At just about every interview we've done here at ATS Magazine the questions that we ask have grown the artists. Artists usually learn more about themselves by the conclusion of spilling with us. So at this time of growth, ATS Mag sat down with it's Editor-in-Chief to talk about itself. Look at the pic of our first issue all those month's ago! Against the Stream (ATS): What started ATS Magazine? Markeyla Henton (MK:): I started ATS because I felt like there was nothing positive to look at. My freshman year I was surrounded by images that were negative and I thought to myself "Maybe there is no positivity, because there is no positive media" It took about two years of me figuring out life before it got off the ground though ATS: What is positive media? MK: Positive media reminds people of the wonderful divinity that is everyday life instead of being the reminder of the problems with humanity. Positive media does not shy away from the negative. It poses solutions. ATS: What does 'Be Edified" mean? MK: Ok, I kinda took it to church lol. Edification is a process of being enriched. By saying "Be Edified" to my readers, I'm opening the grounds for my reader to be filled with some form of positivity. My grandfather (who is a pastor) refers to the experience of being uplifted in church as edification. The Mag is obviously not a church or anything like it, but I sure hope to make my readers uplifted. ATS: Why ATS? MK: Mainstream media fails at portraying every demographic outside of the white male. Literally every demographic! I wanted to make it clear that we are not a part of that. So it's a pun. It reflects our desire to go against the grain and it also plays on our distance from mainstream goals. ATS: Where do you see ATS going? MK: In a perfect world, ATS Mag would be a global publication. We would be the hub for new and up-coming artists to reach out to the world. Much like Vogue and W Magazine shape fashion, ATS Magazine would be to the go to for the conscious youth community. But don't get me started. ATS Magazine would be everywhere if it were up to me. TV, radio, everywhere. ATS: What's been your biggest obstacle? MK: Honestly? Me! I have literally single-handedly made it harder on myself. When I started ATS Magazine I was completely unrealistic. I thought that my Business Plan would be a breeze. I thought the material would be endless. I also thought every friend I had was an employee just waiting to be called upon. Big Mistake! Two years later, I have no regrets. It was all a part of something much bigger than me. ATS: You don't have any regrets? MK: Ok, one. I regret not giving my readers more. I want our website to be their place of sanity during a busy day. Or a quick read on the treadmill. I couldn't accomplish that before being inconsistent. ATS: Any last words? MK: Yeah, um, just value this world, this environment, and the people around you. ATS highlights people because we value them.
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ATS MagAgainst the Stream Magazine is an urban platform. We edify our readers by finding noble, pure, and true talent and giving it a stage to flourish. While we love bragging about the folks around us, we also tackle urban issues by giving real world solutions. Archives
October 2015
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