Uppercase 54 July August September 2022

Dear Reader,

In this issue, I’m thinking… about thinking. 

Creativity is expressed through our body. We can use our voices to sing, our limbs to dance and our hands to make. But the impulse to make—and to determine how, what and why it shall be—comes from our head. Our mind, with all its complex thoughts and emotions and lifetime of knowledge, directs us. 

Through painting, drawing, stitching, sculpting and crafting, we make ideas real. And though sometimes those ideas can be concrete and representational, we can also express the more nebulous notions. We can break free from traditional constructs and explore colour, form, mood, memory and more.

Abstract thinking can help us discover meaning and uncover relationships. We can understand deeper parts of ourselves and others. Thinking abstractly can help us solve problems without obvious solutions. We can make physical representations and renderings of concepts that have never existed before. 

The stories in this issue may explore the abstract, but its embodiment is most definitely beautiful and inspiring to behold.

-Janine Vangool
publisher / editor / designer