Hello, Isa Magazine Community!
First thing’s first: My name is Ann Villegas and I am the Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Isa Magazine. It feels unreal to be writing this whole introduction down. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be where I am today: out of my full-time job and running my own online magazine instead. I’ve always been a person who played it safe. Coming from a Filipino family, I was taught that to survive, I needed to be independent. From juggling multiple part-time jobs on top of school, to working a full-time job in my career, I always made sure that the jobs I had gave me the security I thought I needed. Basically, I had no choice but to work for someone else in order for me to keep the pay-cheques consistent. However, after a year of graduating school and working full-time, I realized that working for others is not for me.
Mind you, I am truly grateful for all my job experiences. I learned a lot from them, the good and the bad. But nothing is more rewarding than working for myself. This is where Isa Magazine came to be born. Essentially, all the negative experiences I've experienced inspired me to pursue this passion project.
I’m also going to be 100% real with you, this idea to launch my magazine stemmed from my own frustration. As a creative in the media industry, especially as a freelance writer, I rely on many publications to publish and showcase my work. However on June 5th 2020 at 3 A.M. (yes, I remember this revolutionary moment), I decided for myself that enough was enough. I was going to do things my own way. To clarify, I was going through a lot of doubt for weeks at this point as I was waiting for a certain unnamed publication to publish one of my articles. All was well from the get-go. “It’ll be up next week” they said, okay great. Then “next week” came along, and nothing. I followed up, and nothing again. For any creative who's had to deal with this pain of back-and-forth communication, or experienced similar rejections, I feel for you! It’s a truly self-deprecating process.
As I said, enough was enough – it’s time for me to create my own opportunities. Why wait for someone else, right? Especially if it’s an idea that you can successfully manage yourself. That’s what sparked it all – a personal epiphany.
But what really drove Isa Magazine to fruition was my desire to solve a bigger problem. To fill in the gap of the lack of diversity representation in the media beyond the trendy campaigns. Yes, you may see this sudden surge of diversity in the marketing aspect and in the mainstream campaigns, but the real question still stands: do BIPOC individuals actually work behind the scenes? Are they a part of the working team? Do they hold a role in the senior and leadership levels? Do their ideas matter? These are the questions I care about and want answers to. It doesn’t matter to me if I see all this demand for content by BIPOC creators which is obviously incredible, but it needs to dig deeper than that. I want to see equity, inclusion and diversity reflected within the workplace in these small and big companies. In fact, a study done by Race Relations In Canada in 2019, conducted by Environics Institute For Survey Research, found that:
One in five racialized Canadians experiences discrimination regularly or from time to time.
38% of these respondents experienced racial discrimination in the workplace, and 29% of them said it happened at school or university.
These numbers may come to a shock for many of you, but it does not to me as I’ve personally witnessed and experienced these myself. You have to remember, it’s not just the vulgar words or statements that are being said aloud that counts as racist. It’s the subtle insults, microaggressions, unconscious bias and overall an uncomfortable work culture. You’re even lower on the spectrum if you’re a BIPOC women. You may experience racial and gender bias simultaneously. For a racialized person to experience this their whole life, it adds up. It gets to you, and it does a huge load on your self-confidence. The amount of barriers that a racialized person has to experience to get to where they want to be is simply unacceptable. There is so much work to be done.
This is why Isa Magazine is so crucial for me to start. On top of my work of wanting to be a better ally, and to become a better person overall, I see Isa Magazine as a platform to offer solutions. My aim is to work with and amplify the marginalized voices of BIPOC youth and young women through shared stories and art. Before anything, I’m a writer and a learner, and I’ve always found this creative outlet of mine to be so healing. I know I’m not alone on that fact, so why not put the two together: Make art while challenging an oppressive system and servicing myself to the social impact space. Matika Wilbur, one of two respective hosts of the All My Relations podcast, said this in an episode: “Representation is not the answer to all things, but it’s what I can do. And as a photographer and an educator, this is how I contribute, because I do think it matters.” I agree with her statement. There’s no such thing as “too small of an action.” Anything you do counts and it does make a difference in the world, if not, then certainly in yourself, in your circle and in your local community. You have to start somewhere.
Although this project came out of pure frustration, I’m so thankful for it because great reflective work did come out of these negative feelings. Without this burning desire in me, I don’t think I could’ve ever brought myself out of my comfort zone to pursue the unpredictable gig of full-time entrepreneurship. This is just the beginning. I have high hopes and dreams for this journey. I hope to take you along with me in the highs and in the lows. Isa’s purpose is to (and always) provide a safe platform for all creatives who need a starting point or who are looking to join a bright and inclusive community. Systemic racism is real, and it affects racialized persons everywhere. My commitment as the Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Isa Magazine is to amplify, listen and learn from each and every unique voice of all contributors who will share their stories and art with us. Diversity matters and you deserve to fill this space, more than you know.
On a final note, I want to encourage all my readers to advocate for yourself. No one can speak or do you better than you. 2020 has been such a devastating year for so many reasons, and yet this year has also held such a special place in my heart. It was a year of self-discovery, realizing my own worth and the value that I carry into this world. Of course, this was the year Isa Magazine was born. This passion project of mine took so much out of me – sweat, tears and a lot of brain work – but it’s all rewarding work. And I couldn't have done it without the love and support from these four amazing people in my life: Ian (my partner, my confidant and investor) and my wonderful masthead/best of friends, Claire, Mariah and Jamie– thank you. Your work does not go unnoticed and I appreciate every fiber of each one of you. And to all the artists I’ve worked with thus far, thank you for making my vision come to life! Most of all, a huge shout out goes to all of the current contributors for sharing their talent and personal stories exclusively for the Isa community. You can check out the recent articles here.
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I do appreciate all the feedback, and would love to hear from you, what you think, and what’d you’d like to see in the future, email me at ann@isamagazine.com. Follow @isamagazinee on our social media platforms. This is a community-driven magazine. Although submissions are currently closed until further notice, do stay updated on our website and social media accounts for upcoming content and announcements! I cannot wait to see what you talented beings have in store for Isa! Tag us at #WeAreIsa so we can share your work on our social media pages. Information on submissions and guidelines are here!
