Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennie Bull.
Hi Jennie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Last year, I started Moody Magazine with my co-founder, Emma Lueders, after reaching a point of frustration with the lack of transparency in media surrounding the realities of self-love and sexual liberation. I was seeking a safe space within my community where I felt comfortable enough to discuss the parts of myself that I deemed to be “unloveable”, so I decided to create one. Once Emma and I decided to make Moody, we shared our mission statement online and our goals to make the uncomfortable comfortable and to normalize the taboos that have such a strong chokehold onto our society. We received over 100 applications worldwide from like-minded individuals that have been craving a community like this.
Since that point, we have worked to amplify stories that people have previously felt too ashamed to share through a bi-annual print magazine. For our first edition, The Rebirth of Transparency, we fundraised to print and distribute 250 copies; since then, with the launch of our second edition, Into the Moodyverse, we were able to print and distribute 1,250 copies. The response has been incredible, so many people from all walks of life, have reached out to me saying that reading Moody was the first time they felt seen and their experiences represented in media. Hearing from others that they resonate with the work that we are putting out makes it all worth it and pushes us to continue to spread our mission to as many people as we can.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Entering a space where I had very little experience in proved to be quite a challenging learning curve, even though I had worked with magazines in the past, nothing could prepare me for actually starting one from the ground up. When I first started Moody Magazine, the extent of my graphic design skills ended at Lightroom and Canva, I had no idea what the first steps would be to make a magazine let alone manage such a large team to execute our vision. I am such a perfectionist, especially when it comes to covering such sensitive subject matter, it was extremely important to me that we were doing it right. With each edition, we learn and grow, taking in feedback on ways that we can improve and be more inclusive to feature all voices. There will always be bumps in the road, but hearing that even one person feels more comfortable in their skin and with their experiences after discovering Moody, makes everything worth it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am the Co-Founder and Editor in Chief of the sex-positive and self-positive magazine, Moody Mag. Here, we strive to break down the taboo, working to make transparency surrounding sex and self-expression the norm. I specialize in overseeing all creative direction and magazine distribution. Not just from a creative standpoint, I also work, alongside my co-founder and team, to grow Moody into an enterprise and expand as a business. Throughout this process, I have had the honor to speak to and learn from people whose perspectives and experiences have changed my outlook on life, I am proud of my growth – not just as a creative – but as a person. I have finally accepted the parts of myself that I used to be so ashamed of, that I used to keep locked away, and I have Moody to thank for that. I’d say that our passion for diving deep into the uncomfortable and sharing what many feel but are too scared to admit is what sets Moody apart from any other publication. Not just a publication, we are a family.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Growing up, my happiest memories were spent visiting my grandfather. He had a cabin in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin, full of lush greenery that went on for acres and his own little lake. It was magical, we would walk around for hours and he would tell me stories, both true and imaginary while pointing out different species of plants and blooming flowers. He taught me about fairies and the magical creatures that lived there and would leave notes in the trees from them for me to find later. We would make pancakes, play cards, read books, and canoe on the lake. I was an angry child, I was full of insecurity and always felt out of place, he made me feel valued and seen, and when I was there I could just let go of everything and be a kid again.
Contact Info:
- Website: themoodymag.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moodymagzine/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moodymag/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/moodymagzine
