csz97 Blog Folio: marejada

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Marejada 2013

Marejada, the official literary and arts folio of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, will always have a space in my heart. During my college days in Ateneo, it's a project that i'm looking forward to be part of every year. It's a collection of artworks, both written and visual arts, such as poetry, prose, traditional and new medium. I did the cover and layouts for 2007 to 2009 and was featured also in 2010 cover and for 2013 I was asked to do the layout by my college colleague who is now their moderator. Of course, I was very excited to do the project again so I accepted it.

Every year, they have a certain theme, and for 2013 they chose "Tesoro" or "Treasure" of Zamboanga. They wanted it to be minimalist but with a taste of Zamboanga's culture and identity. I came up with a lot of cover proposals and luckily I came up with something they really liked. From there, I also created the dividers. They have to be cohesive but also unique. Here's the final cover design with my signature in it (by request).

About the Cover:

"The play on geometric lines blur the distinction between mountain range and ocean waves --the land and the sea, the coastal and the interior, the past and the present, the bold and the fading, the inspiration and the caution. Here is Zamboanga, a land of contrast."

Thank you Marion Guerrero for trusting me with this project and for writing the cover description so beautifully and perfectly. The colors were inspired by Vinta but more aged and nature-toned to give that earthy nostalgic feel. The geometric shapes are influenced by my love of the mountain ranges because of my recent affinity with running at Zamboanga's high terrains. If you can spot them, you can see a lake/river which is the natural water reservoir in Pasonanca Natural Park, one of Philippine's remaining natural virgin forests.

Here are the dividers which serves as section covers for the different contents. Click for gallery view!

The first divider is the on the first leaf before the Introduction page. It's inspired by basic brush strokes, lines and dots or splatters which are the foundation of artworks. The rest of the pages also have these painterly look. The second divider is for "Poetry". I was inspired by the night sky over the mountain ranges of Zamboanga filled with stars and indigo clouds. The sky is one of the great inspirations of poets and artists because of its great expanse and ever-changing textures, colors and metaphors.

For Traditional art divider, I chose a flowing texture with the beautiful cascading falls of Merloquet peeking through the painterly wash. Its curtain-like grandeur attracted the eyes of international media, truly one of Zamboanga's natural treasures. The falls symbolize an artists flow of creativity, his process of pouring out his heart and soul in an art piece. For Digital art divider, I still chose water as the symbol. The geometric lines which is also seen in the cover now represents the waves of the sea. Marejada means 'wave's in Chabacano, by the way. The colorful sails are called Vinta of the Badjaos which is seen in the annual race called Regatta in RT Lim Boulevard. It's a symbol of Zamboanga and her diverse culture.

Photography has now it's own section since its a very accessible medium and shows us the reality which other forms of art lack. The circular brush strokes represents the lens or the eye of a camera which captures light. I superimposed a reflection of the inside a well situated at the center of Fort Pilar. It has the beautiful texture of old age bricks which symbolize our Spanish heritage. It is also a symbol of hope because it's also a wishing well where people toss coins for a wish. As Zamboangueños, we always hope for a better Zamboanga and peaceful Mindanao. Photography can be medium to show us the realities around us.

And lastly, for Prose or Short Fiction divider, I used the natural beauty of Zamboanga. It features the Tree House and butterflies of Pasonanca Park. If you can see it, there is cocoon of a butterfly which symbolizes metamorphosis or transformation. Writers tell stories so that its readers will have a change of purge of emotions or catharsis. Sometimes stories can also change a nation like the literary prowess of Jose Rizal. The tree symbolize growth, it branches up to the sky like our dreams and aspirations but what we don't see are the roots growing downwards, holding on to the ground. Like trees we should not let go our roots, our origins, our identity, which is Zamboanga.

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Thanks again to Beacon Magazine for this opportunity and congratulations for this awesome body of work! Looking forward for this year's Marejada!

