Blogs foster communities of young people

Young New Zealanders are using blogs as a way to foster creative communities both online and off.

Pop culture website fixuplooksharp.co.nz (commonly called FULS by users) is a New Zealand blogging site that aims to keep young creative people connected.

Multi-talented Dan Leigh reps for cult label Lower, makes t-shirts and is a singer-songwriter.

He began fixuplooksharp.co.nz more than two years ago so his friends all over New Zealand could network.

“The idea of FULS is to give individuals a space to express what they do and are into. Hopefully that helps encourage the music and art scene through them as well.”

Recently one of the sites bloggers, Lex Mawson, held a garage sale event in Ponsonby called Here and There, with the aim of bringing lots of different people with similar interests together.

“I like things that get different people together, with lots of fun and opportunity to make new friends with people in different creative fields.

“I saw a garage sale sign on my way to work one morning and then every little detail started to fall into my head.”

When Mawson came up with the idea of creating Here and There he grabbed a load of his friends, most who also write for FULS, and persuaded them to bring their “treasures and trinkets” to the sale.

Hannah Tatton, who is currently studying journalism, says the event was “a really cool chance to hang out with likeminded people who are involved in all different sectors of New Zealand art”.

Leigh says these sorts of “hang-outs and collaborations” are not exclusive or a “cool club”.

“We don’t want it to be just the people involved on FULS, like an elite club. We have people that hopefully many people can connect with in their different fields and communities.

Tatton, who is also into art and screen printing, says websites like FULS are fostering subcultures.

“Just being [at the garage sale], you could see that lots of the people were similar. Nearly everyone was arty.

“These people seem to be like New Zealand’s new underground or online art scene. It’s a very cool collective.”

Leigh says blogs, especially those like FULS, are really just about community, fun and inspiration through the collaboration of creative people.

“The fact that I can go to fixuplooksharp.co.nz and see a lot of people I know and what creative fun things they are doing or being inspired by is awesome. I haven’t got time to trawl through regurgitated individual blogs all the time,” says Leigh.

Here and There creator Mawson works in many different fields, including MCing, youth work and modelling.

He says the best things about collectives like Here and There is the complete freedom to do whatever he and other collaborators want to do.

“There are no boundaries.

“The thing I love above all is that anyone can do it. No degree, no boss, no nothings. Just you and what you want – it is a great expression and outlet for creative people.”