5 Reminders for Emerging Voices
By CityHeART’s Art from Ashes
There is a specific kind of quiet that lives inside a story before it is shared. It’s a heavy, expectant sort of silence: like the moment before a rainstorm or the second after a candle is blown out. For many of us, our creative work starts in that quiet. We write in journals that stay tucked under mattresses, or we sketch in notebooks that never leave our backpacks.
At Art from Ashes, we believe that those stories — the ones born in the shadows and the “ashes” of our lived experiences — are exactly the ones the world needs to hear. But moving from a private journal to a published magazine can feel like crossing a massive, intimidating bridge. If you have ever found yourself wondering how to take that leap, you aren’t alone. We want to help you walk across that bridge.
To show you what we mean, we want to start by sharing a piece of storytelling from one of our own community members, Noelle Barganier.
A Lens into the Soul: The Work of Noelle Barganier
Noelle is a Creative Connect Intern here at Art from Ashes. Recently, she shared a striking art piece that perfectly captures the raw, honest energy we look for in our magazine. Her work, primarily created in charcoal and pencil, doesn’t just “show” a feeling; it invites you to sit inside it.
Noelle says: “This piece is about wishing for the experience of young love. The compilation of images is supposed to represent different aspects of loneliness one feels especially when they miss out on the experience of young love. The figure above represents watching others around you as well as watching media of people falling in love. The dog teeth below represent the negative emotions like anger, envy, and jealousy. The crying figure below shows the sadness and negative perception we might have of ourselves due to feeling unloved or unlikable. The art piece was primarily done in charcoal as well as pencil.”
This piece is deeply personal. Noelle explains that it’s about “wishing for the experience of young love.” It’s a compilation of images designed to represent the different facets of loneliness that come when you feel like you’ve missed out on that specific, formative milestone.
From the bystander watching others fall in love to the sharper bite of the dog “teeth” of loneliness and the crying figure at the bottom conveying the sadness and the distorted self-perception that often follows, Noelle has turned an internal, abstract ache into something we can all see and feel. This is the essence of community storytelling. It’s about taking the things we usually hide and putting them on the page to say, “I am here, and I feel this too.”
If you’re inspired by Noelle’s courage and want to see your own work in our magazine, online or in print, here are five reminders to help you get there.
1. Share from the Heart (The Power of Authenticity)
Getting published in a community magazine isn’t about having the most expensive equipment or a degree in Fine Arts. It’s about authenticity. In mainstream media, there is often a push to make things “marketable” or “polished.” In a community space like Art from Ashes, we are looking for the “real.”
When you sit down to create, don’t worry about what you think an editor wants to see. Instead, ask yourself: What is the story only I can tell? Noelle’s piece works because it is vulnerable. She didn’t try to draw a generic “sad face;” she drew the specific jealousy of watching others find love.
Authenticity is like the center of a sunflower exploding with seeds: it’s messy, it’s dense, and it’s full of life. When you share from that place, your work resonates with readers on a human level. We don’t need perfection; we need you.
2. Use Symbols and Metaphors to Speak the Unspeakable
Sometimes, the things we have been through are too big for literal words or straightforward drawings. This is where metaphors become your best friend. They act as a “bridge” between your internal world and the reader’s understanding.
Think back to Noelle’s use of dog teeth. She could have just written the word “envy,” but the visual of bared teeth tells us so much more about the pain and the aggression of that envy. It shows how it feels like something that could bite.
When you are preparing a submission, think about the symbols that represent your experience. Is your resilience a sturdy oak tree, or is it a tiny weed pushing through a crack in the sidewalk? Using symbols allows you to express complex trauma or deep joy in a way that feels safe but incredibly powerful.
3. Don’t Shy Away from “The Ashes”
Our name, Art from Ashes, is a constant reminder that beauty does not just happen in spite of struggle. It often happens because of it. Many emerging voices feel they should wait until they are “healed” or until their story has a “happy ending” before they submit.
We want to gently challenge that idea. Some of the most profound pieces we have ever published were created right in the middle of the fire. There is immense value in the struggle. Whether you are navigating the loneliness Noelle described or walking through the Heart of Survival, your current chapter is worthy of being seen.
You do not need to wrap your story in a bow. If it is raw, let it stay raw. If it is charcoal and pencil and grit, let the grit show. There is dignity in unfinished edges.
And at the same time, honoring the raw sometimes means protecting it. Some stories are still forming. Some wounds are still tender. If your work needs more time, that is not failure. It is wisdom. There is no prize for rushing your becoming. Creativity should never cost you your safety or your stability.
We believe that acknowledging the ashes is the first step toward transformation. Whether you are ready to share now or still holding your story close while it takes shape, both are sacred. Both are valid.
4. Connect with the Community (You Don’t Have to Create Alone)
Creating can be a solitary act, but being an artist doesn’t have to be. One of the best ways to get your work published is to engage with the community you want to join.
Noelle is a Creative Connect Intern, which means she is deeply embedded in the day-to-day rhythm of Art from Ashes. She sees how the magazine is put together, she hears the stories of others, and she contributes her own voice to the collective. While you don’t have to be an intern to get published, connecting with us on social media or attending our events can help you get a feel for the “vibe” of our mission.
Check out our various programs and see where you fit in. Maybe it’s listening to CityHeart Radio to hear how other creators talk about their work, or maybe it’s reading past issues of the magazine. When you feel like you belong to a community, the act of submitting your work feels less like a “test” and more like a conversation with friends.
5. Just Submit: Your Voice Truly Matters
The final step is often the hardest: hitting “send.”
We see so many people hold back because they think their voice doesn’t matter or that their art isn’t “good enough.” Here is the truth: there is a space in this world that only your voice can fill. There is a person out there who needs to see your “dog teeth” or your “crying figure” to know that they aren’t the only ones feeling that way.
The submission process is a quiet act of courage. It’s a way of saying, “My experience has value.” Even if a piece isn’t a fit for a specific issue, the act of putting it out there builds the “creative muscle” you need to grow as an artist.
Moving Forward Together
At Art from Ashes, we aren’t just looking for “content.” We are looking for connection. We are looking for the threads that bind us together as a community, even when those threads feel tenuous or frayed.
Noelle Barganier’s art is a gift to our magazine because it tells the truth. It reminds us that loneliness is a shared human experience, and that by drawing it out, we take away some of its power to isolate us.
If you have a story, a poem, or a charcoal sketch tucked away, we invite you to bring it out into the light. Whether you are a seasoned creator or someone who just picked up a pencil for the first time, your perspective is a vital part of our collective story.
Let’s see what we can build together from the ashes.