Without Deviation from the norm, there is no progress

Frank Zappa

Great words from Frank there, of course quotes are best not to be taken literally, especially when we now live in an age of alternative facts when notions of progress  include reverting to the historical / hysterical  rhetoric of empires past.    ….. But lets not quibble about a cultural comment made in 1971 because  as quotes go its pretty good and fits in with the Deviation Street DIY ethos.

 

 The term Deviation tends to get reduced  down to some thing that is negative   .. We are told from an early age not to deviate from the path, the program or the norm, perhaps for good reasons or perhaps just out of habit or because its inconvenient, context is everything and deviating doesn’t make you a deviant.  Just saying  .

Anyway,  I am going to assume that you know what I am on about and say welcome to the 1st Deviation Street blog. Over the last few  months  as one of the founders of Deviation Street I have been on numerous webinars offering help and advice on how to set up a start up, which this is now, as we have an online shop/store https://deviationstreetmagazine.com/shop/  Only a few items  at present  but it’s the quality that counts  and also we want to develop what we are doing step by step getting it right, finding our own way taking our own path enjoying and believing in it and remaining  “authentic” throughout.

 

Having worked in the community/third sector for a number of years prior to this venture I am well aware of that life is not some smart /clean website. We feature Image Sound and Word related material across the creative spectrum.  Self-taught or academically approved what matters to us is context and content. Clueless and cultured, the two are certainly not incompatible in my book,  there are plenty of anecdotes out there about embracing mistakes and the joys of misadventure. Personally I take these with a pinch of salt as they tend to be the kind of statements trotted out by the worried well when the stuff of life kicks you in the guts and leaves you flat on the floor. Yeah failure is your next step to success  ..thanks a lot… ..

“The quality of the content is not determined by the section it sits in the bookstore.”

Christine Riccio

Having said that we launched this site on 10  /10 /2020  having decided to put on hold the printed version , which had evolved from a 64 staple bound zine into a full colour perfect bound magazine before settling into a16 page broadsheet .. it was happening but also developing slowly into a profitless biannual. The support  that we had been given up to that point was fantastic, from words advice and encouragement to practical solutions to problems encountered along the way.  Back in  May (it seems so long ago ) the decision was made to focus on developing a website and keep the thing going with an online store. So yes  Frank without  deviation we would not have made progress. What is amazing is that it’s our own  progress, going about things in our own ramshackle off kilter way) finding our feet, falling and laughing, deviating, dreaming,  talking to artists musicians  and writers sharing thoughts and ideas , hearing new bands such as The Psychotic  Monkeys one day and listening to the beautiful songs of Martin Stephenson or the divine piano pieces by Jimmy Galvin’s . Different but not worlds apart, from the community crochet work of New York Artist Carmen Paulino to the deeply personal drawings of Colin Hambrook (see insert )  there is something wonderful about the length breadth and width of creative spectrum.   

Brian Gibson December 2020

So welcome to Deviation Street

If you want to leave comments ,give advice , share your skills or your work contact us via deviationstreet101@gmail.com 

Love Your Street