Today we’d like to introduce you to Krysti Joméi.
Hi Krysti, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I spent my childhood in the Bay Area, near the Gulf of Mexico and on an island in the Puget Sound. My parents are artists in the way they live their lives, deeply valuing music, comedy, creativity, freethinking, and adventure, and always encouraged my four siblings and I to explore art and foster our innate abilities and gifts.
With a ravenous appetite to learn, I opted out of high school at 15 and through a free program, went to college graduating in Communication and Journalism at 19. My time as an industrial DJ and Managing Editor of my school’s art and culture magazine paved my way to work as a music journalist and content producer at Seattle’s renowned indie public radio station, KEXP.
I soon left the West Coast to live and work on a locally-run, multi-tribal farm and educational facility near the Nandi Hills in Kenya. There I served as the Assistant Children’s Director for the residents’ foster children and worked closely with the farm’s sustainable Agricultural Apprenticeship Program. Rigorously documenting the apprentices and all facets of their work, I created an extensive syllabus and curriculum outline in an effort to gain government-recognized college accreditation for the program and its participants.
Moving back to the States landed me in Colorado where I took a well-needed break and became a boxer and barista before settling down in Denver. I met my partner in business and life, Jonny DeStefano, and our friendship and drive to create together was instantaneous. So, I jumped on board to help run the DIY, donation-based venue, Deer Pile, that Jonny founded in 2011. For years we hosted artists, musicians, comics, activists, and all walks of life from around the globe and produced multi-faceted shows and events.
From vinyl and instruments to canvas and books, our lifelong love for all things tangible and analog compelled us to create a paper venue in a digitized world in an effort to document our current time in art and culture and give creatives a voice and opportunity to shine and share. With very little money and a month of content, we launched our first issue of Birdy in January 2014 with our friend and partner, Kayvan Khalatbari, and have never missed a beat, with 096 issues and counting.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been more of an ocean than a road. There are stints of calm glassy bliss, choppy waters, great companions, dangerous predators, and violent storms. There’s always that element of the unknown, which lends to high alert moments but dually a continual stimulating and rewarding existence.
I gained survival skills and deep compassion at a very young age when my family endured a long bout of poverty. Thankfully I never lost touch with my fighting spirit and neither did my family. Instead of becoming trapped in a victim cycle mindset, we got creative.
I transported myself across the universe through books. The public library was my second home and ferociously reading and writing skyrocketed my education. My brothers and I embraced art, riding our bikes for miles on garbage day to haul treasures home to build toy houses, sets, and costumes. We produced epic SNL-inspired shorts and built ramps and tree houses out of scrapped construction materials. We swam regularly in the ocean and at our city pool and went to outer space on free days at NASA.
My experiences of financial hardship, trauma, and loss in childhood prepared me to handle and endure what we’d face starting Birdy and again during late Covid times. Those first few years were brutal. We’d grind seven days a week with long nights to barely make our rent. We faced putdowns and letdowns, mimics and users making us question our sanity and path. But things that last almost always involve a long foundation-building process and relentless determination. There is no good without the bad or the ugly. And there are seasons of abundance and drought as we experienced as a business during 2020.
You have to find a way through the hard times, stay steadfast and keep laser-focused on your course. There’s always some sort of sacrifice and lifelong testing of your character when you go for something you believe in. I’ve wanted to give up more times than I’ve wanted to continue on. But avoiding the hard parts of life or trying to go around, above or under them is only a temporary fix. There are no shortcuts to realizing and staying true to your life’s work, your dreams, and yourself. The only way out is through.
As you know, we’re big fans of Birdy Magazine. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Birdy is a monthly, collectible print magazine featuring locally, nationally, and internationally recognized artists, writers, comics, businesses, and more. We explore and document the art and culture of our current time, offering an ever-expanding spectrum of visual and written exhibitions, and advocating creative exploration of art, comedy, and ideas.
Our magazine hits the streets every month in Denver, Boulder, and surrounding Colorado cities, as well as select spots in California and New Orleans, and at Meow Wolf locations in Santa Fe and Las Vegas. We also offer mailed subscriptions globally.
We believe access to art and information is a fundamental right, and crucial for a healthy economy and society at large, which is why we distribute free issues to the public. And we believe artists deserve much-needed recognition and respect which is why we don’t skimp on format or quality.
