Maverick is a project aimed at inspiring young creative women to

pursue passion projects. A passion project is something that hasn’t

been assigned to you through work or school. It is something done
purely out of a passion to create.

This zine includes interviews with six Burlington creatives who have
created, and are in the process of growing their passion projects.
 Trella Lopez, 22

Q: What is your passion project?

A: My passion project is Alibi Hour, an events production organization focused
around visual art. The goal of Alibi Hour is to strengthen Burlington’s art community
by making it more inclusive, diverse, and visible. That being said, Alibi Hour in its
nature, is in constant collaboration with local organizations and individuals who have
a passion for the development of local art and culture. As we are an arts oriented
organization, we put a lot of time and energy into all of our visuals attached to the
brand. All design assets are publicized primarily through Instagram.

Q: What is your dream job? Does your project align

with this goal?
A: My dream job is to work for a larger events
organization who have a focus on the development
of art and culture in same way Alibi Hour does.
While working within a larger company, I could
have access to more resources that would allow my
events to increase in scale and in reach
.
Q: Talk about your experience as a woman in a creative field.
Does your passion project effect this experience?
A: Even though I have only begun to scratch the surface of the professional world
of art and entertainment, I have already felt discrimination because of by gender.
Especially as a young woman of color, I feel as though you must be very informed
on all subjects because your decisions will be questioned and countered. I have
found that is crucial to be a fast learner, strong willed, and incredibly determined
to make it in this very male dominated field.

Q: Who has helped/ inspired you with your

passion project?
A: My colleague and friend Sara Jaye has been my
partner in crime for the last couple of Alibi Hour
shows and has been a major help. My friend Maia
Lafortezza was also crucial in starting Alibi Hour.
Also, any one who has shown work or allowed
us to use their venue has a large part in assisting
Alibi Hour become more successful. My two main
inspiration are GHE20G0TH1K and Boiler Room.
Both are events organizations (centered around
music) that were started by young creatives who
had a crazy idea and went with it. Whenever I
would go to their events in high school I was
blown away by the impact that a singular event
can have on an individual and a community.

Q: What advice do you have for other young women in the creative industry, in
general and also specifically on passion projects?
A: Be bold! If I have learned anything from this experience it’s that nothing is too
crazy or too big of an idea. You will be incredibly surprised at how many people are
willing to take a chance on a new idea. Also, take yourself and your idea seriously. If
you don’t, no one else will!
 Ava Schwemler, 21
Abbie Foley, 20

Q: What is your passion project?

A: Ava: My passion project is a clothing and art pop-up that I started with my
friend Abbie Foley. We curate local art and take submissions of thrift, vintage, and
handmade clothing to display and sell at the event. My friend Abbie and I have had
the idea for a while. At first, we wanted to have an event where we could sell our own
stuff, but then we decided to incorporate other contributions. We are surrounded
by so many stylish and talented individuals in Burlington that we would really be
missing out on rad content and clothing if we didn’t take submissions. A big goal of
BadWill is to also motivate ourselves to create art, and to make connections with
other local creatives. We also wanted to provide a space for like-minded individuals
to gather outside of a house party or bar environment. BadWill is meant to be a safe,
collaborative, social environment. We want to provide a space for artists to showcase
their work, and allow those whose “art” is their expression through clothing to have
a creative environment to be a part of. Through this project, we are hoping to make
more connections in Burlington that will allow us to further our own creative interests
as well. We just recently made an instagram (@badvvill). So far we have used it to
announce the date of our second BadWill event, to encourage submissions, and to
post recap photos from our first event. Before the next event on December 7, we
plan on posting photos of clothing that will be for sale, as well as graphic promotions.
Q: What is your dream job? Does your project align with this goal?
A: Abbie: My dream job would be to work somewhere in the fashion industry and
specifically along the lines of reusable clothing and resourcing. If you have every
been in a Palace store (skate/clothing company), that is the ambiance I want
except in a second-hand shop. People are drawn to things which make them
feel exclusive and a part of a trendy/underground community. If I could create a
second hand shop which people feel a need to be apart of then that’d be ideal.
There is too much money being spent on “hype” clothing and the production
of it when there is already so much just going to waste. Street style should be
affordable and made important by the person wearing and how they style it, not
by the name brand on the tag. I’d say my passion project aligns with that.

Q: Talk about your experience as a woman in a

creative field. Does your passion project
effect this experience?
A: Ava: I think that women experience greater
criticism in life in general, which can cause self-
doubt. As young women, it is ingrained in us
that we are never good enough, and our work
is never good enough. We are taught to be
perfect, perpetuating the idea that everything
we represent and produce must be perfect too.
We are also taught to seek approval, especially
from men. I think that a large part of my
motivation has come from the art-scene in
Burlington, which is, in my opinion, dominated by women. The female artists in
Burlington are constantly hustling, constantly producing, and creating their own
spaces for their art, because we have to work 10x harder to gain momentum in
the field, or to even gain recognition from our peers. A big part of developing
BadWill was to create a space for female artists like myself, where they can thrive
in an environment that is not just inclusive to women but developed by women.

