How to Make a Magazine

Practical advice for pursuing big dreams.

This edition of “Whimsy Workshop” is free for everyone because Squarespace sponsored it!

I have had a dream to develop a magazine since I was in third grade. Like many dreams, in different times and seasons, the idea has been potent and other times faded into the background — but it’s always present. This year I decided to pick up that dream with a new fervor and intensity than before.

It’s what I’ve always wanted to do, and why not give it my very best shot? Simply put, I decided I’m just going to do it. My goal is to make Feeling! Magazine a tangible, printed magazine that feels like a joy & comfort to have in your space. I want to tell stories and design something intentionally made to promote hope and delight on both Substack and in print.

So…how does one make a magazine? Really, how does one practically pursue a dream they’ve had for so long?

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There is a vulnerability in sharing any goal, because when you say it out loud, you kind of have to stick to it. Rather than showing the finished product at the end, I’ve decided to bring you into the messy middle and share what I’m learning along the way.

Hopefully, it’s helpful, or at least interesting, to read through the practical side of pursuing a big dream. So many times I’ve seen someone on the other side of a dream I have and wondered how they did it.

I haven’t made the print magazine yet, but I know documenting as I go will be a resource to look back on, and I’d love to share the journey with you.

Sometimes, a group project is a good thing, so welcome to the group!

You now know my goal (gulp), and I wanted to share what I’ve learned so far, hopefully as practical tips for anyone pursuing their own goal of creative entrepreneurship in 2026, getting in touch with a childhood passion, or just trying something you love for the sake of loving it.

Also, consider me “in-office” this weekend — so if you have any thoughts, feelings, questions, or anything I can speak to, leave a comment and I’d love to answer and help if I can!

I’ve made the choice to start my magazine on Substack first. And gosh, that was a good call. I love it here. The comment section of Feeling! Magazine is actually the best place on the internet. It is a joy to get to know you and make things for you!

Starting with a digital magazine proves the concept and grows a community — a community that is essential to everything I create. And if you are going to do anything big and in-person, you need a strong community that believes in what you create.

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Here are some big things I’ve learned this year as I have worked more on Substack than ever and yielded some exciting growth:

Candy shop meets dinner party meet ice cream parlor is my vibe

Have a Feeling

If you are making a magazine, it must feel like a world someone can enter. Any compelling editorial invites you into something distinct, something that feels unique. I’d think of your publication like a brand, because it is one. And within your brand, you have the opportunity to build a world.

How do you make a compelling feeling for your publication?

• Start by having a clear purpose. This can sound limiting to creativity, but the filter actually inspires clarity. And clarity gives your creativity room to run wild.

  • Define what you want people to feel when they leave your “world.” Inspired? Educated? Challenged? Hopeful?

• Then line up your tone and visuals to match this purpose in everything you do. I think the most compelling (and successful) brands feel immersive — like there is a whole world to explore.

If you are trying to hammer down what kind of “world” you are building, here are some branding questions to consider:

• If your publication were a storefront, what would it look like inside? What would it sell? What would it feel like?

• If your publication had a soundtrack, what songs would be on it?

• If you hosted an event for your publication, what would it be like? What would people do?

• If your magazine had a hotel, what would a stay include?

Start inspiration boards, archive anything that feels like a fit, and begin putting words to the world you are creating. Your readers will feel it!

Use Strong Colors

To bring your branded world to life, the best thing you can do is use strong color. Allow color to tell the brand’s story, to tell your story. And then use 4-5 colors consistently across your world, so your work feels recognizable and distinct. Consider having a signature color that you are known by.

Again, always feel free to play and create freely. But having a visual style unique to your publication will make it recognizable in a sea of many, many publications.

If you need some inspiration for choosing brand colors, I made plenty of color palettes for you here to browse!

P.S. In the comments — give me a brief on what your publication is about, and I’ll send color ideas for your brand! I love a color challenge!

Exist Off the App

I’ve found it essential to extend my reach beyond just one digital space. Build something that can be interacted with in various ways. Think: before social media, where and how could my business have existed? And then tap into some of those ideas!

