While making the Perseverance issue, I started to notice a shift in editorial content. The stories were oriented more on human interest, social awareness, and (personal) impact. Often, still linked to creative projects and travel-related insight. But a seed was planted in my mind that would grow slowly but surely in the years that followed.

Right when I was thinking about starting with a new issue, I decided to volunteer in the refugee camps located on the Greek island of Lesbos. Besides the day-to-day work for the NGO I had joined, I initiated a storytelling and photography project with residents of the camps.
This project showed me the power sincere and purpose-driven storytelling has. Adding to this experience, the realisation that the editorial voice of my magazine was shifting, I went back to school to learn more about how to combine these elements in a meaningful manner. I saw an opportunity to elevate the magazine. I went for it because it made sense to me.

The following months rekindled my curiosity for exploring new ideas and reminded me of my vision for Let’s Explore Magazine. Besides a literal exploration of place, it represents discovery. It stands for my belief in a world where people are open-minded & sincerely curious about what others have to say, learn from their stories and strive to live an inspired and inspiring life. Once again putting curiosity driven inspiration first felt invigorating. It enabled a sense of purpose. What I started to experience as empowering.

My exploration into redefining the voice of the magazine landed me in a new bubble of storytellers. As a result, long-form essays and think pieces made their introduction to the submitted story ideas. It brought another level of depth to the publication and informed a redesign.
One of the first things you have probably noticed is that the theme now sits centre-stage in the masthead. The curated contents of the magazine informed other design choices. For instance, contributors shared their inspiration for their feature or included links for further reading. This marginalia encourages exploration beyond the confinements of this issue. Scan the QR-code on the story’s pages with your phone’s camera for easy access to the marginalia.

The aim is to present as many different insights as possible and inspire with photography, art and poetry. The journey of collecting, curating and publishing curiosity driven inspiration continues. I hope you will join me on that exploration.

For now, Let’s Explore Empowerment.