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A GOOD THING 

Toronto photographer, Jacqueline Ashton's new zine

July 2019

Collective Culture - How did you come up with the title, A Good Thing?

Jacqueline - This title was temporary for a while because I wasn’t fully set on it until I recognized that this whole zine and why I decided to make it was for me. Nobody forced me to, paid me to, or asked me to. So I felt that it was a good thing for myself, my creativity and my mindset to create this therefore, it’s truly a good thing!

CC - What is the zine about? 

J - The zine was inspired by my Jamaican background and became more about my acceptance with life, how people come and go, human connections and the impact we have on each other and with this earth. It’s a little existential and touches on my realities as a young female person of colour going through my journey in this life. I think it feels like a diary, because I’ve never really shared my writing before. This is what I want to share, tiny parts of my diary - the juicy parts I keep for myself.  

CC - What inspired you to make it? 

J - I originally wanted to create a zine inspired by my father who passed away a year ago at the end of June last year. Overtime, the zine started to take its shape. It became less about my father as a person and more about myself and how he is a part of me everyday. He’s in my heart, in my skin, in my eyes, in my smile, my energy and a part of me always. My dad actually gave me my first camera that I used to take each portrait in the zine. A few months ago I reached out to Grayson James who has his own publishing company called Successful Press and he was eager to work with me and here it is now.

CC -  Where can people buy it? 

J -  The zine can be purchased online on Successful Press’s website.

CC - Are you working on anything else coming out soon? 

JA -  Right now I’ve been focusing on myself and this zine, enjoying summer and taking it day by day. I have some goals I’m working towards which I hope to share in the near future.

Follow Jacqueline on Instagram and check out her website to see more of her work! 

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