Creative: Aaron Marin Griffieth Zine Collection

I love it when I meet someone as possessed about publications as I am. Meet Aaron Marin Griffieth. A package arrives. Torn open it reveals the fruits of another’s labor. Small, thin, large, thick. Tempest-like. Like feelers reaching out into the darkness of experimentation. Some of these publications aren’t perfect, but I’m not really sure what perfect would look like anyway. But what these are, without a doubt, are real. Edited, sequenced, designed and printed. Bought and paid for.

Aaron’s Zines are sketches. Some more polished than others but all leading to a point, or two. I rarely review portfolios anymore, but when I do I’m always intrigued by the unfinished, the oddity. Looking at what someone can do well is often not that interesting, at least to me, but what is interesting is the smattering of images that don’t belong. Often times the photographer can’t explain why they included a certain frame, but their passion about including it can’t be denied. These images are roadmaps, foreshadowing of one potential future. Aaron’s Zines are hints, fleeting glimpses of one particular outcome. Film based. Urban. Human and never giving up too much of the story line. This work leaves room for interpretation, something I’ve grown to love over the years. I come from the world of the concrete, the linear, the truth and justice league, but I’ve fallen from the graces of that world and now find myself loving the role of outcast. Aaron’s Zines are a welcome addition.