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Digital Art: Croissance

3:12 AM

At last, my creative juices are flowing and i finally created a personal work. Its been eras since my last digital artwork and i've been busy in editing videos and layouting albums. I was encouraged to do this when i was cleaning my bookshelf. I stumbled upon the literary folios (Marejada) that we published during my college days. As i was flipping the pages, I remembered those years when i was still a student...very idealistic, creative and free. It was nostalgic looking at every artwork and photo which brought memories of the little old room in NCB, working after class to compile the inspiring works of the students of Ateneo.

~Then, I looked at myself now. It seems that i've lost that fire that i used to have during the days. Im in the real world now and it's not about creative freedom and what i want. It's about practicality. It's about satisfying others and getting paid so you don't have to ask money to your parents. You have to learn how to be independent and grow as a person outside the classroom. Most of the knowledge you gained in school won't be that necessary anymore because what matters most is that you get through all the challenges that life throws at you. I've been working for two years already and so far it has been a great ride when it comes to career. But as an artist, i've been digging my own grave and almost drowned out the breath out of my head. I almost forgot how to speak my own mind. But now, i finally find that feeling that i used to have when i made my earlier works. It's like rising from the ashes and coming out of the world that boxed my unique perspective in life. Somehow i feel that little kid inside me has awaken and has been brought back to life.

Croissance by csz97

Well, i know someday, that little kid inside me will become a man. A man with who is not afraid to speak out his mind. A man who is independent and matured enough to balance out the most essential things in life. Someday, i will be someone, but now i have to grow.~

So, as I was flipping the pages of the book, i finally reached the back cover. It was like a journey through memory lane. I remembered graduation and chosing what i will be doing after it's all over. I remember working, and working... and a lot more of working. I snapped out of that fantasy and realized that i was still cleaning my bookshelf. I have more work to be done today and more people to satisfy. But still i am inspired. Inspired to finish my work today and do something different after work. To do what i love most: to express, to be me.

~
PS. check out this awesome post in 9gag.

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Marejada 09: The cover that didn't make it

10:35 PM

Look what i found in my archive of works. It is the initial concept cover for Marejada 2009. Marejada is the literary folio of Ateneo de Zamboanga University under its official publicaiton, Beacon Newsmagazine. It is a collection of peoms, short stories, and artworks revolving on a certain theme such as "Memories", "7 Deadly Sins" or "Back to Basics". For 2009, the theme was "?" which was really unique. This was my last third and last time to be the creative director and layout artist for marejada. For the cover, we want to incorporate a sense of wonder, curiosity and imagination with the design. We had a photoshoot with three models that was used as digital art for the dividers. This particular photo gave me an idea for the cover. I really wanted to use cool and dark colors that reminds us of space or the deep blue ocean. As you can see the girl doesn't have an eye which i intended to give it a surreal feel. It also symbolizes our blindness about the truth, thus, sparking curiosity which leads to discovery. She is holding a light bulb which is a typical symbol for an idea or knowledge. We intentionally excluded the name of the book "Marejada" in the front cover to add more curiosity. Instead, we just used "M" that blends with the smoke.

However, there was an issue raised about this design. Accordingly, it is to feministic and they don't want a person to represent Marejada. I still want to stick with the "M" with the smokes and the color scheme so i just made few revisions. I replaced the photo of the girl with objects and symbols randomly floating in space inspired by surreal artist Salvador Dali's painting "The Persistence of Memory." We are all happy with the final design and it was aleready approved for printing. We are really pushing the boundaries for this folio since it is the last year for most of the staff. Instead of the usual glossy paper and matte cover, we had it printed in book paper but in hard bound matte cover. It is was the most ambitious and complicated folio we ever made in Beacon. Aside from the vague cover, we also deviated on how we arranged the contents. Usually, it is divided into three groups: poems, short stories, artworks. We also also want to give a story by using the order of the entries. We grouped them into four categories: Wonder, Confusion, Dream and Inspiration. It was well-conceptualized and all our creative plans were realized. Thanks to our ever-supportive and genius EIC, Ate Maimai, our collaborators, the writers and artists who contributed their masterpieces published in this folio. I really miss doing stuff like this and i won't ever forget my beacon years :') Here's the final covers together with the spine.