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HannahKCA’s zines are cute, personal anecdotes on growing up

by Rogin Losa

Growth is a constant theme in HannahKCA’s zines, ranging from “personal to something mundane.” But whether she’s aware of it or not, her works either give off coming-of-age nostalgia or reassurance that they’re doing “adulting” just fine.

This all-around creative found her love for zines in UP Los Banos (UPLB) where she released her first zine self-care ish, a personal guide book for the burnout generation, at last year’s Zine Orgy 666.

“I love that zines can be anything. I love everyone can do it.”

Diving into UPLB’s rich zine culture, she self-published zines laced with poignant thoughts and an art style dwelling in the naive. Expect her thoughts on emotional vulnerability, menstrual health, and her life as an iska in UPLB. It’s cute, it’s emotional, it’s personal, it’s in pink—it’s simply HannahKCA.

Would you say you have a signature style or is change a constant in your works?
Right now, I enjoy doing and experimenting with different styles. If you check my Instagram, it looks cluttered, but the touch of pink is consistent. I love pink, so its present in everything I create.

What makes zine-making different from other art forms you practice?
You have the freedom and creative control over what you want to put out. You get to be the author, designer, and publisher of your own work. It doesn’t need to be professionally made, too. You could distribute it by just photocopying it. Also, It’s not limited to print, it can be a website or anywhere else. I love that it can be anything. I love everyone can do it.

You definitely try to push the envelope on what zines can be. Could you tell us about your matchbox zine Open Up?
I just wanted to make something different and really cute and tiny. That’s how I come up with my Open Up matchbox zine. Since I was a kid, I’ve liked making crafty and DIY things. I was able to do it again in this one.

What was it like developing your zines in UPLB’s rich zine culture?
I first encountered zines in Elbikon, an annual comic convention by the Graphic Literature Guild in UPLB. Artists exhibit and sell their comics, zines, stickers, etc. In 2017, I became an artist exhibitor there. I was only producing stickers, photographs, and art prints back then.

I came to a point where I didn’t want to sell stickers and prints only. I wanted to create something more and Zine Orgy inspired and motivated me to start making zines. I released my first zine self care-ish at Zine Orgy 666 and my second zine Tahanan ng mga Ampon Ni Maria (collab with Jasmine Adornado) at Zine Orgy 7.

What zine do you love the most so far?
I still love self care-ish. When I created it, I was emotionally stable enough to share my self-care practices. It also serves as a reminder whenever I get neglectful with myself.

Since this dealt with self-care, I made it a pay-what-you-can zine. I want to share and somehow help people in my own little way. I didn’t want to gain profit from it.

Do you create zines to make a statement or to make your inner thoughts tangible?
I think both. In Open Up, my thoughts and feelings were put into it. But in Oh My Gush, I collaborated with Kim Esguerra to make a zine on normalizing menstruation, which remains a taboo subject. In our own way, we want to raise awareness and aid in ending period stigmas.

Do you think young artists should take themselves seriously or is this time for them to just chill and explore?
Go for what they feel most comfortable.

This story is part of our #SeenOnScout series, which puts the spotlight on young creatives and their body of work. Hannah and many other creatives shared their work at our own community hub at Scout Family and Friends. Join the Scout Family & Friends Facebook group right here, and share your work with us in the group or through using #SeenOnScout on Twitter and Instagram.