I use my website to sell my calendars…which, by the way, just restocked for the last time!

Personal Websites

Extend your magazine world into a personal web space. You can design a space that feels like an extension of your brand.

Squarespace has always been my top pick for designing my own website. The templates made it easy to start somewhere already beautiful, and then make it look like my own. It’s really nice to have a place online that is not owned by anyone but you — and completely open to your creative ideas with no limitations, by the way.

Squarespace also offered to take 10% off your website project, just for readers of Feeling! You can click here for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, use code “FEELING” to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Use your Squarespace website as a place to easily:

• Curate your playlists

• Feature your recipes in an index

• Make quizzes for your readers (style toast does this in an amazing way!)

• Teach courses

• Sell products that match your magazine (example: a crafting magazine can sell knitting patterns, or a food magazine can sell cookbooks, etc.)

• Organize your favorite things as affiliate links for readers to shop

• Design printables, phone wallpapers, and other fun things your audience can engage with at any time!

In-Person Events

I am a proponent of inviting friends into the things I am passionate about. I’ve taken every big and small opportunity I can to invite people into the work I’m building for the magazine. I just introduced a crafting column, and started hosting girls to make the craft together while I take photos. Everyone leaves with a trinket, and I have the visuals for my magazine! Ask your friends to participate, and I am confident they will be more than willing.

Ideas:

• Host writing & coffee shop meetups where everyone works on their own work side by side

• Ask your friends to model for photos for you

• If you are developing recipes, you might as well invite everyone over for dinner

• Host events and meet-ups for your readers. If you can teach a skill, teach it!

Mailing Club

This year, I started a monthly mailing club for supporting subscribers ($89.99/yr) of Feeling! Each month, an envelope stuffed full of wonder and printed goods arrives in their mailbox. We are all craving the tangible in this digital world.

This is a great way to test demand for my printed goods and see what resonates with readers best!

Overdeliver on Everything You Do

At every turn — ask how I can delight people? This was the biggest change I made last year. I just decided everything is going to take a lot of time and effort, there is no way around it, and I committed fully. My best advice for anyone looking to grow any sort of publication is to consistently deliver high-quality work. There is no shortcut, unfortunately. I post multiple times every week, and if I am not happy with the writing or the graphics, I don’t share it. This is a strain on my time and sleep schedule, but I know the crunch is temporary, and the return on investment will be so worth it because this is my dream.

I think it’s easy to get caught up in what you want to build, but we can easily forget the basics. Entrepreneurship is about solving people’s problems. Find a problem to solve, and then overdeliver on what they are paying for. This is, in my opinion, the best way to make something that lasts. Consistent quality over time.

Stick in your lane. And please don’t continuously compare yourself to what others are doing and tell yourself you’re “just looking for inspiration,” because that is hurting your heart. I’ve done a ton of that — more “sourcing” than “creating" — and it’s a creativity killer. Beware! Guard your hearts. Do your thing, don’t worry about how others are performing.

Find Inspiration Elsewhere

On that note, seek your inspiration somewhere other than where you post!

Museums, books, bookstores, shops, nature walks, concerts, movies, and old magazines are some of my favorite spots for fueling up the idea tank. Good restaurants even!

I like going through archives of old lifestyle magazines and seeing what seasonal topics they were discussing to see if I could put a relevant twist on their inspiration. Browse libraries, museums, and watch amazing films to gather your own, unique inspiration for your publication. Take lots of pictures of any/everything that inspires you as you travel and explore, and save it all to a reference album.

A few sources I always come back to:

• Wes Anderson’s films

• The 2003 Vigue Design Issue

• The archived American Girl Doll Magazines

• Thrift store book sections

• Antique stores — posters and trinkets

• Orchard St., Elizabeth St., and Mott St. in NYC — all three give me a mega design inspiration boost

• Reading fiction!

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I hope one of these ideas struck a chord for you. I am excited to share with you updates on the steps I am taking to turn this dream into a reality! I couldn’t do it without you — so thank you for being invested and following along on this very ambitious New Year’s Resolution.

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