BY NELSON NG

The first time I laid eyes on the sea, everything changed. 

I realised how enormous the world really was, and more importantly, how small my world had been up to that point. I realised this was the real world, and not the one that we read about on our phones and computers all the time. This world—the real world—was indeed magical, and I felt a strong connection with it. It was as if I was looking deep inside myself, and I felt the power of the universe flow within me. As my eyes followed the rolling waves, my thoughts ran wild. My thoughts flowed and twisted freely like the motion of the sea, unrestrained and unafraid to test the limits of my imagination. There was so much I wanted to explore, as my mind was flooded with ideas and possibilities. It was a feeling I would never forget.

That experience, as some of you might know, eventually led me to start a travel magazine called LOST. And as the years went by, every time I found myself in need of inspiration or a place to dive deep into my thoughts, I would end up going back to the sea. There I would find the courage and freedom to let my thoughts roam free, once again reconnected and empowered by the energies of the ocean. The sea had, somehow, become a place for me to wonder.

Many years later, Venco, a friend of mine who is a designer, asked if I would be interested to work together on a magazine about the sea. As a child, Venco grew up in the inlands, and so when he first saw the sea, it symbolised a bigger and unknown world out there. This curiosity of the unknown pushed and motivated him to explore and grow at every stage of his life, which, once again, was a testament to the inspirational powers of the sea. Like myself, he found the sea incredibly alluring and wanted to create a publication about it.

And thus, Drawn was born.

For thousands of years, human beings have been drawn to the sea. From Greek mythology to Hemingway, to William Turner and Hokusai, the sea has always been a great source of inspiration for artists, poets and thinkers. There is some kind of energy there that has been stirring the hearts and minds of people for generations, drawing people to the sea time and again. I believe we need a platform to collect these stories to find out the how the sea affects the human psyche.

And that’s exactly what Drawn is.

Drawn is a magazine about the sea as a source of inspiration. Featuring stories of creativity and lifestyles inspired by the sea, it believes that the sea can trigger the human imagination, and take us to places we never knew. It believes that the mind has infinite power, just like the boundless sea.

The magazine is divided into three sections: ‘Living’, ‘Making’, ‘Thinking’. ‘Living’ collects stories of rituals and lifestyles inspired by the sea. How does the sea affect our bodies? What is life like by the sea and why is it inspiring? ‘Making’ collects stories of how the sea affects our creativity. From art to writing to music and even food, how does the sea inspire these works and what can we learn from them? ‘Thinking’ collects stories of thoughts inspired by the sea. How does the sea affect our minds? What are the thoughts triggered by the power of the ocean and how does the sea affect them internally? Through these three different categories, we hope to uncover a wide range of perspectives on how people are inspired by the sea, and the transformations that result from the process.

If you’ve ever found yourself staring at the sea, or being pulled by the lapping waves of the ocean, then perhaps this magazine is for you. We hope the stories shared in each issue will help you see the true value of the sea, and how it opens your mind to unlock its full potential. This magazine is as much about the sea as it is about the capacity of the human imagination.

Join us together on this journey to find out why humanity is forever drawn to the sea.

Find out more:

DRAWN project page

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