For three years, the LIP has been publishing the best of both student and professional journalism in a format unrivalled in terms of design and originality. 2006 marks the beginning of a new phase for the magazine, and we would like you to be part of it.
Too many young artists, writers, photographers and designers are expected to work for free upon completion of their training. At the LIP, we believe that newly qualified creatives are the people with the strongest ideas and the most vital approach to their work. We also believe that they should be paid.
The new LIP magazine is a quarterly national politics and arts publication. It is dedicated to providing exposure to the UK’s best young creatives – writers, photographers, artists and designers. The LIP bucks the trend of expecting young contributors to offer their work for free in order ‘to get a foot in the door’. At the LIP, we hold the door open.
The LIP will pay its contributors a competitive fee for their work, as well as promoting the professional interests of its network of freelance staff. There will be two arms to the distribution of the magazine. The first could be described as ‘traditional’ – book shops, galleries, universities and cultural centres will sell the magazine to their visitors and customers. The second arm of the distribution strategy will see the magazine distributed for free to decision makers in the creative industries. The LIP will be a single port of call for editors looking for young journalistic talent, creative directors looking for fresh designers and other arts employers who want to have a finger on the pulse.
As well as being a showcase of the best new creative work, the LIP fills a gap in the national magazine market. No publication successfully combines intelligent artistic review, political comment and cutting edge design targeted at the 18-30 age group. Further kudos will be given to the project by the regular contribution of work from major figures in the arts and politics.
In order to give the LIP the kickstart it deserves, we need your help. A preview edition is being compiled so that we can get our message to as many people as possible, and we want your work to feature in it. Every issue of the LIP has a broad theme and we allow contributors to interpret it how they wish. Where better to start than ‘The Media’. We invite you to submit articles, interviews, illustration, graphic design or photography which take ‘The Media’ as their theme. The outlook of the LIP is global – we live in a richly multicultural world and contributors should aim to consider the big picture.
Alongside the best new work, seasoned professionals will offer their experienced opinions – many of them wish that there had been an equivalent of the LIP when they began their careers.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. As well as contributions, the LIP is looking for a team of dedicated freelance staff who are interested in taking on editorial responsibilities. More information on the project and archived articles from the back issues can be found online at www.theLIP.org. For printed back issues, email editor@theLIP
We look forward to seeing your work.