Description:

It feels pretty universal that workplaces have been finding it harder to connect. Even though lockdowns and social distancing measures are in the rearview mirror (touch wood), working from home is becoming the norm as agencies look around the globe to fill vacant positions.

And the way we look at it, it’s a blessing and a curse. As team members, we’ve been liberated by the most flexible working arrangements we’ve seen in our careers. But as a team, it’s becoming really hard to get to know each other.

Which is what inspired this zine. We kicked things off in February 2022, when quarantines were easing and international travel finally felt viable again. We landed on a theme: ‘Homeward Bound’:

“The world is opening up again. With this edition of [agency zine], we wanted to celebrate our diverse agency that’s been brought together from all over the globe. ​​Knowing that we’d be able to head home this year, we wanted to see what that meant to everyone at [agency].”

A zine designed to connect co-workers required contributions from, well, the co-workers. We brainstormed different questions, prompts and stimulus that would encourage our team to share their perspective on home. The contributions were vast and varied: old family recipes, poetry and prose, stories of pubs, parks, pets and the past:

“The contributions we received showed that the meaning of home is different for all of us. It could be family or friends, a space, a feeling or even an action.”

But in the time leading up to the creation of our zine, we saw just how suddenly home could change. Ukraine was invaded, Australia flooded, and our privilege to have the comfort and reassurance of a safe home became apparent:

“Homes can break. Homes can burn, or wash away. Homes can become unsafe. But despite all of this, home remains. We can rediscover home in somewhere, something or someone else. We can rebuild. And for those of us that have the good fortune of a safe home, we can look to contribute to this healing where we can – through solidarity, compassion, and by sharing the comforts that we hold dear. “

While the context surrounding what we were creating had changed, the significance of our inspiration remained the same. We all have so much to be proud of, to hold dear and to share. And just because we’re moving further apart physically, doesn’t mean our connection to each, and the way we value the places we come together, other should be impacted:

“So while you peruse this edition of [agency zine], look homeward, and consider how lucky we are to have these memories, cultures and places to return to.”

(Quotes in this entry are taken directly from the introduction to our zine.)