Why I started this Magazine
Print is NOT Dead - Volume 4
Hello Everyone! My name is Bentley. I thought I would introduce myself, as since the last newsletter we have over 100 new faces (emails) who have subscribed. I am the founder and editor of a new adventure magazine called Revelry Collection. I am also a storyteller, adventure lover, and a taker of the road less traveled.
Now that we got the formalities out of the way. I want to welcome you to the fourth volume of a mini-series called “Print is NOT Dead.” In this series I will be showing you guys the behind the scenes of creating a magazine. Today we are going be looking at the WHY behind starting the Revelry Collection magazine. I think you’re gonna like the answer.
Creating a magazine is simply the hardest thing I have ever done. From the writing, to the design, to the printing, and the hundreds of logistics. It has been way bigger of an undertaking than I could have imagined. You might be asking yourself, “Then why do you do it?” Thats a great question, I think it goes back to when I was 14 years old. My life completely changed, that is when I had my first real adventure. See it went a little something like this.
School ended, summer began and my family got a motorhome. At the time we were living in Washington State, so we drove the six hours to Missoula, Montana to pick up the RV. Then we embarked on a journey that forever changed my life. I got to see the Wild West for the first time, the towering snowcapped peaks, the open road, the feeling of freedom in my bones. It was something I never knew I needed, but now that I had it, I never wanted to let go. During that summer we drove around the west, going to the top of Montana, down to the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, and all the way to Wyoming’s Tetons. I had a chance to swim in glacial lakes, fish in the warm summer sun, and hike in the cool forests. It was an experience of travel and exploration that rocked my world.
That is why I started this magazine, to showcase the freedom of life. The freedom that this great country called America has. I mean what a blessing it is to be free. Think about that, you are free, you have freedom, a lot of people can’t say that. This is a magazine that embraces that freedom. It is a destination that offers creatives a place to share their adventures, travels, people they meet, life lessons, etc… We are here to provide you, our readers, with the best storytelling we possibly can.
Freedom looks different for different people, for some its standing on top of a 10,000 foot peak in the mountains and for others freedom is found while kayaking in their local river. We are a magazine for all you people that love adventure and the freedom that comes with it. But with great freedom comes great responsibility, and that is why we are on a mission to create magazine that puts the reader first. We are responsible to you guys, our readers. In this magazine, we are going to share stories that will make you a laugh a little, make you think a little longer, and maybe even make you cry. These stories are here to inspire you to go take your own adventures.
The magazine is a reflection of our readers and contributors. I am the proud editor of my magazine, but each story is going to showcase a different writer/photographer. I want the storytellers voice to come through, some magazines make everything fit a certain mold. They say, “Your voice has to sound like this, you can only have 1,000 words, these photos don’t work, they’re not perfect.” Not us we embrace other people’s voices, and we provide a large canvas for creatives to share their stories. We give these stories the space and time to transform into something that not only moves the eyes, but moves the heart.
And lastly I started this magazine because I believe that this small independent magazine can inspire and empower others in this big world we live in. I do it because of the flicker of joy people get from seeing these adventures and experiences come to life on the page. I do it as much for the 27 year old reading this as I do for the 7 year old and even the 70 year old. I do it because I love adventure too, and I think the world needs more of it. Thats why I created this magazine.
When you join this magazine, you are joining a community. A community of people who have your back and who love adventure as much as you. Like I have said, this magazine is not for everyone. But if it is for you, then I am excited to have you here.
Well there you have it folks, a look into why on earth did I start the Revelry Collection magazine. I think I have a pretty good reason for doing so. I will be back next week, where I will announce the launch date of the magazine (It’s closer than you think.) See you out there.
Signing off, Bentley Zylstra
Really excited to see where this project goes
Yeah this is sick!!! Love it!