When I was 31, something happened to me that I will never forget. I learned that I have curly hair. It’s wild how self-discovery is learning to see what’s right in front of you.
I’m sure you must be saying, “Martina, how did you NOT know that????” I know. Curly hair seems like it would be super obvious, right? But for me, that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t until after one very important haircut appointment that I learned my hair’s truest form: CURLY!


Knowing what I know now, when I look at the first image I can very clearly see that my hair is curly but in DESPERATE need of help and hydration. I also didn’t know that wavy hair is a type of curly hair. I shudder to think about my hair care practices prior to this knowledge. It was NOT GOOD. And no wonder that my hair was flat. I didn’t have the information I needed to take care of my hair the way it needed. Truly, the more you know!
Turning My Experience into a Zine
Learning this information about myself was so impactful that I decided to write about it in a zine! If you’re not familiar with them, a zine (pronounced “zeen”, like magazine) is a small-circulation, self-published work usually in the form of a booklet. I have wanted to make one for a while, so I’m super excited to have finally done that!
My zine is called “How I Learned I Have Curly Hair: A Zine About Self-Discovery in my 30s.” It is available for purchase in both print and digital versions. I’ve also included some extras with the purchase of the zine, so please do check it out!
My zine is about the day I learned I have curly hair and how that small piece of information was a single drop that would become a waterfall of self-discovery.
To make this zine, I found a template online that you can find here. It uses Google Slides to create the layout which is awesome! There are so many different programs out there to create book layouts, but many of them cost a lot of money. So, I was super excited to find one that uses free software. Now you can use it, too!
Creation as an Act of Self-Discovery
Sometimes I forget how powerful the creative process is and how integral it is to my healing and growth. The act of creating this zine gave me a container to express myself and to reflect on this experience. It revealed some deep truths to me that I think many can relate to.
I also got to put so many of my different skills into practice! When I was in college, I mainly studied children’s book illustration. I learned how to make book dummies and layouts with images and text, so creating this zine brought me back to that time.
In my last semester of college, I took a graphic design course. It was an intro class (since I wasn’t a graphic design major), so the class was filled with first year students. I will always think of that class with so much fondness. Not only was learning the basics of graphic design super fun, but so many of my classmates looked up to me because I was a senior and I could draw. HAHA!! Who wouldn’t love that admiration?
I still remember that last class, my official last day of college, hanging out at Chevy’s with my favorite classmates, waiting for our finals to be graded. I did so well on the final, the teacher asked if he could keep it as an example for the next year’s students. Hearing that made me feel so good! The only thing that made that day even better was when I met my partner for the first time later that evening. It was truly a magical day.
Creating this zine brought all of those skills and memories back to me. Like a warm hug. Reminding me how beautiful the creative process is, especially when you share it with others.
To The Future and Beyond
Making this zine was such fun project! I got to put so many of my skills together in a super satisfying way. I intend to create more zines in the future. Maybe more about self-discovery, but who knows!
It makes me chuckle that I decided to write about this experience now because two months ago I buzzed my hair off! For many reasons, I am so happy I cut it off. Although my hair is now less than 1 inch long, I know my curls will still be there if I ever decide to grow them out again. Especially because now I know about things like leave-in-conditioner and plopping. 😂

Thanks for reading my post! Don’t forget to check out my zine here.
With love,
Martina