Studio FourOneTwo’s spring issue explores the concept of the ‘Divine Feminine’

In the process of exploring how to navigate relationships as a teenager, Leighton Curless wrote about how it’s okay to have no relationship experience upon entering college in her nonfiction piece titled “how do i do this?”. The prose was published on Studio FourOneTwo’s website and is featured in the club’s upcoming print issue.

“There is, and always has been, this idea that you have to start dating young and that the later you wait the weirder you are,” Curless, a first-year museum studies major, wrote. “But I’m here to tell you that, even though I know it doesn’t feel like it, you will get there. Everyone has a different story, otherwise what would they make movies and write songs about?”

Studio FourOneTwo is a lifestyle magazine and blog club founded in 2018 that publishes different forms of media including written work, graphic designs and photography. The theme for the club’s spring issue focuses on the “Divine Feminine.” The release date for a print magazine of the spring issue is tentatively set for April 22. 

Isabelle O’Hara, Studio FourOneTwo’s president and a junior communications and media studies major, said the theme presents the different facets of femininity. 

“You can think of the divine feminine as very light,” O’Hara said. “I always think of Mac Miller’s album cover. It’s pink, it’s pretty and it’s fun, but there’s also this darker side to this divine feminine and that’s really what we wanted to touch on. We want to show that there’s these two different perspectives and that’s why we want our writers to talk about every experience possible.”

The issue spotlights a variety of pieces touching upon femininity and what it means to be a woman. Some recent pieces explore concepts like the femme fatale while others talk about more personal lived experiences. Lizzie Dickerson, a first-year political science major, wrote a series of interviews called “dressing for divinity,” where she talks about how factors like culture, religion and gender influenced the way her and her friends dress. 

Kate Castello, the editing chair and a junior chemistry major, said during the submission process she looks for pieces that have the author’s own narrative and opinions intertwined in the topic. 

“A lot of times, there were so many cool ideas and people are so creative, but I wanted to hear more about them,” Castello said. “I want to hear how [ideas] relate to you. I can go to a lot of different places and look up articles about femme fatales, but I want to see what you think of it.”

Jameson Keebler, vice president and a sophomore political science and public and professional writing major, said the club is a place for people to create freely. 

“I just feel like we’re a platform for creativity,” Keebler said. “It’s just a really nice space because we have so many really creative people that come together and they’ll come to us with their ideas and trust us to give them a platform that they might not otherwise feel competent to create. It’s just a very collaborative creative space.”

O’Hara said one of her favorite things about the club is how all 40 club members are involved in the creative process. 

“I’m the president, Jameson’s vice president, Kate’s the editor, but we would not be able to have those titles or do what we do without the members in our club,” O’Hara said. “They are genuinely what powers this entire thing. They give us the content, they give us the graphics and everything. Being able to have this group of passionate and creative people is really what it’s all about.”

Keebler, who agreed with O’Hara’s sentiments, said during club meetings, everyone bounces ideas off one another and helps each other to create the best possible pieces. 

“I wrote a piece a little while ago and I really didn’t have any graphics in mind,” Keebler said. “I gave some ideas, but we’re just so collaborative because Belle came to me with this idea for a photoshoot and she’s just explaining it to me, and I was like, ‘Oh, that could be cool.’ Then we do it and it’s like one of my favorite things that I’ve worked on for the club.”

Before O’Hara took over as president of the club last year, the club lacked structure and drive, and it only had a few members. O’Hara said the club started receiving more attention during the fall semester of 2022 before taking off into what it is now. 

“It wasn’t until this past fall where we just skyrocketed,” O’Hara said. “It is genuinely the coolest thing that I think I’ve ever had the opportunity to be a part of. I’m just watching this club go from three people, and two of them were my roommates, to now where we have over 40 people come to every single one of our meetings. They laugh with each other, they talk with each other, they say hi to each other outside of meetings.”

The club has transformed into a place for everyone to come together and create new bonds. Castello said Studio FourOneTwo is a place where she feels seen and understood, and it’s all because of the people in the club.

“For me, it’s a place where we build connections,” Castello said. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so understood as when I’m reading pieces by our writers. They touch on things that are so personal to them and I’m so grateful that they’re willing to share because I really do feel like some of them have helped me in a way, and I know that they can make other people feel less alone in those experiences.”

Editor’s Note: Jameson Keebler works as a staff columnist at The Pitt News.