R.I.P. JPG Magazine

May 15, 2007

Nearly everything Derek Powazek touches turns to gold. I say “nearly,” because I spent an evening hanging out with him at the Charlotte Society of Communicating Arts’ Design For Community event back in 2001, and I’ve yet to find gold bars growing from my ears. But suffice to say, Derek is a living legend who commands a lot of respect and deserves a great deal more. His wife, Heather, the same.

Naturally, when Derek and Heather launched JPG Magazine in 2005, their impending success was entirely obvious to anyone familiar with their previous work. At its core, the magazine was a fusion of Derek’s and Heather’s passions — photography, publishing, and community. From these ingredients, the couple built a vibrant community sharing those exact same passions. Synergy!

Like most of Derek’s projects, JPG’s ultimate success rested in his capacity to foster online communities. But Derek and Heather weren’t simply just forum moderators or site admins — they were JPG Magazine. And JPG Magazine was Derek and Heather! People got excited about JPG Mag because Derek and Heather were excited about JPG Mag. People participated in JPG Mag because they trusted Derek and Heather. (Hell, there’s no way I’d have submitted my high-res files to JPG if I didn’t trust Heather & Derek.)

So it was quite disappointing to read Derek’s post about why they are not involved in JPG Magazine any longer. (Heather’s too.) Long story short, the other people Derek and Heather partnered with to grow JPG Mag decided to make changes that erased the blood sweat and tears they put into JPG Mag’s early issues. The business interests essentially terminated the heart of the community.

JPG Mag will surely continue in the direction the capitalists want to take it, but the community has been fractured and I doubt it’ll ever again manifest the pure love and passion from which it was created. So Rest in Peace, JPG Mag. I’ve cancelled my account and poured out a little liquor for my dead homie. If nothing else, this provides Derek and Heather the opportunity to spend time on whichever next wonderful community venture they wish to pursue, and I can't wait to become a part of it.