Benevolent Flow Issue 2
Hi,
Issue 2 of the Benevolent Flow magazine is finally here! I wanted to take the time to share some of its content, the process it took, and how much it means to me for it to finally be available for you guys!
After the first issue, I wanted to really step things up for the next issue. I learned new programs, took different approaches, experienced new things. Early on I thought it’d be a cool idea to, sort of, vlog the process and journey of creating the second issue. Hence, the video linked at the bottom of the page. I was supposed to vlog the entire process but, life got in the way. I put the vlogging on the back-burner after a few months and a few big changes in my life. I spent a majority of my time after Issue 1’s release trying to navigate through an entirely new phase of my life.
I was able to find more meaning in what Benevolent Flow means. It’s beautiful to see that, like most things, it continues to develop and unravel into something more with each day.
Issue 2’s cover and contents are surrounded around the idea of “Balance.” For a majority of my life I believed you had to choose “one or the other” no matter what. If I were angry, I had to be just that. I’d hold on to the stiff, rigid, emotion for as long as possible. If I were happy, I had to be that and only that. I’d grasp at the warm, favorable emotion for as long as I possibly could. Even if I were neither of those things anymore. Not only did I hold this belief for my emotions, but rather my entire inner and outer world. When I was told I looked nice I’d remember what I wore, how I did my makeup, the way I styled my hair, and tried to carry that over for the following days. My hobbies were either all or nothing in taking of my energy. My spirituality was fixed and gave me little room for outliers in beliefs.
All of these were struggles with finding balance and accepting that there was such a thing as a “grey area” between black & white for a reason.
Magazine Cover Inspiration/Explained
I found my world stripped and flipped upside down the past year or so. I had no choice but to find balance in all aspects of my life in order to keep myself from running back to polar ends of familiarity. I had to find my balance in order to keep both spectrums of my mind from battling and tearing each other apart with every step I took. I had to integrate the two and embrace the beauty of duality. They had to become companions, but they had to also be okay on their own.
The two snakes spiraling upwards represent “good and bad”, “darkness and light”, “up and down”, etc. Opposites. Along my healing journey I learned about the “tale of two serpents.” The two serpents, although poles apart and opposing, loved one another. They found beauty in what the other was capable of BEING and embodying. Naturally. In a sense, you could say they completed one another. Two wholes of a soul, not two halves. Thr energies combined were wondrous. However, they were still vastly different and their relationship was antagonistic nonetheless. They were gong down different life paths, they had different beliefs, they had different morals, they WERE different. No matter how hard they tried to become one or walk the same path, it was proven impossible. They inevitably wound back up on their own routes. The belief though is that their love for one another kept them bound. They were compelled and committed to crossing paths. First they had to accept themselves, find whatever they needed to find on their personal journey. With each period of self growth and self realization, they’d meet again and connect somewhere in the middle. Each reunion awakened a greater understanding of not only one another, but themselves. The times they crossed paths served as catalysts to keep moving forward on their given path in order to come back even more complete and accepting.
Chakra colors
Each point of intersection is displayed as a main chakra point; starting at the base root chakra (red), leading up to the crown chakra (purple).
The Root chakra (red) - tackles ones basic needs, sense of security and safety. Rooted in the material world, the root chakra calls for grounding.
The Sacral chakra (orange) - tackles sexual expression/drive, physicality, pleasure. This chakra calls for self respect and social comfort.
The Solar Plexus chakra (yellow) - tackles self esteem, sense of power, determination to accomplish/work. This chakra calls for belief in ones ability and energy.
The Heart chakra (green) - tackles love, understanding, faith, forgiveness. This chakra calls for connecting and opening one’s heart space.
The Throat chakra (blue) - tackles expression, communication, and emotional regulation. This chakra calls for owning, accepting, and allowing one’s truth to flow.
The Third Eye chakra (indigo) - tackles intuition, manifestation, insight. This chakra calls for visualization and detachment from set beliefs.
The Crown chakra (violet) - tackles alignment, transformation, wholeness.This chakra calls for integration of body, mind, and spirit.
