EDITOR'S STATEMENT
by Ana Chen, Editor-in-Chief
by Ana Chen, Editor-in-Chief
"Retrospect" was the second theme we decided upon in 2019, when our original team of four began to crack at our first issue. Now, two grants, seven partners, twelve issues, two-hundred submissions, and fifty-thousand reads later, we are proud to say that "retrospect" was one of the few things that has remained consistent through the last year.
In the meantime, It's Real has both exceeded and defied our expectations. Artists of all ages, Asian American ethnicities, and mediums have poured their pains and triumphs into this magazine. Our team has grown from four to ten to sixteen, and we are just beginning to launch our documentary project. Watching It's Real grow from a shout into the void (a tentative Instagram story: hey, would any of you be interested...?) into a bustling publication has been one of the most beautiful endeavors I've ever undertaken. It's Real has anchored me to my beliefs and values. This magazine has given me a home.
And now, sitting at my physical home after months away, I've realized that we do not need to walk backwards to see in retrospect. We do not even need to look backwards to see in retrospect. Time and time again, we loop back on ourselves, retracing memories much more accessible than our present realities. For many of us, this is an invitation to reflect.
And it is important to reflect, but it is also important to let go. And it is still more important to recognize that healing does not demand a deadline, that it is okay to walk into 2020 with open wounds.
So, with an Editor's Statement that was oddly one of the more difficult things I've had to write this year, it is time to let go of 2019. I think it's only fitting to end this note with one of the first lines I wrote for the magazine in 2019, before I could even fathom what this year would herald: Happy New Year! It's Real is here, and it's here to stay.
- Ana Chen, Founder and Editor-in-Chief
In the meantime, It's Real has both exceeded and defied our expectations. Artists of all ages, Asian American ethnicities, and mediums have poured their pains and triumphs into this magazine. Our team has grown from four to ten to sixteen, and we are just beginning to launch our documentary project. Watching It's Real grow from a shout into the void (a tentative Instagram story: hey, would any of you be interested...?) into a bustling publication has been one of the most beautiful endeavors I've ever undertaken. It's Real has anchored me to my beliefs and values. This magazine has given me a home.
And now, sitting at my physical home after months away, I've realized that we do not need to walk backwards to see in retrospect. We do not even need to look backwards to see in retrospect. Time and time again, we loop back on ourselves, retracing memories much more accessible than our present realities. For many of us, this is an invitation to reflect.
And it is important to reflect, but it is also important to let go. And it is still more important to recognize that healing does not demand a deadline, that it is okay to walk into 2020 with open wounds.
So, with an Editor's Statement that was oddly one of the more difficult things I've had to write this year, it is time to let go of 2019. I think it's only fitting to end this note with one of the first lines I wrote for the magazine in 2019, before I could even fathom what this year would herald: Happy New Year! It's Real is here, and it's here to stay.
- Ana Chen, Founder and Editor-in-Chief