Editors' Letter
Art by Vivian Chambers
Dear beloved UA Readers,
Uniquely Aligned has changed my life in more ways than one. When we first created it, its only purpose was to be an outlet for the four of us. But somehow, because of you, it became an outlet for thousands of people. Thousands of creative, kind, unique, and truly extraordinary people that have become my friends, my inspirations, and my family members.
It’s with the most thankful heart that I’m telling you that this is going to be the last issue of Uniquely Aligned. This site will remain an archive for as long as possible so that all of your amazing work will stay displayed and immortalized through Uniquely Aligned, but we will no longer be updating our site.
There isn’t really one good reason to explain why this is happening because it’s more of a feeling. Katherine, Sav, and I are all at different colleges in different states going different ways, so it makes sense that Uniquely Aligned should stay in our teenage years as we move past them. We are freshmen in college starting a new life, so it makes sense that we should start pursuing new things. But really, the way I see it is this: Uniquely Aligned is one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and I want it to be great or nothing. As we all struggle in new cities, trying to create new lives for ourselves, we don’t want to drag Uniquely Aligned along, and we don’t want to drag you along. We don’t want to watch Uniquely Aligned wither away. We want Uniquely Aligned to be great, and if that means it has to become a thing of the past, then we will trust that process.
It’s true that all great things come to an end. It sounds so depressing. But great things come to an end to make room for more great things. Life is full of endings and bittersweet goodbyes, but if they weren’t wouldn’t we be stuck in one place? Isn’t it better to be crawling through the unknown than to be sitting still in familiarity? Although Uniquely Aligned is “ending,” we all know it will never really end. Because the way we felt when we read that writing piece will never really end. And the nostalgia we felt when we saw that photo will never really go away. And the friendships we made through Instagram DMs after seeing each other’s creations will never fade. These things are forever.
We don’t want to go quietly. We want to go out with a bang—one last issue. So, this January’s theme is “Forever.” Forever for those friendships, for those emotions, for those bursts of inspiration you gave us.
In Greta Gerwig’s Little Women screenplay, she sets the past in “the snowglobe of girlhood that is ever present but forever gone.” I never really stopped thinking about that. I’m a sucker for memories and childhood and nostalgia, and I think that phrase sums it up pretty perfectly. Ever present but forever gone. Although Uniquely Aligned is taking its last bow, I have so much pride and love and joy thinking about how it will be ever present in my life, and I hope it will be ever present in some of yours too. So that’s what this month is about. It’s about the FOREVERS even when things end. It’s about beginnings when everyone else is focused on endings. It’s about celebrating and being thankful and being proud of everything that has happened. Because memories and art and friendships and love last Forever, and that’s what Uniquely Aligned has brought me.
All I can say is thank you. Thank you for your hard work. For your vulnerability. For your friendship, for your support. Thank you for the energy and joy you brought to my life every single day when I read your writing and Instagram comments and DMs in the grey high school hallways. Thank you for giving me a community of thousands of friends, and thank you for giving that to each other. I’m so smiley thinking about all that Uniquely Aligned has created because of you guys.
NOW I’M ASKING YOU TO SUBMIT ONE LAST TIME. Submit your writing, your photography, your art, your films. Think about the things that will live with you Forever and make something out of it. We’re so so so excited to see what you create this time.
I’m saying this from the bottom of my heart, so so honestly and earnestly I could explode: I LOVE YOU ALL. THANK YOU. I’m not trying to be clever, I just mean it: please don’t be a stranger.
Oh, and one last reminder: PRINT LASTS FOREVER. SO BUY “DON’T BE A STRANGER!” WHEN THEY’RE GONE, THEY’RE GONE.
All the love and thanks in the world,
Vivian Chambers, Editor-in-chief
Dear UA readers,
Thank you.
As you know by now, this is the last issue of Uniquely Aligned. As you read this— wherever you are, whoever you are— I’m well aware that I may not ever meet any of you in real life. I won’t be able to tell you in person how much you inspire me, move me, and encourage me with your artistic expression. But thank you anyway.
Thank you for choosing Uniquely Aligned to show your heart. Thank you for choosing this platform to express yourself and to support each other. Thank you for choosing us. Thank you for growing with us.
Through this magazine, you all have done way more for me than I’ll ever be able to do for you. But if we keep rereading the same chapter, we will never finish the book. Closing this chapter was a decision we thought of carefully. As we enter new stages in our lives, it seems fitting to give old ones their deserved magnificent finale.
It doesn’t feel like Uniquely Aligned is ending. The closing of UA does not feel happy or relieving. But it does feel peaceful and organic, like the natural progression of things. It feels like a pendulum that had swung to one side and is now steadying itself again. For a while, our website stated that we were a group of teenage girls who started this magazine because we were tired of sitting still. We were a few girls who wanted to show the world that young people have creativity and a voice. We did everything we set out to do and more than we could have hoped for.
