INTO celebrated its one year anniversary over the summer, which gave us an opportunity to reflect on all that we’ve been able to accomplish in a short amount of time — but also to see where we could expand, and what kind of content was important to us as creators and to our community as active participants. The decision to create quarterly issues was one we’d been thinking about for a while, but it really came together around the first theme and cover star.

Nomi Ruiz has created opportunities for herself when they weren’t being presented otherwise; and then she made sure there was space not just for her own art and visibility, but for other marginalized people, too. The musician-turned-actress spoke with us about demanding to be seen and heard, and launching her own label, Parkside Records, to help produce work that often gets ignored or mislabeled or distorted by those less likely to offer such a personal touch. Ruiz is a true leader, collaborator, and mentor to artists like Martine, whose music video we premiere as part of the issue, and who spoke with Nomi about voyeurism and vengeance and vanity.

Because of Nomi, and because of her hustle and collaborative spirit, we decided our first issue should be all about The Come Up. Throughout the rest of October and November, we’ll be posting new content as part of our digital issue, all related to The Come Up—whether that’s speaking with other artists and creatives about how they’ve cultivated success and who they are bringing with them once they get there; or personal essays from writers who share their individual perspectives on what coming up feels like for them, and the experiences that have shaped their journeys. We profile up-and-comers who are new to the spotlight, queer business owners, and individuals who have invited other people to join them on their way to the top.

Consider this your official invitation to an inclusive event — our fall issue, The Come Up.

Trish Bendix

Managing Editor, INTO
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