EDITOR’S NOTE
I write this coming from a dark place.
My dearest lola (grandmother) who lived to 78 has passed on. Cancer. In the midst of producing
an issue about starting out and pursuing ones passion, I had to face an ending. It was devastating
and, for a while, it drained all the optimism within me. My lola was equal parts authoritative
and nurturing; she was not an easy woman to love for a lot of people but her toughness hides
a caring soul. As her favorite male apo (grandson), I could fondly recall so many moments of
tender compassion and selflessness from her; my lola, by default, never wavered in putting
the well-being and happiness of her loved ones above hers. Her slow but imminent departure
nevertheless still left me with a sense of disbelief that this formidable woman, our family’s
‘anchor’ has gone. That it had to happen just a few days before her birthday and Christmas, both
occasions of great festivity, made it all the more difficult to understand the general atmosphere
of happiness and the hope that blanketed the world at that very moment. I won’t pretend to feel
much better as I write this but in the spirit of this issue’s brazen optimism, one I had to helm
despite the odds, I am opening myself to the opportunity to slowly stand up and start again.
Decisions to begin or initiate things often begin during moments of great loss, of
realizations that things could be better, that one has the power to effect change and fix things.
It is a hopeful thought that I cling to especially now in these trying times. As long as we persist
and hope to make things better for ourselves and others despite the odds, we will never run
short of starters. There should be no shame in beginning things; every courageous undertaking
requires that furtive first step before great things can proceed. One needs to set foundations first
before building. But one also needs to absorb the loss and the pain; understand the situation first,
before gathering strength to start again.
For this issue, we have gathered a stellar roster of talents to start the year, everyone a daring
starter that sought to effect positive change be it small or large. We also have our very first
creative on the cover, graphic designer and illustrator Dan Matutina, who together with his
studio Plus63 and an equally daring group of design practices from various fields, made the
decision to band together into a stronger and better whole, resulting in Hydra Design Group.
May this issue inspire you to make that leap into the unknown. Learn. Start something.
#StartStrong. Have a blessed new year!
This is for you Lola Paz.
Patrick
@patrick_kasingsing