My take on what's missing from the magazines or why Stampington will probably never have me in their magazines again

I thought I'd elaborate on my previous comment about why I am disenchanted with the $15 magazines that are out there. You know, the ones that I keep buying in the hope that they morph into something different. It's not the quality (and it definitely ain't the quantity) of the magazines that is lacking. The photos are gorgeous. The artists are talented. The magazines are packed full of stuff. What's missing for me, is the substance. Wait. Don't get mad at me. Hang in there for a minute and let me finish. The magazines are too formulaic. Take, for example, Artful Blogging, each article is written by a different blogger. When you go to that blogger's blog, their voice sings loud and clear, right? Their style shines and jumps out from your reader at you. Well, why, when you read it in the magazine does every single blogger sound the same? I could look at the pictures for hours that accompany the text, but it's the text that is severely lacking. Let's look at Art Journaling. I have mixed emotions on how each issue only spotlights a small handful of artists. Yes, it's good to focus on a small group and let their voices and styles shine through. On the other hand, it's an issue of static. The artists are all discussing technique, because that is what the magazine focuses on. Personally, technique doesn't matter to me when I want to learn from another artist. What matters most to me, is the why. Why do you want to work in a journal vs on canvas? What are you trying to say and why? What's going through your head as you approach a page? It's not a problem of a lack of fabulously interesting artists being published (though I do tend to roll my eyes when they focus on the same artists over and over as if no one else is creating journal pages), there are tons of people, worldwide pouring their hearts and souls into their books. It's not about making pretty pages to them. It's about something more and that's what's seriously lacking. Last, but not least is Where Women Create. My question to you is, does your studio look like any of the ones in the magazine? Can we all yell a collective and proud, "Hell, no!" Why? Because we're artists and when we call ourselves working artists, our studios should reflect that expression. They should look loved, cherished, lived in and most importantly, worked in. Show us some messy studios, please! I haven't given up hope yet. I keep faithfully buying the magazines usually because there's a small handful of artists in there whose work I love and new artists to discover. Yet, this faith won't last forever. Something has to change and it should change soon.