Best magazines about work, creativity and entrepreneurship
Are you starting a new creative project this year? We know how hard it can be to turn the optimism into something tangible, so for the first roundup of 2018 we’re presenting 10 independent magazines that tell stories of work, creativity and entrepreneurship. They tend to cover businesses that are doing things differently, speaking to individuals who are carving out a new way of working and gaining greater freedom in their varied, diverse lifestyle. Read on for our selection — we hope it gives you the inspiration and motivation you are looking for.
Lecture in Progress
Design website It’s Nice That was born out of a student project hoping to talk about creative work in a positive, affirmative way. It has always been a big supporter of students, showcasing their work through an annual ‘The Graduates’ program. So it makes sense that the founders created Lecture in Progress, an editorial platform and directory providing insight into the creative industry, in order to inspire and inform the next generation of talent. They also produce this broadsheet magazine, which is perfect for on-the-shelf inspiration. lectureinprogress.com
Ethos
Published out of Liverpool, Ethos wants to champion socially-minded, responsible organisations. From sustainable restaurants to innovative apps, the small-format quarterly journal highlights progressive startups, non-profits and social enterprises, with the hope to offer an insight into how any business could be changed for the better. ethos-magazine.com
Courier
Beginning as a free foldout, Courier has now grown into a 100-page publication with a circulation of 80,000. Reporting on startup culture and modern businesses, it taps into a generational shift in the attitude towards work, from those who measure success monetarily, to a younger crowd where the ultimate goals are self-satisfaction and having a sense of freedom in the way they’re leading their lives. couriermedia.co
Offscreen
As we become ever more reliant on technology, Offscreen magazine is here to remind us to ask critical questions about how the tech industry is shaping us. Providing a ‘human voice’ in tech, it is a slow, thoughtful counterbalance to the fast-paced, buzzword heavy tech media, examining innovative ideas through human stories. offscreenmag.com
Lagom
Named after the Swedish word for ‘having just the right amount’, Lagom speaks to individuals who manage to balance work and leisure while making a living from their passions. Based out of Bristol, it is a showcase of creative businesses and the talented thinkers behind them. readlagom.com
Intern
With an emphatic name like Intern, this magazine assertively champions young, creative talent. They believe in the necessity of an ongoing debate about internships, and want to be the platform where a wide range of unbiased and honest discussions on work experience take place. Though they haven’t published in a while, they continue to show the inventive work of young creatives through takeovers on their Instagram, and we’re eagerly awaiting news of a new print issue. intern-mag.com
Backstage Talks
Created under the backdrop of By Design Conf — a fantastic design conference in Slovakia — Backstage Talks records casual conversations with the speakers when they’re off the stage. Past issues have featured Malika Favre and Debbie Millman, offering a wonderful insight into their lives as designers, and asking questions on how they balance their craft with pleasing clients and running a sustainable business. backstagetalks.com
Woven
Driven by the idea that creativity should have more weight than consumption, and that people should be prioritised over products, Woven is a magazine about makers and thinkers. It is filled with interviews about creative processes, balancing the professional life with the personal life, and how to work in a deep and meaningful way. wovenmagazine.com
A.R.T.S.Y. Magazine
Documenting the new generation’s entrepreneurship through the arts, A.R.T.S.Y. takes its acronym from art, rebel, trends, style, and youth. It reports on young creatives who are finding success through unconventional formats, musicians, fashion designers, and underground artists, who are bypassing label owners, art agents and traditional gatekeepers, and taking their creations straight to their audience through the internet. artsymagazine.com
Ditto
A fresh arrival to our desks, Ditto was created by a writer and a print factory owner. An exhibition of their mutual appreciation for creating things from scratch, it visits photography studios, printmaking hubs, wood carving workshops, and more maker-spaces, chatting to those who find joy in creating with their bare hands. dittomagazine.co.uk
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