Elena Fazzino, Garden Party
The third issue of photography magazine Garden Party had just been released, another collection of carefully curated stories based around a central theme, in this case Rituals.
The magazine captures life’s fleeting moments, focussing on slowing down and living with care and attention. It’s a very personal project for founder Elena Fazzino, who tells us, ‘I think the key thing I try to do is make everything, no matter what direction I send the audience in, whether that's the magazine, or to our Instagram or newsletter, I want them to always see something soothing.’
Elena explains more as she looks ahead at her week.
What are you doing this morning?
I woke up around 7:30am, went downstairs, made my three morning drinks consisting of a pint of water, black coffee and green juice (consumed in that order) and usually I go for a short walk, but today I was playing catch up and went straight to my emails. Because of my recent move to Boston, I wake up with a short squirt of anxiety as most people I speak to are back home in the UK.
Some mornings my inbox is busy and I feel in a rush to catch up, but most of the time it’s nothing urgent that can’t wait another 30 minutes. I might workout depending on the day and breakfast as of recently— two medium soft boiled eggs, a slice of olive sourdough topped with tomato—seasoned to the gods. On the side a kiwi and blueberries, and a few reels!
Describe your work environment.
I don’t have an office currently ( I have started to find myself daydreaming of one though) so I usually float between a few places. I usually gravitate towards the sofa or the kitchen table, during the summer I was in the garden every day and made the most of our big umbrella to shade my screen. I have discovered I need to sit somewhere with lots of light. So any window seat or sunny spot will do.
Issue three of Garden Party is about Rituals; describe a daily ritual you rely on.
I like to start my day the same way. I’m quite regimented and struggle to be pulled away from routine too much so I have a few steps in my morning routine I can pack up and take with me everywhere, whether I’m home, or travelling, and help to arrive at the day properly. I must start with water, a black coffee and fresh air. It’s small, doesn’t require any fancy gadgets, wakes all my senses and gets the wires sparking.
Which magazine do you first remember?
Girls’ Life, Seventeen, Teen Vogue, Girl Talk. I think Girl Talk was the most memorable where I was reading what felt like FBI insider knowledge about all my favourite celebs.
Aside from yours, what’s your favourite magazine/zine?
World of Interiors and Italy Segreta. The simplest explanation is that I love interior design, and I love Italy and Italian culture.
What other piece of media would you recommend?
Film/Movies. As a creative I sometimes crave to rewatch certain films, to either find a feeling, or wording and push my imagination and decisions. I think it’s one of my most valuable assets to switch off, but remain engaged.
Describe Garden Party in three words
Charming, Considered, Playful
Why did you choose the name Garden Party, and why does the cover design change every issue?
It was more the name that chose me. In my teens and early twenties I had a private instagram called ‘Garden Party’ and it felt like the place where I put all my current interests and obsessions, I had a tiny following and shared things I thought were interesting that I saw around in London, different design inspiration, the way things looked, details etc. I naturally arrived at this idea to turn this into a magazine. And since then I’ve refined its concept issue by issue.
The variation in cover is, as honest as I can be, down to me still figuring out our style. I’m trying to find a template I can stick with no matter how the creativity and image of the magazine grows. When creating issue three I looked back at the past two issues and knew that this issue had to be the one that really set our tone, the cover of issue one was a completely different magazine, and issue two was close but not on the money. And that’s just due to growing something on my own and working it out as I go along! But with issue three, I think we’ve finally found out a template that isn’t too loud, I can work into any issue, and still feels like a Garden Party.
Many magazines claim an interest in slowness; yours reflects this state really well. How do you achieve this?
When I’m creating work or reviewing submissions, my gut feeling knows if it’s right for the issue. I’m also very picky about everything, the paper, the layout, the flow of content. Every time I make a decision I’m always thinking of how this reflects the magazine and the kind of experience I want to create for our readers.
I’ve overdone things in the past, erratic designs, lots of layers—but they don’t fit the tone now. I think the key thing I try to do is make everything, no matter what direction I send the audience in, whether that's the magazine, or to our Instagram or newsletter, I want them to always see something soothing. Charm runs through our pages from the stories to the imagery. We write about real people and photograph real spaces, and we translate this through a lens that always links back to our hypothesis, which is how much detail can I go into, how can I talk about this in a way that feels narrative, and comforting, how can everything I produce make our reader take I deep breath and want to stay with us a little longer.
How do you collect the photography for each issue?
Currently we work with two models; open call and curation. The magazine features curated stories that I have personally reached out to discuss and collaborate on something with a little more direction. And that usually depends on what kind of story I want the magazine to have at its core. Then around that I send a very detailed brief out into the world and start receiving submissions to consider for print.
Highlight one story from issue three that sums up your ambitions for the project.
‘Portrait of a Baker’ was my first curated feature for our magazine. I really envisioned the issue taking place around the morning of a bread baker. It was one of the first decisions I made about issue three as I was thinking about who and what is behind our favourite rituals, and I kind of went on a spiral whilst eating a slice of toast thinking, who’s at the beginning of this, of this loaf. Of course there is no limit to that story as you can start with anything as small as a seed.
But it was more about who’s hands have helped me get to breakfast, my own sacred ritual. And how a baker wakes and works every morning, without anyone watching him, with no applause and little interaction. His ritual becomes mine. And that’s how Portrait of a Baker was born. We shot the feature on a combination of film and digital and I interviewed our baker Harry and Beaten by a Whisker’s owner Laura Almond, for the feature. We accompanied the piece and entire issue with a super 8mm film, another media I really wanted to bring into the magazine, and we just went for it!
Link to film: https://gardenpartymagazine.com/cinema
What has publishing taught you that may be helpful to anybody else planning to make their own magazine?
It’s taught me to ask myself, what does my audience need next? Every time I feel stuck, or in a funk, the simplest way to mitigate a spiral is to take myself out of the centre of it and put the reader first. It helps to remind me what kind of publication I am creating, and review what they’ve seen, and what I should direct them to next. If I focus on myself too much I’ll get nothing done because I have too many interests all at once. Working with my reader in mind keeps me sharp and focused, and also helps me make decisions with longevity in mind instead of immediate gratification.
What are you most looking forward to this coming week?
HALLOWEEN
My first in the States! I’m hoping to spend Friday night with a couple of margaritas and then make up for it on Saturday by staying in and answering the door to our neighbourhood distributing large amounts of sweeties.