I chose a skeleton frame as a vessel to represent the duality of life and death. The sun and moon on opposing corners also represent duality, similar to the two serpents. They all served as important symbols for balance and acceptance of two worlds working together in their own way to complete the full picture of life. Without one, the other doesn’t exist. “As above, so below”. Your outer world is reflective of your inner world.
benevolent flow Issue 2:
116 pages
gloss cover
personal writings
insight on numbers/numerology
interviews with multiple creatives
Featured creators in magazine
Issue 2 contains extensive interviews with creators about their work, as well as lifestyle. Benevolent Flow wanted to create a more human approach to getting to know creatives, outside of just displaying their work.
Blaccmass (@blaccmass) - Produces and makes mixes/mashups of songs
Bleached Sun (@bleached_sun/@junosrocket + @shediedthere) - Hip Hop / Rap musicians
On The Arm (@onthearmlv/@m_nerdy) - Clothing store / brand
@eric.klx - Photographer for artists / shows
@lilpancho - Mixed media Illustrator
@fourth.hour - Clothing brand
@stephdza/@haughtysteph - Portrait Film Photographer
@57nico/@57nicooo - Portrait photographer
taken from introduction of magazine:
It’s easy to post or write about what seems “right”. It’s easy to post the “best” album or talk about current scandals circling artists. However, I want Benevolent Flow to be much more than that. The media is oversaturated with outlets that pin themselves to be correct. That isn’t me. Anything and everything I talk about is an opinion of mine. Music I appreciate, artists I support, advice I extend, are all things I believe in wholeheartedly for one reason or another but I do not impose any of my beliefs on anyone. I do not think that the things I say are fact. In spite of that, I want Benevolent Flow to be an open space for people. I’ve struggled with putting out content in fear of people coming to the conclusion that I believe what I’m writing is the be all end all. It is not. You are here to intake and receive whatever parts of Benevolent Flow resonate with you.
I’ve come to realize that in life everything truly is subjective. I used to argue for days on end about matters and situations I felt that I was in the right in. It isn’t until you completely, ardently disagree with someone that you truly come to understand there are an infinite amount of viewpoints, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and beliefs. There were definitely times in my life where I justifiably (through my own thought process) did things I believed in while others did not feel it was justifiable at all and vice versa. I became aware of every single thing in life being multi-faceted. If I’m able to strongly believe in one thing, another person is able to strongly believe in another. If I’m able to strongly disagree with one thing, another person is able to strongly disagree with something as well. If I feel one way about something, another person is able to feel oppositely. It’s a hard pill to swallow but in my own personal experience, recognizing this became something beautiful. The reason I love art so much is because it can be taken in, interpreted, and felt in a billion different ways. My happy song could be someone else’s sad song. A photograph can bring out emotions in me that the photographer may not have even realized. There’s a beauty in how different our emotions are. With that being said, we’re capable of relating to one another. I continue this journey with Benevolent Flow because at the end of the day, I believe in myself and I believe in others enough to carry on sharing life through connecting. I share parts of myself through this so that those who feel similarly, know that they aren’t alone. For those that don’t feel similarly, a window into the souls of others can help you see a different side of life and even yourself.
When I started this thing I inadvertently branded myself as Benevolent Flow. That was simply because I hadn’t really thought about how far I would take this, or even how much this would start to mean to me. As Benevolent Flow continues to grow, much like with anything else, it starts to extend to further places. It’s no longer a little blog simply showcasing opinions of mine on music. The direction I’ve decided to take with Benevolent Flow allows for it to provide a safe space. The interviews help teach me, can help you learn, and more importantly give each person interviewed an opportunity to tell their story. It’s interesting getting to know the people behind the work. We start to understand things on a completely different and new level when we learn more about a person. That’s why we as humans interact. We thrive off of connections; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I want to create knowledge of emotions, self, and love through the learning and sharing of experiences.
With that being said…
I AM NOT BENEVOLENT FLOW BUT BENEVOLENT FLOW IS A PART OF ME. BENEVOLENT FLOW IS PARTLY ME, AND PARTLY YOU.