Bloom.yvr

bloom zine collective - issue #002 harm reduction + healing

🌿 "122 BPM"
Cam Hautcœur-Boyer (they/them)hauboy

I’m a trans and indigenous youth who grew up amidst the forests and waters of the K'ómoks Valley. I think I’ve got something that makes office workers in their 40’s feel comfortable swearing while on the clock.

THE WHAT: I make visual and written art. Sometimes I go a little wild and mix the two, and then I submit it to a lovely zine, and then I spill trail mix everywhere when I find out that my piece has been accepted. Themes I find myself coming back to are interpersonal connection, morality, unreality, and home.

THE WHY: I have to put the human experience somewhere or I think I’d drown in it. There are certain things I can only express in caps locked sentences and others only in drawings of hands.

THE HOW: Some nights I feel as though if I don’t make something from myself, I’ll explode. This results in a gargoyle-esque hunch over my bed or desk or couch, furiously creating until my headphones lose battery. This must take place when I need to wake up early the next morning.

hi everyone! we’re back after a post-launch hiatus to take some time to recharge and re-energize ourselves. with our return, we would love to take the next few weeks to showcase and celebrate the incredible work of the artists featured in bloom issue #002!

bloom zine collective - issue #002 harm reduction + healing

🌿 “not your drug”
maiya dexel (she/her) blender

The coca leaf has been cultivated in South America for centuries. It is respected in the region and used in a variety of cultural, medical, and religious practices. People chew it, burn it, and use it to make tea. But it is also used to make co***ne. Because of this, the U.S. War on Drugs has worked to eliminate and stigmatize coca growth. Backed by the U.S. and local governments, police in Colombia and other South American countries are tasked with eradicating the farming of coca. They burn and destroy entire crops. Crops produced by rural peasant families. This destroys their source of income with no restitution, and nothing is done to increase the price of alternative crops.

Being Colombian, I understand the damages of the co***ne industry. Much of the violence and corruption in Colombia can be attributed to it. However, punishing farmers for trying to feed their families only further perpetuates poverty and suffering.
Colonial understanding ignores the cultural and economic importance of the coca leaf to local populations as it continues to vilify Indigenous practices.

Maiya Dexel is a le***an mestiza artist who is in her first year at UBC Arts focusing on political science with an interest in Latin American studies and social justice.

image IDs in comments

❁✿❀ BLOOM ISSUE #002 IS OUT NOW ❀✿❁

we are very excited to announce the release of our second issue of bloom, harm reduction + healing, which unpacks how harm has shown up in our lives, and the ways in which substances live in relationship to our unique cultures, spirituality, recreation, medicine, religion, and other facets of life.

this issue features the work of 9 bipoc youth who have given us the opportunity to feature their work. there is immense strength and vulnerability to share your work and we are so honoured to be able to showcase all of them!

biggest thank you to all of you who took the time and energy to submit your work and we are so extremely grateful for all of your endless support.

we hope you love it as much as we do!

link in our bio to check it out!!

cover art by Cam Hautcœur-Boyer (they/them) .hauboy
titled “122 BPM”