From Here: Issue 01 — What It Took to Get Here

The first issue of From Here is out 🎉

Here’s how it came together, messy bits and all…

Finding the format

I went through a few iterations before settling on the final format. My original idea was to print each photo separately and assemble them by hand into individual books, something closer to a photo collage. I loved the idea, but it wasn’t practical.

The cost was higher. The consistency was hard to control; some pages ended up with images tilted or off-center. To be honest, I didn’t mind the imperfections. I actually think they embody the handmade nature of it.

The real problem was time. Each book took so long to assemble that making all 15, one for each participant, would have taken a couple of months of evenings and weekends. I have a full-time job and this kind of thing happens alongside it, not instead of it!

After a couple of weeks of being stubborn and wrestling with it internally, I made peace with myself and decided to print the photos as part of the page. Given that this was a first attempt, I didn’t want to make perfect the enemy of good. I also felt it was important to get it out while participants still had a fresh memory of sending me their photos.

Trials, errors, and a very tired printer

Beyond the format, there were endless rounds of testing. Different paper types, printing methods, layouts, folding structures. For almost two weeks, my printer ran all day, every day. The only breaks it got were likely when I was eating or in meetings or sleeping.

Although it may not sound like it, this was honestly the most fun part! There’s a particular excitement in exploring possibilities, and a quiet joy in watching an idea gradually become something you can hold in your hands ❤️

Pulling it all together in five days

I really wanted to share the result and have the launch gathering before I traveled to Taiwan. That didn’t leave much time. I had about four or five days to prepare everything: 15 handmade books, a small brochure explaining the project, and a venue. The gathering is a crucial part of this project, so skipping it or postponing wasn’t an option.

What we saw

With photos from 15 people, we visually constructed the Amsterdam we live in. Some looked exactly like the classic canal streets you’d expect. We had lots of snowy scenes, as February brought quite a bit of snow to the Netherlands this year. There were sunsets, morning walks, sunny day strolls, night walks, rooftop moments. The exact fragments that make up our daily lives here in Amsterdam.

I was so happy to see the outcome. To talk about it with others. To watch people’s faces light up at someone else’s photo — not just recognizing the place, but resonating with the feeling behind it. We all live here, so we share that quiet understanding of what these scenes feel like. You know what a quiet canal at dusk feels like, or what the light looks like on a snowy morning. To watch them point at a photo and say, “Oh, I know exactly where that is!”

The second gathering

As soon as I came back from Taiwan, I organized another gathering with the folks who couldn’t make it last time. It was a smaller group than the previous one, and we sat together in a cozy dining room at the Thuis aan de Amstel restaurant. The format was the same: no agenda, just the zines and an open conversation. We had a lot more active discussion about the zine and what we could do in future issues. I loved their curiosity, I loved great ideas being sparked! Unfortunately, I forgot to take a group photo while we were having such a great time…

Closing thoughts

So many folks held the zine and told me how touched they were that I put each one together by hand — the time, the effort, the care. It was another confirmation of something I’d been sensing: there’s a kind of beauty and depth that simply can’t be transmitted through mass-produced, machine-trimmed, perfectly finished things. And not easily through digital, intangible forms either.

I also witnessed the quiet power of people sitting down together, face to face, with open minds. Warmth filling the space. Bright eyes, smiles, real curiosity, new ideas sparking off each other.

I don’t know exactly what this project will become, but I know I want to keep going. And I’m hopeful we can keep creating this kind of space, together!