Meet Emily Logan | Writer, Artist and Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Logan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

I started Space On Space Magazine in August 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, protests for Black liberation and continued existential threat of the climate crisis. In the isolation of the Stay-at-Home order, I had a deep desire to have conversations around challenging topics that were affecting the world, so I started talking to my friends about what was going on. Then, I began recording the conversations on Zoom. Now three years in, Space On Space has become a platform that aids people in healing and reflection through the practice of slow publishing and reading. We make print magazines and produce digital content that encourages the reader to slow down and process life as it’s happening. Our magazine covered stories related to land, power and art.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I’ve been doing activism work and volunteering since I was a child. My mom was a social worker, so I grew up coming with her to community events and organizing meetings throughout my life where we would be serving in under-resourced neighborhoods. For college, I moved from the suburbs to Philadelphia and it was very natural for me to get involved in activism work there too. I went to Temple University which is located in a historically African American neighborhood, and you have this influx of (mostly) suburban college students living in and around campus, so there was tension in the community. Also, North Philadelphia, where Temple University is located, is considered a food desert. I began volunteering with an activist organization called Philadelphia Urban Creators in the area that was building bridges between the neighborhood and the college, teaching land stewardship and growing their own food.

To help cover my rent and food costs, I worked in a computer recycling center on campus where we would repair and resell thousands of electronics equipment and other surplus material collected within the university. Imagine a huge warehouse of big boxes full of computer cables, stacks and stacks of hardware and old technology. It was a dream as an artist to work there and see all these interesting materials and quite jarring to see the amount of materials that goes to waste in our consumer culture.

I graduated with a BFA in Sculpture in 2015. I was doing a lot of metal working, welding and woodworking at the time; I would build these big metal sculptures, like play gyms, and do performance pieces in them. When I graduated, I had no business skills and felt pretty unprepared to survive financially as an artist, so I jumped right into grad school for three more years. I graduated with an MS in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship in 2018 and then I moved to Los Angeles with my husband with no job or housing set up with just a little savings.

Moving to Los Angeles was the thrill of my life. I never thought I would move to the West Coast, but the first time I visited, I fell in love. Graciously, when we arrived, a wonderful woman allowed us to stay rent-free in her beautiful home for about six months. In exchange, we helped her pack up all of her belongings and ship them to her new home in South Dakota. Those six months were very crucial for us. It was very grounding to not work and get acclimated to this massive, complex city. We quickly realized that it can be difficult to find work in Los Angeles and the rent is at least three times the cost of living in Philadelphia. My husband started driving Lyft full-time and I was applying to jobs and working for two artist friends for about $50/week.

After a year of applying for jobs and working for gigs here and there, I finally was hired at ArtCenter College of Design doing art administration work for one of the academic departments. I’ve been at the College for three years now. Currently, I support the Marketing and Communications department doing public relations. Being surrounded by a community of professional artists and designers has been incredibly inspiring and has encouraged me to continue making my own work. It helped set up a solid foundation for me to start my magazine. In addition to running a magazine, I run a photography studio and host community, art and poetry events throughout the city.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

I realize that this publication is based in Phoenix, Arizona. I’ve never been to Phoenix. In Los Angeles, I would take them to Joy on York, an incredible Taiwanese spot in my neighborhood. We would go on a hike in Altadena by the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab and in the evening get drinks at Highland Park Brewery. It is always fascinating to drive through Beverly Hills and gawk at the wealth of this city. I would take them down Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame to see the stars in the pavement, but also to show that it is not the glam and glitz you think of when you think of Los Angeles. It is actually pretty dirty. Then we would go to my community garden and drink some coffee and look for butterflies.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

I want to dedicate my shout out to the three women who sit on my advisory board for the magazine, without them, this business would not exist:

Charity May
Jamie Brooke
Yesenia Navarrete Hunter

Also, shout out to my graphic designer, Dylan Chan and Assistant Editor, Liv Malloy.

Website: spaceonspace.com

Instagram: @spaceonspacemagazine

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/e-logan

Other: Sign up to join Space On Space Magazine’s email newsletter: https://spaceonspace.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ff4548f48ef72cd1b559f16cd&id=1ffaf13bdf

Image Credits
Image credits courtesy of Space On Space Magazine