Transfer communication studies sophomore Regina Schliep is a boundless force of creativity. The interdisciplinary creative merges writing, photography and music through her various processes, the latest of which resulted in a collaborative zine project titled “Solitude,” created with her friend and Parsons School of Design student Camren Stevens. It will appear in Issue 3 of First Kiss, a zine that showcases “art made by members of Generation Z who feel disenfranchised within their communities and are searching for something more.”

Friends since the age of five, Schliep and Stevens have always sent each other their art and writing for feedback, but “Solitude” was their first project working as collaborators. Though both are multi-talented when it comes to art and creativity, this visual project saw Schliep taking on the role of photographer, who would then send her photos to Stevens to modify with illustrations, text or other editing. “It was really cool. It felt like we were just sharing journal entries with each other,” Stevens said.

The theme of the issue is “Love,” but Schliep and Stevens wanted to take the classic ideas of romance in another direction. In their final product, themes of loneliness and unrequited love are clear: illustrated people alone on an empty subway car, shadows where people should be, and illustrations standing in for people are all strong, solid images throughout “It’s not so lovey-dovey; it’s kind of like a negative side, like the trials of it,” Schliep said.

A zine was the perfect venue for Schliep to publish this sort of project. An avid reader and fan of zines, Schliep landed a contributor position with First Kiss after coming across their call for applications on Instagram. She feels that Instagram can serve as sort of a common ground for creatives - particularly zines - because of its accessibility.

The zine platform was also perfect because of the way zines function as media - the curated text, images and collages juxtaposed with and within one another created a perfect environment for someone who practices both photography and writing, and incorporates both into her work. In fact, she says that her work in writing and photography often bleed into each other. “I think I’ve found the more I've been taking pictures, that I try to write through a lens of photography, and vice versa,” she said. 

All of this work, interdisciplinary or not, Schliep says, is influenced by music. “A lot of times, since I do really enjoy music and I lean into it a lot,” she said. “I think of songs, almost, when I think of photography.” 

For the “Solitude” project, Schliep began the process by creating a playlist. A fan of singer-songwriters in particular, she said that music and lyrics are often what inspires a particular photo shoot. “I get, like, almost overwhelmed sometimes by the possibilities,” she said. “So to narrow it down I’ll make a playlist, and the music kind of helps me visualize what I’m looking for.” 

Schliep hopes to pursue the Contemporary Media Environments track within the Communication Studies Program and to eventually pursue a career in music journalism. Yet it is already very clear that her work will always be interdisciplinary, and never just from a single perspective.

“I think centering a subject and trying to portray them to somebody else has a similar viewpoint in writing and photography,” she said.