When people first pick up Birdy, they immediately notice our paper — its texture and weight. We had to make something creatives could be printed in with pride, a product that seems like it should be sold on shelves. And one that our readers want to keep and cherish, or share with family and friends. This quality also extends to our supporters. We’re known for both our content and interwoven cheeky advertisements that are pieces of art in and of themselves. Our partners aren’t just advertisers but businesses we believe in who generously support the arts and many facets of our community. And they deserve top-notch display and dignity too, especially considering how fun and often weird they let us get.
You also don’t have to be able to read or even understand English to appreciate and utilize what’s inside Birdy. Some people pick up an issue for full pages of art to frame or for collage materials. Others savor the stories and interviews. Some use it as an educational tool, while others view it as guide to get to know independent business, music, or happenings. And many simply collect Birdy. It’s not a one-size-fits-all publication, but a unique experience for each individual, while also reminding us of our interconnectedness on this planet during this time.
I’m most proud of making it this far and never missing a month of print. Upon Birdy’s inception, we added two zeros in front of our issue number – Issue 1 is 001 – to declare to ourselves and the world that we would, without fail, publish 100+ issues (or episodes as we also call them). We’re currently in production of our 97th for January and to see Issue 100 right there on the horizon feels pretty surreal. We might need to add another zero once we hit that mark.
I’m awestruck at the commitment of our contributors. Some have been with us since day one and others we met during these last trying years. Our contributors are what make Birdy Birdy. We don’t tell our writers or artists what to create. It’s all them and their own diverse ideas, energies, and intellects.
I’m also honored to be a part of our team. I’ve never worked with such tenacious people before who continually inspire me to grow. Birdy Designer Julianna Beckert and Web Designer Cristin Colvin never cease to blow us away, with everything they touch turning into pure magic. Kayvan has helped us grow and think like a business, always having our backs through thick and thin. Artists Mariano Oreamuno and DS Thornburg have massive hearts, making it possible to give people access to Birdy by helping Jonny and I distribute issues and expand our distro. Jonny is a rock, steadfast in his lifelong mission of staying true to himself as an artist and dedicating his time to helping creatives do the same. And our friend and longtime contributor Mark Mothersbaugh is a north star for us, with his endless source of art and encouragement. A self-proclaimed “Birdy Evangelist,” he’s brought so many new friends and creatives into our lives since our first year and has been a beacon of hope for us in our journey as artists.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The publishing/media/arts industries are obviously exponentially trending toward the digital like most things, and I don’t think anyone foresees that to ever cease.
The ascent of the digital world is like a gene mutation in humankind with positive and negative effects. The internet has aggrandized our ability to communicate, exchange ideas and commerce, and create community and meaningful connections on a level that would have never been possible before. And it’s also given rise through its for-profit algorithms to mass mind control, anger, addiction, terrorism, and division at an unparalleled rate, threatening democracies around the globe.
I do see a shift as far as digital education goes, in the mindful and ethical use of tech in all industries. More and more people are standing up to help inform the public and business on how to use tech to contribute to the greater good of ourselves, our communities, and the planet, not just to our personal images or bottom lines. And more and more people are taking honest looks at their lives and digital habits, and seeking tactile venues for information and entertainment to give their eyes and minds a break from the screen.
When I embarked on my journey to work in print, a peer of mine laughed at me and said, “Good luck. Print is dead.” I laughed back: “Watch me.” This is the same attitude we champion with Birdy. Print will never die. Our drive as humans to record history whether on cave walls or parchment is here to stay. Publishing a story or art tangibly gives it this physical life, a timestamp or birth certificate documented in history. There’s no mindless swiping when it’s on paper. No matter the advancement of technology or how vast and wide the digital cloud is, creating in the physical will always be an inescapable part of our DNA.
Contact Info:
- Email: birdy@birdymagazine.com
- Website: www.birdymagazine.com
- Instagram: @birdy.magazine
- Facebook: @birdymagazine
- Twitter: @birdymagazine
Image Credits
Jonny DeStefano
Mandy Heck
Mark Mothersbaugh
Jack White
Julianna Beckert
Jonny DeStefano
Krysti Joméi
Meow Wolf
