Does the world need another DIY online magazine? Maybe not. Nevertheless, we’re doing one. Please let me explain?! You don’t have to have liked I F*cking Love Science on Facebook to be aware of the madness of these pandemicy times. You can’t step outside your house (for one of four valid reasons) without being reminded of the many ways Covid is changing our lives, so I won’t launch into another tirade on the matter. Rather, I want to tell you how FrockUp came about, and express what the hell it thinks it’s trying to do.
As George Harrison has been constantly reminding us, (my sweet) lord knows it’s been a long, cold, lonely winter here in Melbourne. As for the rest of the world, and the various seasons they find themselves in, I can only imagine. For myself, the last few months have been doubly difficult, strange and full of changes. My Dad died in May, leaving our newly reconfigured family to grieve in a time where millions more than usual are grieving also. At this point, the anxiety of the virus and the struggles of the lockdown faded to a nagging background noise.
I’m sure this was the case for many people dealing with new pressing problems that lockdown has spurred. As the immediate awful days turned to dismal weeks and now to manageable months, and issue after vital issue comes to the fore (Black Lives Matter, economic hardship, mental health problems, to name a few) the world appears to have turned a little darker. What can I do about all these problems? How can we turn this historically bleak situation into something good? How do we give these days meaning, and meaningfully connect to others going through the same thing?
My mind often wanders back to my Dad in these times. He had an amazing capacity to see the good in all things and, more importantly, to share this and unite with others in the process. What could be more important than this at a time when everybody’s hurting? With a future this uncertain, and a million different ideas, anxieties and worthy causes floating around just waiting to be examined and shared, why not use this opportunity to connect to other lonely souls going through the exact same thing, I thought. This is not an attempt to eulogise my Dad, but rather a crack at encouraging creativity and spreading joy in a time of pain and apprehension.
‘What is FrockUp about, anyway?’ I hear you ask. I appreciate the question. It’s about having an excuse and opportunity to start (and finally complete) all those projects you wanted to do but never had the reason or motivation to. It’s also about sharing our experiences and passions with each other, taking advantage of this rare chance to genuinely engage with old and new friends alike. From the bizarre and laughable to the pretentious and highbrow, FrockUp is a place where those who’ve never had the chance or even considered creating and sharing their stuff online can do so without judgement, only awe.
Articles, radio shows, reviews, reflections, photos, stories, home movies, recipes and any other weird shit you can think of are all encouraged, and in fact demanded of you. We don’t know what we’re doing, so you need not either. As long as you’re keen to engage and connect with others through your work, FrockUp can be your ‘Habbo Hotel’.
We have reached our final paragraph. The ‘why’ to our who, what, when, where. It’s called exposition; look it up. Why frock up when you can just fruck off? I dunno, maybe I’m crazy, but isn’t it nice to try something different every once in a while? Call me a dreamer, but isn’t it fun to see what others are thinking, and what they can do with their hands and brains? If not, maybe it’s just something to do. I’ve ran out of stuff to watch on Amazon Prime and Netflix is kind of ‘meh’.
- Sean
With love from the FROCKUP team; Ivy, Josh, Jimmy and Sean