There's a Season for Everything 🍃
Annemarie Chase joins our 25C lineup
It’s official: The Creator Mag Block Party will be Saturday, March 29 here in Chicago. We found a really dope venue, featuring an eighteenth-floor view of the city’s skyline, an outdoor patio with fire pits, and more.*
If you’re looking for a stale “networking” event—this isn’t for you. 50+ creators, creative friends, and good peoples will be celebrating our new edition of Creator Mag with…
live jazz and house music
a variety of interactive art and activities
light programming and guest speakers
food and drinks (fun drinks, too)
By the end of the night, you’ll leave with a) at least one piece of art b) feedback on a project you’re currently working on and c) a new friend or two.
You can learn more and RSVP here. And just note that the “ticket” cost is $25—the cost of purchasing a magazine. Along with covering your food and drinks, you’ll be one of the first people to receive your unique print edition of Creator Mag (IRL, at the Block Party).**
Alright, one last housekeeping note: We’ve had people mention that our blogs are appearing in the “Promotions” tab in their email inbox. If that’s happening to you, drop a reply or move this to your main inbox—either option should solve any deliverability issues!
We truly can’t wait to host you soon enough. On to today’s blog.
— NGL
P.S. Last blog, we revealed our next Creator Mag cover stars: John and Hank Green. You can read the intro to the cover story here.
Sponsored by Fourthwall
We Just Launched our Online Store…in Under an Hour
Okay, I might be exaggerating a bit there.
Still, in the weeks leading up to a new magazine launch, we’re…quite busy. Sometimes, when we’re heads-down in a sprint, it’s easy to forget that building a well-oiled shop is just as important as the creative itself.
I’ve used a lot of ecommerce websites over the years, and Fourthwall is definitely the most streamlined way to get an online store up-and-running. In one afternoon, we had:
A clean, easy-to-navigate webpage
Our first print Creator Mag available for purchase
An annual membership subscription
Plus, not only does Fourthwall handle the more complicated stuff, like offering multiple payment options for customers and generating custom terms of service—it’s also free from the jump.
Itching to launch your own brand? Get started on Fourthwall today.
Annemarie Allen (who goes by Annemarie Chase online) is a YouTube creator and vlogger from Anchorage, Alaska. By filming around her university campus as an undergrad, she became one of the pioneers of the “college vlogging” genre—and she’s evolved several times over as a creative since.
The following conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Nate Graber-Lipperman: Hey Annemarie! What was your biggest win of 2024?
Annemarie Allen: I think my biggest win was definitely setting a really strong foundation.
Last year was the first year that I really…what's the phrase I'm looking for? Like, building your house on a rock versus sand. Whether it's where I want to move, or my faith, or even my creativity. Or even finishing The Artist’s Way—I'm actually doing that this week.
I also got engaged. So even relationship-wise, I think that's a pretty good foundation.
NGL: That's a pretty big deal! Congratulations.
AA: Thank you thank you.
NGL: I know we were talking about this the other day, but this element of still remaining creative even when you're not, you know, crazy focused on YouTube output…how do you make space or find time to remain creative? Where have you found yourself in this paradigm?
AA: It's interesting. I've heard people be like, what is the thing that you do to procrastinate whenever you're supposed to be doing something else? That's the thing you should be doing.
I journal all the time. I mean, I've journaled throughout childhood, but I never had a consistent practice until I went to college. I took this class called “Creativity Workshop” that’s an occupational therapy class.
And they introduced The Artist’s Way and the Morning Pages. So I'm pretty much journaling every single day since. That is like my therapy and my meditative practice, but also just my guidance for the day. So I journal a lot and I’ve been writing a lot.
Yet I've never actually finished The Artist’s Way until this year. The book tells you to go back and read your Morning Pages, and I have been going back and that's been honestly so fascinating. And it's kind of crazy…like, I really admire you and your writing. That's kind of the most beautiful medium, because it's coming straight from your brain.
NGL: I sometimes wonder if what’s coming from my brain makes any sense to anyone.
AA: It does! Anyway, though, I actually do a ton of writing. It's just not something that I ever really share publicly. But sometimes I'll find gems in there. So that has been my most gratifying method of creativity, for sure.
You should do The Artist’s Way. I don't think you're creatively blocked, but I think you would get a lot from it.
NGL: You talk about writing a lot, but not for public consumption. And I feel like…just the way culturally, or how the Internet has turned everything into content and commerce, we’re not only pushed to create more and more.
But also, if you create it, it’s almost a sin to not put it out. It’s become rare to just create something for yourself and keep it tucked away.
AA: I'm a huge proponent of how Rick Rubin phrases it—the creative act is a creative way of living. Because I meet people and creators who feel like they have to tell a story to the point where they fabricate a story. And if you have to tell a fake story, you just don't live an interesting enough life, in my opinion. Unless you're writing fiction.
Like, if you're trying to pass it off as something that really happened, that's kind of sad to me. I think I actually live a very authentically creative, interesting life. Whether that's the people I interact with, or kind of everywhere I go or whatever thing I’m doing.
That kind of stuff all adds up. It's all going towards your overall quality of creativity. But I don't know—I think I would get sick of seeing myself constantly put out dumb stuff. I would rather just do that on my own time and in my journal than try to waste people's time.
NGL: My biggest learning coming into this year has been to lead an interesting life, but a boring lifestyle. Like, you talk about being grounded and anchored—it's kind of nice to not hop around too much.
I've hopped around a decent amount these last several years, and I’ve gained experiences that I think have influenced the way I see the world, and the stories I want to tell. But I want to be here and just doing the work, and building this creative neighborhood. Just keeping up that day-to-day routine.
AA: First of all, I love what you said…I'm gonna have to ask you for that quote. Or I guess maybe you could include it in the eventual blog [Editor’s note: I did].
This goes along with the idea that there's a season for everything, you know? So you can really appreciate the season that you're in. Whether it's the busy season of traveling, or meeting new people, or the season of winter—and you’re just staying in one place. You know, resting, or catching up on sleep, or settling into a new place and building your community.
It’s important to have gratitude for that season.
Thanks for reading! Shoot us a reply, comment, or DM if anything resonated with you in particular—we respond to them all.
* Shout-out to the homie RJ for hooking us up with this spot.
** If you already bought your copy…congrats! You’re invited.
If you haven’t, consider becoming a founding member of Creator Mag. You’ll receive all four print editions in 2025, early access to each Block Party, and other exclusive perks. Check it out here.