Hello Beautiful Readers,

Welcome to the very first edition of Celebration of Self! We’re so glad you’re here!

The concept for this magazine came to us over a springtime lunch date following a challenging period in both of our lives, where a prominent theme was present around the need to communicate and express ourselves clearly and gracefully, while speaking up for ourselves and standing in our truth. 

Daily walks to talk and clear our minds had become our main medicine in navigating and overcoming some of these challenges. While discussing our love for writing as a form of communication and a way to express ourselves more freely or clearly, we began to connect the dots with how much of an important part it had played in the joy of our childhoods - often seen as the time in our lives when we are most free. 

While Jessica reminisced about how playing magazines was one of her favourite pastimes as an introverted youngster, B mentioned how her poor Dad spent years stumbling over piles and piles of OK magazines that she refused to throw away - Just in case she ever wanted to check back on Victoria Beckham’s shade of lipstick in her LBD at the Brits one day! 

Curating a magazine together as best friends felt like the ultimate in joy and freedom for us. Taking both of our individual passions for holding safe spaces and amplifying voices, by the end of the lunch date, we’d suddenly brought together 15 years of friendship by landing on the perfect collaboration for our desired lifestyles, along with the purpose of the magazine that we wished to create and share with the world. 

Celebration of Self is a space where every person can feel free to share who they are and what they believe, without risk of judgement or persecution. A platform to stage the spectrum of all of who we are as individuals, while maintaining the integrity of everyone’s unique expression. With the safety of anonymity for those who might feel anxious to share their voice, but whose stories still matter, and a place for others to raise theirs further, this magazine is based on the freedom to be authentically you, wherever you’re currently at on your journey. 

With this in mind, our theme for our pilot edition was a no-brainer! We hope you find feelings of freedom within its pages or discover new ways of embodying freedom within your own life. 

As this beautiful magazine ventures out into the world from the seed that we planted, and with our very first contributors helping us bring it to bloom, we will continue adding to the pages of this edition. If you have a story or perspective on freedom that you’d like to share, you can do so via the link at the bottom of the page.

In the meantime, may our first edition spark inspiration on your own journey to freedom, whatever that might look like for you! 

Love,