We were lucky to catch up with Lindsey Gill recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lindsey, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

In 2022 I discovered a new way to connect with the artistic community I had lost after my college years and Covid 19. Something called “open mics” where poets gathered to share their stories. I became entranced by the way these people would share their whole hearts and dreams, their pain, and their raw experiences on stage to a group of strangers through notes from their phone or journals. It brought me back to my humanity after a year of lockdown. It lit a fire in me to do something that brought people together again through art and poetry. I felt inspired again, but I needed to find a way to connect the two that was a collaborative effort across disciplines.

That is how Collide Zine was born. I didn’t think I was doing anything more than pursuing a hobby by starting this little “side project,”–soon enough, it became its own thriving anomaly and I rolled with the momentum I was being given from the community.

Now, just two years later, we have printed eight issues, and published over 300 artists and writers. Collide has become not just a zine but a thriving community in its own right, with its own open mics, art shows, and gatherings. It has always been a huge accomplishment to make every issue, and with every issue we learn something new through the process.
Our mission remains the same: Every artist is valid, every creative person deserves to be seen.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Lindsey Gill, I am freelance artist, yoga teacher, and spiritually inclined community organizer. Most things I love to do involve bringing people together. I got into yoga as a way to cope with the stress of my illustration courses in college, and after graduating, the pandemic hit Philadelphia. So in 2020 I was working part time at Whole Foods waiting for my dream art job–didn’t happen, so I became a yoga teacher.

It was only a matter of time before the community I found in yoga crept into my life as an artist–I started to go to open mics after lockdown, fell in love with poetry, and wanted to be a part of Philadelphia’s creative scene in a bigger way than just an individual level. I felt called to create a project EVERYONE could participate in–both visual artists and writers.

Collide zine is more of an organizing platform than a retail business. While we sell physical copies of local art and writing, we help our followers the most by providing monthly events and opportunities to share their work with the public. I think what sets Collide apart is that it is not just a product but a resource hub for people who are just like who I was in 2020–an artist looking for their people, their “tribe.”

I want people to know that Collide will always have a place for you, no matter how weird or underappreciated you feel your art might be. Everyone can find a niche of Collide that speaks to them–even if it just means submitting a haiku online to our publication, you’re still participating in a larger project. If you end up coming to almost every open mic we host, like some of our followers do, well, that’s entirely up to you! You can choose the level of involved you want to be.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

That I can be whoever I want to be in the creative world. In a day job, or a corporation, I always feel like a puzzle piece, a kog or a pawn in a larger system with no individuality. I think individual creative expression is so validating and important for mental health. And I see that in other people too. We have artists and poets that work full time day jobs at Amazon, law agencies, hospitals, etc. When they are eager to come participate in an open mic or show art at one of our shows, it brings out their creative joy in a way that spotlights it through community. We WANT to see the real them, the part of them that shines when they are free from their job that might not be as creatively fulfilling. We are that outlet that is so very needed. And as an artist that gives that to her community, I am forever grateful to be able to do that with the zine (Collide).

How’d you meet your business partner?

Katie was actually a neighbor in Queen Village that I became friends with over the Facebook group “Philly Affordable Housing”. We were actually both looking to move but stay in the same neighborhood, and we had a few coffee meetups and really connected on how much we both love art and writing–and cats too! Katie and I ended up not becoming roommates but when I proposed Collide to her and asked her to help, there was no hesitation. I could not have made Collide what it is today without Katie working behind the scenes on every issue to make them look so beautiful and clean!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @collidezinephilly
• Other: Personal art Instagram: @lindseygillart
  Personal yoga instagram: @lindseygillyoga

Image Credits

Soup Can Magazine
Caroline Twohill
Faith Costa
Mariya Mobley
Alina Amador