Interviewing Katie Clayton of Blisters Magazine!!

by Alexandra Moody

Recently, I got to sit down (virtually) with my former classmate, well-known photographer, and founder and editor-in-chief of Blisters Magazine!! Check it out below!

Hey Katie!! So tell us a bit about yourself! Hey there! Well first off, my name’s Katie Clayton, I’m turning 18 on June first, and I was born and raised in Georgia. Currently, I live in New England (side note - it literally snowed this morning and it’s may? … and people say global warming isn’t real). I like to think I’m just a big bundle of emotions and feel-all, which can be a blessing and a curse. As a result of quarantine due to COVID-19, my spare time has been filled with lots of yoga and introspection to get to know myself even more, so that’s been nice! In times where I’m not trying to better myself spiritually/mentally/physically, my guilty pleasure is video games! I’ve been playing lots of Overwatch and filling the void of social interaction with the Sims. I also started a passion project in the creation of my zine, BLISTERS, a project I’ve been wanting to do for a while now.

So you’re really into photography, and may I say very good at it. When and why did you get into it? Aw, you flatter me! <3 I know this might sound cheesy, but I genuinely mean it - I can’t remember a time where I haven’t had a camera in my hand. I would say my first experiences I can remember with photography would be the videos I would make with my Barbies and LPS as a kid. My mom worked a lot, so I would spend my days filming my dolls with my $20 Vivitar camera and creating these super intricate stories, which I would edit on my Grandpa’s super laggy computer and upload to YouTube. As I got older, this fascination turned into a desire to capture fleeting moments and my experiences with adolescence! My friends would always compliment me on how “Tumblr” my Instagram feed was and whatnot; I would always take pictures of friends and have little photoshoots here and there, and that’s essentially what I do now but with more purpose behind my work!

What are your favorite settings to shoot? For settings, most of the time, I’ll do my own set dressing! In my last house, we had a spare room that I built a little photo studio out of and I would strip the room for whatever I needed for that particular shoot. This meant painting and repainting the walls constantly, a mountain of fabrics in the corner to drape my models in, and various props stuffing my closet. It was mainly about working with what I had and trying to make the most use of it and use things in abnormal ways. When outside of the house, I tend to lean towards more urban atmospheres with sharp architecture. I think we’ve all seen more than enough field pictures, so I try to use settings that someone wouldn’t usually lean towards!

Where do you take inspiration from with your photos? My main inspiration for my photos, I would say, comes from my personal experience. I always want to make my models feel comfortable and display vulnerability in an honest way, and this reflects a lot of my inner monologue! I think having someone metaphorically undress their psyche for the camera reveals depth and truth that we don’t experience often, so I love to display the intricacies of character that we all have!

So in the two awesome years we attended school together, you were heavily involved in our theater program!! Would you say that that experience and taking part in that community has helped you express yourself as an artist? I miss Cass High Theater so dearly :( Troupe 1850 forever <3 This experience tremendously helped me! It really allowed me to dig into myself and bring my guts out for display, boosting my confidence and ability to be authentic! Something about that stage, in particular, has an aura of warmth, I can’t describe it. Our director, Chris Agan, was a godsend and always brought a new perspective to my creativity, and I can honestly say that the way I view my work has changed tons since I met him. He was always down to try innovative approaches to standard acting, and I try to keep that same mentality! The people I keep dearest to my heart as well I met in that theatre, including my best friends and boyfriend, and they’ve all encouraged me to push my art as well! Surrounding yourself with creative-types is a necessity to push your work and is a great avenue to take inspiration from one another. While I can’t promise I’ll do theatre again, the experience is definitely one I’ll cherish forever.

What made you want to start a zine? Making a zine has always been a dream of mine! In fact, just the other day, my mom and I were digging through old photos and schoolwork from when I was a kid and we found a fashion magazine I had made from manilla paper and had doodled different outfits on every page. I’ve been involved in the community for a few years now and have always had a hand in it somehow; from interning at the Luna Collective, to being a photo editor for HALOSCOPE, to being an AMF BFF for All My Friends, to simply submitting - I’ve learned to appreciate every aspect of running a zine. At this point, I had began getting inspiration for my own and my own message to spread! What I love about zines is that every single one conveys something different in their core message, whether it be community or transparency or feelings, no two are alike!

Do you have any zines that are your favorites? Great segway, haha! Speaking of zines, some of my favorites are VERSES headed by Kari Trail (the first zine my work was ever featured in), All My Friends (literally KILLING it! Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping…), and the Luna Collective headed by my pal Sophie (the talent that is featured is INSANE and I love getting music recommendations from their playlists). And last but not least, OBVIOUSLY the Mezzazine ;)

Tell us about Blisters! What sort of message are you trying to get across with it? Blisters is totally my heart and soul right now! It’s honestly the same message I try to convey with my personal work, just acceptance of emotions and vulnerability. Our current issue, VELVET, tackles the stigma surrounding feelings as being signs of weakness or fault. I hope that every issue can be focused on an issue likewise, like a downpour of emotional and artistic vomit. I want it to be like a diary, like a place you don’t have any barriers or fronts where you can put everything out there, simply be.

What do you wish to accomplish with this by the end of the year? I hope to have Blisters turn into an empire! At the end of this year, I’ll be completing my first semester of senior year (crazy!) and I can hope that Blisters will have a dedicated aura, dedicated following, and dedicated message. It would be amazing to host live events once social isolation restrictions are lifted and it is safe to be out! I would also love to feature larger talent as the publication and audience grows. I’m manifesting it, it’s GONNA happen, <3

Any advice to those looking to get into the arts? Literally, just DO it! I feel sometimes, with my projects in the beginning, I’d just think about it and it never happened, so my best advice would be to dive into your passion! Focus on ways you can bring creativity into your daily life, whether it be doodling in your notes or submitting to online zines (cough, Blisters, cough), the world is your oyster! It is never too late, and we are blessed to be able to have the abilities to create, so utilize them! Thanks for the interview, sending love. <3

You can follow Katie's journey with Blisters on Instagram @blisterszine, and her personal life @katiegclayton!! Submissions for the first Blisters issue close May 30th.