I started shooting 35 mm film on disposable cameras the summer after I graduated high school. It felt like a more special way to keep my memories — and reminded me of the huge box of old photos at my grandparents’ house that I love to rifle through every time I visit.
That same summer, I started to dream about being the editor of this magazine. I entered the Pepperdine Graphic Media newsroom on a tour, a prospective student with wide eyes and even bigger dreams. When I saw the magazines laying on the table, I immediately collected the past four editions and took them home to pour over them. I stored them in a box under my bed — for safekeeping.
Since starting at Pepperdine, I have fallen head over heels in love with magazines.
I love the freedom and creativity that comes with building a magazine from scratch — and watching the incredible talent pour forth from the designers, the writers and the editors, who have come to be my dear friends.
We shot almost every photo in this magazine on 35 mm film — some of them on a camera that once belonged to my grandfather, and some on a camera that our Photo Editor Lucian Himes’ mom passed down to him.
And so, this magazine is a beautiful, messy amalgamation of all of my favorite things; fashion, 35 mm film and exploring what makes humans so silly and fragile and emotional.
Within these pages, you can read about students who choose to stand out, the way friends love one another, how an indie film with an all-Asian cast left an impression on students, the way one student is healing her relationship with her body and how social media is convincing Gen Z that reading books is cool.
I hope that you enjoy the rule-breaking that I believe makes this magazine so much fun — like the feature stories that incorporate the author’s own experiences with the voices from their reporting.
I hope this magazine pushes you to think kinder thoughts about the special and unique humans around you; the people who are living their lives with just as much detail and nuance as you are living yours.
I hope that, through these stories, you can feel like you get to know the writers who dedicated so much of their time to collecting and sharing them.
I hope that these stories make you feel a little bit more compassionate toward the stranger sitting next to you.
I hope you ask your loved ones what their love languages are and feel compelled to find your own as well.
I hope you are a bit kinder to yourself when you look into the mirror.
Enjoy! This ‘zine was made with so much love, including love for you, dear reader.
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Follow Currents Magazine on Twitter: @PeppCurrents and Instagram: @currentsmagazine
Contact Marley Penagos by email: marley.penagos@pepperdine.edu
