The Fig Papers is a print publication that celebrates vulnerability among creatives to put forward realistic and under-shared experiences.

Inspired by issues of self-doubt and the capacity of print magazines to serve as spaces for intimacy and community, I developed the project during two undergraduate courses, Youth Cultural Production and The Creative Industries Take Berlin: Socially-Engaged Enterprise.

Here are some spreads from the prototype, featuring an interview and shoot at home with Melina Mehr.

(2018)

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Figs are actually flowers, but they don’t blossom outward for the world to admire (like other show-off botanicals). No—figs bloom inwards, keeping parts of themselves hidden as they grow to conceal that which makes them unique. While it’s unlikely that this tendency is because, like us, figs are concerned with coming across as excessive, unsuccessful failures, it’s still nice to draw a comparison between the shy flower-fruit and the way we often present ourselves.