Lazy Anarchist Collective: A New, Unedited, and All-Inclusive St Andrews Arts Initiative

In the warmth of a homely bedroom on a gloomy March afternoon, I sat down with the creators of the Lazy Anarchist Collective (LAC), an independent arts initiative created by three female St Andrews students. They granted me the unique opportunity to learn more about their beloved creative project. I was a fly on the wall, keenly listening and occasionally interjecting as they unraveled the inspiration behind LAC, outlined their core beliefs, and highlighted the importance of the arts in the St Andrews community.

The LAC team is made up of just three members, each of whom play an integral role in its success. A New York native and avid painter, Nuala O’Hagan (‘24) is the visionary and creative genius behind the formulation of LAC. While performing monotonous tasks at her summer job, she originated the concept of an open-ended, unedited, and all-inclusive creative publication where St Andrews students could submit their work without fear of it being rejected or heavily edited. To help in this pursuit, she recruited two brilliant St Andrews students. The first is the eloquent and witty Catherine Barrie (‘24), a resident of Aberdeen who shares a passion for the arts and literature. She brings an added layer of creative input, and firmly supports the notion of mixing different art mediums. She is also the writer of the new play Women You Know, which was performed in Edinburgh and St Andrews and explores the many facets of the female experience. Lastly, the group wouldn’t be complete without their “type A, administrative mastermind” Julija Koletnik (‘24), a Slovenian stem queen with a dark sense of humor and mad cooking skills who manages the publication’s logistical aspects. She believes that art enables us to better understand the world and connect with our intrinsic humanity, “something that quantum mechanics cannot explain.” The dynamism and inquisitiveness of this powerful trio make them a tight knit, cohesive and productive team.

Having previously written for publications, Nuala struggled with the heavy altering of her work by editors and strict protocols. As a creative, she felt there was a lack of artistic spaces in St Andrews in which to immerse herself. Thus emerged LAC, which was founded on the ideals of fostering an inclusive, informal, and all-encompassing space for St Andrews students to showcase their own work and appreciate others artistic pursuits. The publication doesn’t adhere to a theme or art medium, nor does it involve editing, but rather acts as an “open platform for people’s thoughts, writing, photography, and artwork to congregate.” Their unique approach eliminates any element of chore or commitment, highlighting the creative pursuits of both seasoned artists and average students by accepting all submissions.

The collective’s distinctive name corroborates this egalitarian vision. While the name holds no political association, it “speaks to the fact that it rejects the establishment of pre-existing magazines in St Andrews.” Their effort is in the spirit of anarchy, but it’s not full-scale, thus the addition of the word lazy. As Catherine explained, she likes how “it’s ironic and somehow satirical.” More importantly, they wished to reclaim the word lazy, using it to express the untapped creative flow of thoughts that can develop and flourish within the pages of the publication.

A remarkable aspect of LAC is the dedication, resourcefulness and versatility of its extraordinary team. Despite having no background in graphic design, they organized and designed the sixty-two page publication. Since they are a new initiative, the printing of their first publication was completely self funded, emphasizing their commitment to investing in St Andrews’ art community. Their aim is for the magazine to be as affordable as possible to make it accessible to students. Finances wouldn’t be a concern if the publication were online, but they are adamant about having physical copies given the intimacy that physical ownership brings. You can annotate, highlight, or even tear it up – you can make it your own. Viewers are able to react and interact with the content and the physical materiality of the publication, which would not be possible if it were exclusively online.

The magazine itself “feels like some sort of pastiche or collage,” a visually aesthetic and thematically complex amalgamation of everyone’s work. Rather than acting as editors, the trio took on the role of curators, making connections and seeing links between the different works ranging across multiple art mediums. For example, a film photograph may be paired with a poem. This cultivated a natural and cohesive flow within the magazine, where the different submissions are in dialogue with one another and thus contributing to greater, overarching themes. The process of formatting the publication was in and of itself a creative process.

By making a space for students to explore and present their artistic endeavors and creative thoughts, LAC encourages the notion of making art for art’s sake. They are reinvigorating St Andrews’ art community and fostering meaningful conversations about all things art, literature, and more. Their impact as an arts initiative doesn’t stop at the printing of their magazine, but will extend into the podcast, merchandise sales, and other creative endeavors they plan to have – and I am on the edge of my seat to see what the future holds for LAC.