THE FLOURISH: A CARDISTRY MAGAZINE 12 YEARS IN THE MAKING

The Beginning: A Passion for Cardistry and Writing

Back in 2011, for a very brief moment there was a digital cardistry magazine called “The Cardist” that ran for 3 issues. I was 16 at the time and in love with cardistry and writing, so when I saw that they were looking for talent I instantly jumped at the opportunity. The first and only article that I ever wrote was about the Dynamite Crew, which was a group of teenagers from Denmark that were putting out amazing cardistry videos together. Out of this crew two of the biggest cardistry brands were born: Anyone and Dealer’s Grip – but that’s a different story.

Discovering the Dream: A Cardistry Magazine Idea Forms

This was the moment when I discovered I really liked interviewing people. I knew I wanted to do something with it, like write a book or maybe go into journalism, but it wasn’t until 2015 that I realised putting together a cardistry magazine would be an amazing idea! I began gathering cardists for what would be THE BEST CARDISTRY MAGAZINE to have ever been made or, at least, that was my intention. I had no formal training in design, I knew nothing about layouts, color harmony, cover making or pacing – all I had was a burning passion to create something that was not yet made. Like many artists lost in their own world, I believed wholeheartedly that what I was making looked amazing, edgy and, most important, experimental (but, in a good way).

Rest assured, the final product was crap. Looked worse than a high schooler’s art project. There was no sort of structure between the pages, the pictures were stretched, distorted or altered in abstract ways I thought was fit, the magazine contained personal poetry and photos I took on holidays – I think you get the picture. Nonetheless, the first issue I put out was downloaded more than 2.000 times in the first week. This showed me that there was an interest in this sort of magazine. So, I continued making them but, just like my predecessor, I ended up stopping after the third issue (thank God).

A Second Attempt: The 2018 Revival

It was only in 2018, three years later, during the World Championship of Cardistry, that I would pick the project again and try my best at it once more. Apparently, seeing people compete got my juices flowing. I challenged myself to create a digital cardistry magazine every month, until the end of the championship. I had learned a little more about design and what is beautiful to the eye and what isn’t. Plus, I now had friends

 who were artists that could look over the project and tell me if it sucked or not (something which I lacked in 2015). The new revival lasted for 7 issues, from May all the way through November of 2018. With each issue I tried my best to put out something that looked professional. I didn’t come very close, I have to be honest, but it was a very big improvement from my previous try. Now it could pass as a High School project.

These 7 intensive months taught me a lot about what it meant to make a magazine, gather materials from people and clock in the necessary time to put it out in the world. And then I abandoned the project once more. I wasn’t ready for such an ambitious task. Still, I knew I would be one day as long as I kept honing my craft and disciplining myself.

The Turning Point: A Physical Magazine is Born

Fast forward to 2022. I am in Ireland and a powerful passionate fire pushes me to start working on the cardistry magazine that I’ve been wanting to put out all those years. But, this time, it would be the real deal and it would be a physical magazine which people could flip with their fingers. So, I contacted everyone I knew in the cardistry world, and 7 months later, on July 6th 2023, the first issue of The Flourish magazine was done. I cried when I first held it in my hands.

At the time of writing this, it 19th December 2024, and The Flourish Magazine has launched in London at Cardistry Con to raving reviews, we’ve done a issue collaboration with Cardtopia for their 2023 convention in New York, a collaboration issue with Cardistry Experience in 2024 in Hamburg, Germany and all our issues are featured in The Magic Castle Library in LA. The magazine is slowly shaping to become a platform where people that love playing cards and skill toys meet. We’re still not there yet, but mark our words: by 2028 we’ll be the biggest magazine for this. You can quote me on that.