Q: What have been the positive outcomes of your passion project?

A: Abbie: Gaining a bigger community of artists and creatives, as well as really
showcasing my passion for fashion and expression. It has allowed me to meet
a lot of people I had only ever admired from afar, as well as allowed for people
to reach out to me to work on other projects and ideas. It has instilled me with
confidence and the realization that I could organize an event like BadWill and do
it successfully- it was a great feeling to have it come to fruition.
Q: Q: Who has helped/ inspired you with your passion project?
A: Abbie: I would say my initial inspiration for doing anything along the lines of
style and clothing all goes to my friend Olivia. She always encouraged me, when
I first started Dumpstur, to not worry about what other people think and to step
outside of my comfort zone to interview the people I truly admired for their style.
With that support I was able to meet a lot of great people through that project,
again Ava being one of them, which allowed for the ball to start rolling. This past
summer I had met a great group of artsy and creative people which made me
strive to try new things and fully express myself. From there it has been me and
Ava supporting each other and our ideas for how we see BadWill going. And
of course all the friends and people who have given us support, reaching out to
submit clothing and art or just to say they appreciate what we are doing, have
been huge for us to pursue further events.

Q: What advice do you have for other young women in the creative industry, in
general and also specifically on passion projects?
A: Abbie: I would say to stay focused on your own vision and to not worry about
whatever someone else might be doing cause ideas will inevitably overlap. It is
important to stay genuine, and I’ve found to be inclusive and understanding to
the people who reach out. And always thank the people who have helped you
along the way, those people are the shit.
Ava: Art is subjective and not everyone is gonna like what you put out. Create
intuitively, not for approval, and be prepared to work your ass off.
 Olivia Vittitow, 21
Maddie Laflamme, 21

Q: What is your passion project?

A: Trash Mag. a zine for trashy people We started Trash after realizing the lack of
publishing outlets for our fellow college student artists. Both of us, as well as most
of our friends, were creating art in some capacity and wanted to share that art with
a wider audience, but had no way of doing it. During this time, we also became
interested in Dadaist design as well as the Riot Grrl movement of the 90s, and
found the perfect medium for showcasing work could be in the form of DIY-esque
zine that drew from many of these inspirations and complemented the art we were
making. The goal of our project has definitely evolved since we began Trash. Today,
it is less about showcasing our work, and more about
showing off young artists’ work in general. We want
to spread positivity among our fellow artists, celebrate
daring and vulnerable pieces, and more than anything,
provide a trustworthy platform for emerging artists
who are making real work. The creative community
is both the goal and the force behind our project.
Trash Mag is a submission based art and literary zine
that solely relies on the work that we receive from the
community. Beyond this, we also receive help from so
many members of the Burlington community and fellow
creatives right down to the launch of each new issue
and the distribution of magazines.
Q: How do you use social media in coordination with your project?
A: Instagram is our main platform for communicating with our readers and
supporters. We use it for everything, announcing the theme of the newest issue,
updating submitters on when they can expect a response, and releasing the
release dates/times. It’s a great way to show both new and returning submitters
an atmosphere for the latest issue to point them in the right direction for their
submission (because we have a different theme for each issue). It’s also the
perfect way to get people excited by posting images that relate to the zine in
some way.

Q: What is your dream job? Does your project

align with this goal?
A: Trash Mag is honestly a way for both of us to live
out our dream jobs in a miniature way. I don’t think
either of us are set on what we want to do specifically,
but Trash is something that we both see going the
distance in our lives whatever our career may turn out
to be. It’s message is so strong and important to both
of us, and we see it as filling a void in the arts
world. Trash is our dream job, and we can only hope
to keep doing it, get more people involved and make
it bigger and better with each new issue.

Q: Talk about your experience as a woman in a creative field. Does your passion
project effect this experience?
A: Being women and working on a project like Trash, which often deals with
feminist issues and attempts to push the envelope in many ways, has proved its
difficulty. There have been times where we were discouraged by lack of respect
or support we received from men who where not even entirely aware of what
we were trying to achieve. The most difficult part is knowing that something like
Trash, which has such a powerful and passionate goal that extends beyond its two
female creators, can be minimized by men based on color or wording.
While these experiences have been prevalent, they are not the only ones. We
have also had incredibly positive reactions and outpourings of support by so
many people, men included, and the bad times make these so much sweeter. If
anything, being women and running your own business has shown us that even
in these progressive times, there are still people who will not see you as leader
purely based on your gender, but we hope we can be a drop in the bucket to
change this.
Q: What have been the positive outcomes of your passion project?
A: There have been endless positive outcomes of making Trash for five issues.
Above anything, it’s been magical to see our community of artists pull together
over a printed magazine and connect with our mission. Getting other people to
realize they’re passionate about something that you’re also passionate about is
the best feeling ever.

Q: Who has helped/ inspired you with your passion project?

A: I think our community of young artists in Burlington, their work, and their
drive to make their work public has inspired us most directly. It’s great to see
young artists that went to the same college as you growing into their careers as
designers, illustrators, etc. But we’ve also had more lofty inspirations that relate
to the look and feel of the magazine, like the Riot Grrl movement. There is art
around us all the time, and we find so many inspirations and ideas every day
through all sorts of experiences.

