“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” Walt Disney
There was a sense of disbelief when we unloaded boxes – dozens of them – containing issue one of Like the Wind magazine, from a van emblazoned with the printer’s logo on the side.
Disbelief that people had contributed stories.
That other people had illustrated those stories.
That the two of us had figured out how to edit the words, design and lay out the pieces, create files for the printer and set up a website so that runners could buy copies.
Disbelief that runners had in fact pre-ordered copies of a magazine that was still weeks away from landing on their doormats.
But there we were. With LtW #1 in all its imperfect glory. The main thing was that we had done very little talking and quite a lot of doing. So the magazine existed. The journey had begun.
Tough Times
And now here we are. Six years and 22 editions later.
The more mathematically minded amongst you will see immediately that we have not managed to stick to producing the magazine every three months. And actually that is something we’re quite proud of now.
Let us explain.
The team behind the magazine is smaller than most people expect. Simon and Imogen work on the words. Julie and Alex work on the design and layout. All four of us are part time. Usually one or two others contribute by proof-reading or creating posts for our social media channels. But the team is pretty lean.
And life gets in the way from time to time. Back in 2017 we realised that producing four editions of the magazine whilst dealing with some personal challenges was not going to be possible. In fact, perhaps we couldn’t keep the magazine going at all.
It was a difficult time.
Team Work Makes The Dream Work
Whilst we wondered what to do, something magical happened. Colleagues, contributors, readers and friends got in touch. They told us that they loved the magazine. They took on work we couldn’t cope with. They told us that they’d wait a little longer than usual for the magazine.
So we recovered and continued.
And we are so glad that we did. We are still a small team. We still rely on the generosity of writers, illustrators and photographers who contribute such amazing pieces for the magazine. We exist because more and more runners buy copies and subscriptions. And our efforts are bolstered by brands that really get what we do and choose to support us.
It can be too tempting to draw comparisons between publishing Like the Wind magazine and running. But the metaphor is too good to ignore.
Publishing and Running
Like a new runner, when we started out the learning curve was incredibly steep. We often stumbled. But we kept trying to get better. Along the was we had support from people with more experience. And we got better by doing. At times we have been injured and people supported us when we were down.
But most of the time we have felt elated, excited and grateful. We have had the most amazing, positive experiences. We have loved the support we have received. And 22 times we have crossed the finish line of publishing an edition of the magazine. Only to immediately wonder how we can get better next time.
So thank you to everyone who has contributed to Like the Wind reaching its 6th birthday. We will be hosting a party on 11 March in central London (please save the date and look out for more details soon). If you have missed issues of the magazine, we have a ‘collectors bundle’ offer with a special price and free shipping – just use the code 6BDAY at checkout. And we are working on issue #23, which will be out at the end of February.
All the best.
Simon and Julie
Co-founders.