It doesn’t feel like Uniquely Aligned is ending because, well, it’s not. The connections we’ve shared across states and countries and continents, phones and laptops and tablets in bedrooms and classrooms and the bathrooms of parties and backseats of cars, will never end. The website may be an archive (fortunately, print is forever), but the emotions will always be there. People don’t forget how you’ve made them feel. And I know I speak for more than myself when I say that I will never forget how your art and this community have made me feel.
When I suggested the theme Forever, this is what I had in mind. Forever exists. I have felt it. We all have, haven’t we? Forever is that part of your favorite song that you close your eyes and replay until it resonates in the way it always does. Forever is that scene in a film that breaks your heart in the best way, in a way you didn’t know it could be broken, and it stays with you long after the credits roll. Forever is sharing a laugh with the ones who make you feel invincible, as you look outside and realize the sun has long set. Forever is the moments we feel like we don’t deserve and could never touch and could never have, the stuff people make movies about. Forever is when you close your eyes in these moments, and then open them to catch a lasting glimpse of the expressions and smiles and mid-laughters of the people around you, as if keeping a snapshot of your very existence. Forever is when we hold these moments in our hands and our hearts, right before our eyes, and it feels like the present is too glorious to be real; it’s as if we don’t even exist. But we do. These moments are ours. Forever.
We fittingly relaunched Uniquely Aligned as a magazine a few years ago around the same time that some of our favorite publications were folding. We wanted to fill the gap they left, but that was a naive goal, and having been an editor of this magazine for a few years of my youth, I realize there is much more to it than that. Things end, and things end for different reasons. Nonetheless, there is something to be said about what’s left behind and what we choose to take with us. The editors and writers I look up to left behind a space that could not just be filled but exist at all. They showed that art matters, young people and our artistic expression matter, these moments of Forever matter, our community and love and the comfort in not having to grow up alone matter. I hope we carried this legacy well.
When I suggested the theme Forever, I was clinging to an idea of a sparkly, magnificent infinity. I remember when I had the privilege of watching Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway. In the Finale, the cast sings … all we see is sky, for forever… It’s not just Forever- it’s For Forever. Our memories, dreams, and self-explorations transcend this fraction of youth. Our print magazine will last, take up space in our homes and backpacks, Forever. This site may not be updated, but it will be here for you, for all of us, Forever.
It’s no accident that Forever parallels our very first theme under the relaunched version of Uniquely Aligned, Forever Young. The message is similar, but has extended. We are not just Forever Young. We are Forever Changing, Forever Trying and Failing and Trying again, Forever Transforming, Forever Feeling, Forever Moved, and Forever Growing.
I will be thanking you Forever. I will be cherishing you Forever.
So this month, I want to see your Forever creations! What is Forever to you? What endings can we turn into new beginnings? What moments and memories and experiences have stayed with you on your journeys around the sun? Altogether, what makes you feel infinite? What makes you feel like Forever? I look forward to finding out.
Thank you again endlessly. Thank you for giving me something to miss when it’s gone, and thank you for making Uniquely Aligned worth missing. Thank you for the memories that will last Forever. And this month, I look forward to reading about, listening to, and seeing your piece of Forever.
Goodbye, for now. I cannot wait to see who we grow up to be.
With love and gratitude,
Savanna Chada, Managing Editor
Dear contributors and friends of UA,
When we first set out to create Uniquely Aligned we were young students who attempted to create a space where we could express ourselves. Whether it was photography, art, or writing, we made our attempts to produce all of that content on our own. However, we soon realized that this space would be stronger, more creative, and more unified through the contributions of a diverse group of voices. Following a revamp, we have a team of over 40 regular contributors from all over the world. Through them, UA blossomed into a community filled with a plethora of writing, photography, and art.
Following eighteen digital issues and our print issue Don’t Be a Stranger, Vivian, Savanna, and I entered our freshman year of college. As we moved into this new phase of our lives, we took UA with us and attempted to find a balance. However, after countless conversations and texts, we came to the conclusion that it was time to take a pause and say goodbye.
It is not an easy decision, but it is one we feel confident and sure in making. As I reflect upon the many years of UA, there are not enough words to describe exactly how I feel, but I think about how much I have changed over the course of time. I have undertaken many challenges and suffered many losses, but I have also grown immensely and learned the joy of simply being alive. I’m positive and hopeful that many of you have experienced similar things, and I feel incredibly grateful that Uniquely Aligned was a space where we could creatively share the trials and victories of today’s world.
In honor of this, we are creating a final issue with the theme “Forever.” There are so many things that this encapsulates - love, growth, life in general - but if you’re seeking inspiration, I’ll turn you to UA’s mission statement: “We want this to be a place for everyone. We are on a mission. To show the world that we have creativity to share and a voice to be spoken. To make mistakes and to learn. To be kids and to be good. To talk, to cry. To laugh, to feel. To give. To love, to run, to be loved. Simply put, to live.” These are all things that are essential to the teenage experience, past and present, and works surrounding them will resonate forever, just as I hope UA and its content, message, and people will.
Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has ever contributed to, read, or supported Uniquely Aligned in any way. We are forever grateful for all of you and this space would not be the same without you. I hope that you loved this experience as much as we did and I wish you the best of luck with whatever life brings you. Keep in touch!
Love,