Q: What advice do you have for other young women in the creative industry, in
general and also specifically on passion projects?
A: Young women shouldn’t be afraid to pursue their ideas in the creative industry.
There are so many people who will tell her she can’t, for a million different
reasons, but everybody’s ideas are valid and important. You just need the passion
and resilience to go through with it.
 Lillian Ansell, 22
Q: What is your passion project?
A: My passion project is illustrating. I am constantly drawing, and thinking about
concepts I can illustrate. I want to become the best that I can be and this means
devoting time to the craft but also to putting myself out there, to meeting people,
and to educate myself on the world. I started off as a graphic designer at Champlain
College. I found that I solved most of my design concepts through illustration. As
well as being the most focused and happiest when I was illustrating and creating
concepts. I realized that illustration was my true passion and in order to become an
illustrator I had to start using illustration as a more serious tool for design and create
connections to be taken seriously in the professional world.

Q: How is the community and other creatives involved in your project?

A: The community is an important part of my passion project. Through the
community I have been able to share my work, gaining more recognition. This
recognition gives me more opportunity to grow as an illustrator and put my
illustration and ideas to work. The community gives me the opportunity to grow and
test myself and in return I put my best foot forward to produce work that will interest
and put a smile on peoples faces.
Other creatives in the community inspire and help me grow. It is very important to
me to have friends that are also creatives that I can collaborate with, bounce ideas off
 of, or just share creative work that inspires
us. It is very special to find people who are
equally as passionate about something as
you are and motivate you to be the best
version of yourself

Q: How do you use social media in

coordination with your project?
A: Social media has been important to
me for connecting to my local creative
community. I have gotten several jobs
out of it and met so many other creatives
through just following what work they have
been doing and seeing what events I can
participate in to share my work further.
It has also led me to see what is possible
for an illustrator in the global creative
community. Not knowing much about
illustration as a career path Instagram was
important for me to see that something
I was so passionate about was actually
something I could make a career out of.

Q: What is your dream job? Does your project align with this goal?
A: My dream job is being a full time illustrator. I want to put my illustration to
the test in my career. I want to experience illustrating a book, painting murals,
illustrating magazine editorials, writing and illustrating a comic book, make clothing,
and create animations. I can’t just wait around for someone to offer me these
opportunities. I have to create them for myself and this is where the passion project
comes into play. I wanted to paint a mural so my friend Maddie Laflamme, and I
collaborated on painting her basement walls. When I found out my coworkers wife
works at a publishing house I asked how I could reach them to share my portfolio of
what I had already produced on my own time that could be put to use. I figured out
how to make my own animations and in return started to get commissioned to make
animations for people. You can’t wait for someone to ask you to create something if
you haven’t already created what they are looking for.
Q: Talk about your experience as a woman in a creative field. Does your
passion
project effect this experience?
A: Illustration is visual so it is easier to prove what you can do for someone.
However when it comes to communicating design ideas I find you need to push
your ideas a little harder than the men in the community because they can be
overlooked or ignored which is something I am still working on. To make it even
harder, in my past I have noticed that women who are more open with their
design ideas have been called “bitchy” or “obnoxious” by other creatives when
they are really just voicing their opinions. It is important to ignore what people
are saying and learn to share your opinion no matter what people may think of
it or you. You can’t please everyone with your work you just have to do the best
you can do..

Q: What have been the positive outcomes of your

passion project?
A: I have become a better illustrator and designer through it. I have met lots of
other creatives who share my passion. I have met people interested in my work
and want to hire me for the specific work I am doing. Overall, I have watched
myself grow in the direction i want to be going in.

Q: Who has helped/ inspired you with your

passion project?
A: I have had lots of help and inspiration on the way
to where I am right now. One important mentor to
me is my old Art History professor Marc Nadel. He
is an illustrator and has inspired and motivated me to
continue to produce work and see the possibilities of
a future in illustration.

Q: What advice do you have for other young women in the creative industry,
in general and also specifically on passion projects?
A: To constantly create. To have goals for yourself. To keep busy. To educate
yourself on your industry and the people who have succeeded in it. To share
your work as much as possible. To only care about what really matters to
you. My advice would be; to constantly create. To experiment with different
mediums and ideas. Write down and draw anything you think of. Even if it feels
like you might not be able to make good work that day, make it anyways. You
never know what might come out of it.
To educate yourself on the world and your industry. Every project I have I use it
as a tool to learn more things about the world. What symbols, ideas, stories can
I incorporate in my illustration? What have other people already done? How can
you learn from successful illustrators to make your illustration and career more
successful.
To be a part of the community. Share your work with people, whether that be on
Instagram, an art show, or the lady at the coffee shop. To be a good illustrator
you can’t just be good at your craft. You have to be good at the talking to people,
working with people, and being open to people. Making connections is key in
order to be a successful illustrator.
 Trella Lopez
@alibihour

Ava Schwemler
Abbie Foley
@badvvill

Lillian Ansell
@lilliansell