Circus Magazine: Jackson Bowley’s chaotic new publication

Originally from Nottingham, Jackson moved to London to study on Central Saint Martin’s Culture, Criticism and Curation course, graduating in 2017. Since then, Bowley has been working as a beauty photographer and has shot for titles including Office, Twin and i-D, among others. His work is typified by an innate sense of humour and the lack of seriousness that is so often overlooked within fashion and beauty photography. Jackson calls this “a reaction to beauty photography,” in the way that his work “is very bright, in your face, happy and not sexual at all.” Circus essentially serves as a collaborative extension of this, bringing together like-minded contributors whose work also pushes this theme of folly. It’s a “very loud, bright and chaotic publication.”

Circus is part of a new generation of publications alongside the likes of Buffalo Zine that are centred around an introspective humour that is notably missing from traditional fashion print. It aims to be a “huge injection of fun” into an industry that can feel monotonous and overproduced. In other words, it artfully takes the piss. Featuring a huge range of artists from recent CSM Fashion Communication and Promotion graduate Stephanie Francis-Shanahan to set designer Rory Mullen. The thread that sews the body of work together: a shared wittiness at a time when “the world’s feeling pretty bleak.”

Circus is the absolute antithesis of the boredom that led Bowley to create it. We spoke to Jackson about the trials and tribulations of putting together his own publication, and his advice for those looking to follow in his footsteps.

What led to the creation of Circus Magazine? 

Boredom! Boredom in my own work and boredom in the beauty industry.

How have you found the process of putting together your own publication? Which part did you enjoy the most and which part did you find the hardest? 

Honestly, it’s been really fun! I’ve really loved reaching out and speaking to all the different contributors involved. The sheer size of the magazine has been a bit of a logistical nightmare, but I managed to work it out.

“When it came to commissioning I was always very conscious of not exclusively asking just photographers, but reaching out to different artists that also work within beauty, such as hairstylists, makeup artists, nail technicians, and set designers.” – Jackson Bowley

Do you also want to use it as a portfolio for commercial work?

God, I think clients are going to be even more scared of my work after this!

How was the process of selecting the contributors? 

I really enjoyed it. When it came to commissioning I was always very conscious of not exclusively asking just photographers, but reaching out to different artists that also work within beauty, such as hairstylists, makeup artists, nail technicians, and set designers. I then let those I asked to pick out their team, be it friends or even shooting it themselves.

Circus is physically huge! What was behind the decision for the publication to be in such a large format? 

I always wanted Circus to be a very loud, bright and obnoxious magazine, so when it came to the size of the magazine, I was not going to budge. The size of the mag really amplifies the images in a great way.

Did you find it refreshing to be producing work for a format that diverges from the traditional editorial style? Does this open new possibilities for creatives? 

So refreshing! Editorials are stressful, a lot of work, and expensive. It’s also quite an interesting way to work knowing that, as a contributor, you only get one page to play with, and that page should also double up as a poster. In some ways, it takes away a lot of the stress that usually comes when shooting say a 12-page editorial, but at the same time, you want to create an image that can stand the test of time and is something people want to display in their home or office.

“Now more than ever there’s definitely a need for humour, the worlds feeling pretty bleak.” – Jackson Bowley

Circus aims to create and celebrate the absurd. Do you feel fashion & beauty publications often take themselves too seriously?

Way too seriously and I’ve always thought this. With Circus, I just wanted to create a publication that isn’t too serious and also slightly mocks the beauty industry.

Is there a need for the blurring of the line between beauty and humour? Does Circus serve this purpose? 

Now more than ever there’s definitely a need for humour, the worlds feeling pretty bleak. But at the same time, there’s so much to celebrate. I wanted Circus to be a huge injection of fun and I definitely think I’ve managed that.

“I didn’t want to be too overbearing and have too much creative control, it usually just stifles the work.” – Jackson Bowley

The theme for issue 01 is, appropriately, ‘Circus’. How was this interpreted by the different contributors?

I didn’t want the theme to be taken too literally but instead to channel the energy and emotions of a circus and the contributors absolutely smashed it out of the water. Circus is filled to the brim with some absolutely crazy images, it’s a very loud, bright, and chaotic publication.

As editor, how have you handled the putting together of this magazine? Did the contributors exert their own creative control over the theme or was it more hands-on?

It was a bit of a mix really, I didn’t want to be too overbearing and have too much creative control, it usually just stifles the work. So I definitely put a lot of trust into each contributor and it paid off.

Could you talk a bit about the range of creatives you have involved in this publication? 

There’s a big mix of talented creatives in the first issue, from hairstylists, nail artists, still life photographers, set designers and artists. I didn’t want the magazine to be filled with what you’d expect from a ‘traditional’ beauty magazine.

“The world of beauty photography is a weird one, it’s still very stuck in the past, which for younger creatives is great in one sense as there’s so much to explore and so many ideas to develop.” – Jackson Bowley

Do you have any advice for someone looking to start their own publication?

Be original, have fun, and don’t do it for the money.

Do you have any advice for anyone who would want to get into beauty photography? Is it a hard field to navigate as a young artist? 

The world of beauty photography is a weird one, it’s still very stuck in the past, which for younger creatives is great in one sense as there’s so much to explore and so many ideas to develop. But at the same time, it’s very hard to get brands on board with thinking outside the traditional structure of beauty photography. I would say that you’ve just got to keep at it and create work that you want to see yourself, collaborate with different hair and makeup artists. There’s a lot of room for originality in beauty at the moment so get creative.

What are your plans for the future of Circus? 

I need a tiny break away from it, it’s all I’ve been talking about for the last 5 months, so if not for my own sanity, for my friends. And then I want to jump into the second issue and hopefully just in time for Spring 2021. I have a few contributors in mind, so let’s see what happens!

Circus launches with a bang this Wednesday 22nd of September at Photo Book Cafe. Copies are available to pre-order now.