Confessions of a Magazine Junkie (Pt 3)

• August
• 19

7:46 pm Footprints History, Reading, Writing

And so it was on a ladies camp in September 1997 that the idea for Footprints was first conceived. At the time I had a 10 month old baby and a 3 year old. I thought there was no way I could pursue this dream at least until my children were at school – maybe 5 years down the track.

Ha! The idea just wouldn’t go away and I was caught up with enthusiasm. Agatha Christie once said “the best time for planning a book is when you are doing dishes” and I know exactly what she meant! I had a continual stream of great ideas running through my brain – when I was doing dishes, making the bed, in the shower, or driving the car. I started keeping a notepad on me at all times to scribble down all these fantastic ideas!

I was very excited and shared my idea with anybody who’d stop to listen. Most people looked at me as though I had grown an extra head, but I was very blessed to find half a dozen friends who seemed to “catch the vision” (including Jo) and with their help the first issue of Footprints was launched in January 1998, just 4 months later.

Fortunately my husband was very supportive, and didn’t mind me spending a bit of our scarce cash to make this dream a reality. Our first issue was very plain and simple, seven pages photocopied front and back. Not really a magazine – more a newsletter. Or a “magazine-styled newsletter” as I used to call it!

We started Footprints with what we had, which wasn’t much at that stage. Right from the start I felt very strongly that if indeed Footprints was meant to be, it would grow … I didn’t feel ashamed that it was only a humble home-made production.

Out of tiny acorns, mighty oak trees grow … I knew that it was by being “faithful with the little things, and then the big things will come.” Have you seen the movie “Field of Dreams” starring Kevin Costner? “If you build it, he will come”? That’s exactly what it felt like – I was taking a risk, a leap of faith, but something good would come of it!

My husband and I decided to invest $200 to get Footprints started, which we spent on PO Box rental and to get 200 copies printed, which we gave away for free to anybody we thought would be interested. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best way to go about it, but we’re still here so we must have done something right!

At this stage I had *no* background in journalism, producing a magazine (except for Cheeky!), publishing, advertising and publicity –anything! So there I was – no experience, no money, a very old computer. But as my husband said at the time, if I was serious about doing this magazine, I would have hand-written if it I had to. And he was right!

Twelve years later, I know that the Lord Himself has been my teacher and has blessed Footprints in ways that I never even dreamed possible …