Many of our artists sell prints of their work online, or are in the process of finding publishers and agents for longer written works. We will provide links and information regarding this once the webzine goes up, and we strongly encourage you to contact our artists regarding purchasing their work.

We also own the www.synchchaos.org domain and will redirect people here soon.
In terms of putting our title into action, discovering a theme from all of the ‘random’ works submitted…that of course is up to readers and contributors also, but what I’ve noticed is a trend towards creative uses of various materials and sources from which to draw inspiration. Emily Chimiak’s scientific background informs her evocative paintings, reflecting the internal thermal molecular movement of objects around us. Fran Laniado’s short story is inspired by the hardships and disorientation, yet strong sense of family love and loyalty of Mexican migrant workers – and the plot concept hit her during an academic lecture she attended. Siiri Kohonen’s combined digital images reflect shapes, colors, and images from daily life which he finds interesting or surprising and picks out to modify and explore. Artists are innovating new sources for creative inspiration, and new ways to draw upon familiar ones.

This concept is refreshing now with the media and our daily experiences with the economic downturn sending us constant messages of fear regarding terrorism, environmental crises, wars, shortages, financial crises, etc where we are tempted to give up, to shrink our creativity and focus just on protecting ourselves.

However, the international artists in August’s Synchronized Chaos issue have shown, through a wide variety of projects, that the everyday moments, natural and human-made phenomena, tragedies, and challenges facing our world can be transformed through art and curiosity into positive opportunities for growth and invention. The Virunga Artisans, a group of basket weavers and carvers in east/central Africa profiled in this issue, represent a path towards wildlife conservation that also encourages dignified creative work for the area’s locals. They offer a creative alternative to the binary thinking which so often gets people stuck: animals OR people, progress OR traditional culture, etc and illustrate an innovative, rather than paralyzing, response to the fears of mountain gorilla extinction or of facing dire poverty in the region.

Perhaps inspiring people to choose creative growth rather than self-shrinkage in the face of personal, societal, and ecological fears and challenges is one of the crucial functions of art. Perhaps it is our writers, our painters, our playwrights, our graphic designers, our scientists and dreamers and inventors who can encourage us to transform our fear into an impetus for useful adaptation to a new era. And perhaps it is they who can lead the way in inspiring a more compassionate, inclusive future by promoting the creative ability to imagine another’s perspective, to put ourselves in another living creature’s place.

I take this opportunity to thank everyone who has already contributed to August’s feast of creative abundance, and encourage people to continue submitting for future issues and to pull themselves up a chair and enjoy the banquet!

— Cristina Deptula, Creative Facilitator

Hello interested webzine readers – our Synchronized Chaos site should be up very soon. Our webdesigner, Tabitha Smith (www.tabithagracesmith.com) is currently customizing the site. Please comment and let me know if any of you are interested in assisting with updating the website once it goes up and I will have you added as a site admin.

Such a great variety of submissions – looking forward to the July/August issue! We’ve received rhymed/metered and free verse poetry, prose, and visual art, and I’ve written up an interview with someone from the Virunga Artisans, a fair trade art/household goods business cooperative in central Africa. This has become truly an international project, as our first round of artists hail from every continent except Antarctica and Australia (so far.)

Very grateful for and humbled by the time and effort people have put into crafting quality submissions for Synchronized Chaos, and by contributors’ willingness to share the interesting, unique stories behind their work. I encourage any literary agent or publishing house editor who may come across this magazine to consider the artists here for publication. Many of our contributors have larger works completed or in progress for which they seek representation or publication, and I can certainly vouch for their talent and dedication.

As always, the most valuable and rewarding aspect of helping put Synchronized Chaos together has been developing relationships with highly talented and creative people. It is a privilege to have the chance to meet and talk with each of the contributors and I wish them well in their further artistic and other pursuits.

Every field of work or study can be pursued with creativity and ingenuity, whether the work is traditionally considered ‘art’ or not – and I hope perusing the other works in this magazine will provide additional inspiration and support for the creative endeavors of our contributors and readers.

A sincere artist is not one who makes a faithful attempt to put on to canvas what is in front of him, but one who tries to create something which is, in itself, a living thing. — William Dobell

Thank you again for helping in the creation of Synchronized Chaos, which has become a living thing in itself through the process of combining our joint efforts.