their work and express themselves. The network of contributors spans from around the world, from the East Coast to the West Coast and even Australia.
The theme for this edition is “Contagious” inspired by the pandemic. The magazine features artwork created during the pandemic and artists’ interpretations of contagious.
The magazine entices all five senses creating an immersive experience for readers. “Most people just read a magazine I want you to read it, smell it, taste it, hear it and feel it,” Desmond said.
The 76 pages of the magazine will include writing, play scripts, recipes, recipes, photos, collages, jewelry, songs, poems and even a signature fragrance. Social B. Creative also receives and creates a lot of video content which will be accessible with QR codes throughout the magazine. There will be music videos, commercials, short films and songs to enhance the experience of the magazine.
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The magazine is almost entirely female and nonbinary run and works to feature artists who historically have been silenced. The contributors of Swell promote various social justice, public health, and civil rights issues throughout the magazine.
A release party is being hosted on The Attic’s downstairs patio on July 14 from 4 pm to 8 pm. They will be serving bee-themed cocktails and mocktails with samplers of the new menu at Manos. The 200 copies that are being printed will be there for people to look at and bring home.
The patio will be decorated to resemble the magazine so that attendees will feel as though they are stepping into the pages. There will also be live music, readings and performances from the artists featured in the magazine. A live painter will also be in attendance to paint the scene.
The models from the magazine photoshoot will also be dressed in the outfits shown in the magazine. The clothes are borrowed from Alan Dow at House of Dow, they also used Dow’s Airbnb as the setting for the photoshoot.
Desmond is hoping to publish Swell Magazine annually. They are still looking for donations to help publish their first edition through their GoFundMe.
For more information visit swell.socialbcreative.com and to donate go to gofundme.com.
