Per aspera ad astra

You know the story of Alice in Wonderland.
The red queen has to run faster and faster to keep still where she is. That is exactly what you are doing. Running faster and faster. But you are not moving anywhere.

U. G. Krishnamurti

The fact that few people are given a chance on a sliver plate has brought me in my life to make that chance happen by myself: from curating, to running a gallery, to establishing a magazine.

In my opinion ArtSEEN is "fuller" than other art magazines, because although it may have fewer pages, it's full to the brim of lengthy articles which provoke thought - as opposed to shorter descriptive articles that spell out what you ought to think.
As it is my opinion that the majority of the public does not wish tothink, as it is used to being spoon-fed, and told what to think from a very early age on.

The Art of Thinking is dead? Long live the Art of Thinking!

ArtSEEN journal differs from other art magazines also in the fact that it doesn't have ads printed in it, which usually account for some 70% of pages in other magazines: I am talking of Flash Art, of Art Forum etc. The "alternatives" such as Cabinet are again, different from ArtSEEN in the fact that they a) have money, b) have been around for a longer time.

We're new on the market, in a niche market, and in a niche of the niche market.
We don't have financial backing, nor do we have "fame" backing (i.e. none of us is a "famous" artist/curator/critic who thus has the "right" to establish a magazine “prestige”), we only have our will to try, our belief in creativity, art, and artists, quality, and in ourselves to go on with. Which, I notice, is alike the "American Dream" but it seems that nobody appreciates the hard work any more.

The fact remains that ArtSEEN does get a lot of positive feedback, does get a lot of "congratulations" from all over the world, and we get a big pat on the back for doing a great job, for standing up forwhat we believe in, for being brave and daring: yet the support is mainly verbal.

How long does it take for a project to get established? When is the right time to say "that's the end"? And who's to know whether the "next corner" holds the Big Break? It's a trial, and I don't know how the story unwinds. I wish to be very careful indeed, and not lose any chances that may be there. Which means, all that we can do to improve ArtSEENs standing this year, will be done.

Per aspera ad astra –it’s a thorny situation to get to the stars.