Chat Chronicles : Insider Look at Serena Sudila's Vie Magazine

#Today's Read : dive into deep insights on the journey of creating a modern magazine.

So recently, I’ve had the pleasure of having an insightful conversation with Serena Sudila.

Serena is the founder of Vie Magazine, a Christian lifestyle magazine that combines faith, fashion, beauty and food together. We discussed Serena’s journey in founding Vie Magazine, her mission, interests and where she sees her journey unfolding.

Grab your cup of coffee ☕and a snack 🍪 and let’s get into it !

Q: How did you come up with Vie Magazine?

Serena: The magazine actually started off as a blog. It was very small. I wasn't very consistent with it. And it was called the Exotic Lawn. I would say the reason for the name stems from when I was younger. I really struggled to find my place in one specific area. The combination of lifestyle, culture as well as faith, I felt that I didn't see that, which made me feel quite odd.

Exotic means, you know, something that isn't the norm and the norm just being normal. And I felt both normal, but also very different and unique. And I wanted to create content for people who felt the same ultimately.

 That’s what I did. And then I kind of sat with it, and I really believed that for you to do something well, you have to have a vision, and it's vision that gives you direction. And I think at the moment, at the time, it really felt like a journal where I could write when I was going through certain things and I wanted to share how my faith helped me, but also how culture and lifestyle and all of those elements were intertwined. Importantly, how do I navigate today's culture and society while still having the integrity of my faith?

With time, I just started to meet more people, and I realized that I wasn't the only one that questioned how to navigate life and faith while being my authentic self.

You know, how do I combine these talents and interests where they don’t have to be separate from faith, when at times it can feel like they have to be separate.

I might be into fashion, but then I'm also Christian or whatever faith I may be, and it feels as though I have to separate the two. I realised I don’t; all of it is me.

That's sort of how it came about. So, it started off as a blog and then once I felt like I understood the vision and the value that it could bring I was really able to run with it and say, actually, this is a magazine, because I want to also provide the platform for other women who are doing well in life, who are succeeding and being able to celebrate and say, you know, women of faith who are in the fashion industry, women of faith who are mental health advocates, women of faith who are speakers and coaches, and all of these things don't have to be separate. Bringing our authentic self actually makes us better at what we do.

What drew my attention was your idea to have a photo shoot for the guests you're interviewing, which is fantastic because we often associate this with famous magazines. To have a smaller magazine going out their way and putting effort is really admirable and shows those who are intimidated to chase their visions, the importance of going out of their way to put effort.

Q: How do you approach the styling process for your guests in a photo shoot to catch their essence? Take us through the process.

Serena: I think what you said is key. Whenever I approach people, I think about they’re whole essence and what they stand for. It's very easy to pick somebody because they have X amount of followers and they're big, but not everybody that I've interviewed are really well known.

Whether it's in the Christian community or whatever field that they're in, I think about what it is that they represent and if I feel that they are a good example of intertwining faith and whatever field that they're in.

First and foremost, it starts with who they are as a person and staying true to who they are as a person. But I think about the message that I'm trying to communicate and I see the approach and because I'm a big mood board person, I’ll make a mood board.

It's a great way to visualize and encapsulate what I want people to feel. With every photoshoot I think, who are they as a person? I will pitch a theme to them and they say this makes complete sense for where I am today in life.

I try to be thoughtful about aligning both the theme and the person, and then, how do I convey it? Then I speak to the photographers and tell them this is what I’m thinking of doing and this is my mood board and usually they get it.

I am trying to communicate a story, so I'm also bringing my creative skills, but not being alone with it. I think sometimes when you are creative or you have a project, we can be so defensive and protective over it. We don't actually include people within it. I always try my best to lean on the people around me for creative guidance. So, whether it is the person I'm interviewing or the photographers. I have a team of people that I actually do speak to and say, okay, what do you think? There's a Valentine's Day shoot, which I'm thinking about already.

What is the message that I'm leaning towards? Am I leaning towards self-love or do I want to celebrate couples? And it's communicating with people and sitting on ideas. Sometimes it is easy to rush an idea, but it's like, no, let me wait on it. Let me think about it. What is it that I actually want to communicate to people and so I think, that is my process. My process is being thoughtful and intentional.

Again, when you're thinking from the perspective of value, what is the value that I'm genuinely providing for my readers? If my readership is five, then it's five, if it’s a hundred, if it's a thousand, regardless I want this to bless and impact somebody positively. So I'm going to think about everything. I'm going to be thinking about the story, the images I take and then going from that. That's sort of how I do it. I think about each step of the way and again, the story and the value. And if you're constantly thinking about how am I blessing other people, it comes through in everything you do from ideation, from creation, from editing, all of it.

That’s really inspiring to hear. I want to also add that many people I feel are more easily influenced by others with a lot of followers or numbers on social media that, you know, they think that I should listen to them because they have a large platform. We tend to overlook the people with smaller numbers or not very known people, but they a lot of the time, hold genuine messages and insightful stories and values.

 You being able to capture that with your guests in the process is very inspiring. I love that you're collaborating with them and communicating. Obviously, communication is key because being able to effectively communicate and make others feel comfortable is going to let them share their vision and what they think, which helps you in the overall process for your shoots and interviews that you release in Vie magazine.

Q: What has been the most fun and exciting aspect for you since creating Vie magazine?

Serena: Well, there's been so much in all honesty, I think some of it has been just seeing it come to life. Yeah, for me, that's been super exciting from just, you know, something that has been in my head for so many years and got me actually realizing that this was actually the fuller picture, and I just had no idea that this was the fuller picture. Also, working on something that I'm passionate about makes all the stresses so much more worth it, when you're planning something and you're seeing it. So I think that has been the excitement. And I love shoot days. They are stressful in the best way possible. It's like running around and sometimes I'm like getting clothes last minute as well on the day and like, oh my gosh, I probably should have done this yesterday, but here we are.

I love it. And I especially love seeing the image in your head come together on shoot days. And then when I get that email with, “hey, the pictures have arrived,” it’s like wow.

One thing you will always hear me say is “a life well lived is a life of impact”.

So, getting messages from people saying that article really helped me. It was exactly what I needed. It was something I was going through. Because I have some of the faith stuff, but I also have the fashion stuff.

I also have people being like, I really want to write and I've been scared to write. It has given them the opportunity to write. It's the impact it has, and I think we need to learn to measure impact by width and depth. There's impact in terms of you have a wide impact and an impact where you have a deep impact. At the moment Vie magazine is small, however, I'm wholeheartedly convinced it will be huge. It's having a deep impact and that's more than I could ever ask for.

Q: Do you actually pick the clothing pieces or do you give options to your guests to pick from?

Serena: I like to integrate them as much as possible. I always will call them and say, okay, I've sent over the moodboard and this is what I'm envisioning for you. What do you think?

Again, I want this to be diverse. It's going to be people with different body types as well. That also means that people are going to be comfortable with different things. So I very much sit with them and say this is what I envision. What are you comfortable with? Yeah, and that's how I get them involved. And then once I get a thumbs up, sometimes I'll send them ideas. A lot of times I always send them ideas and then I just call and say are you happy with this look and I will provide options.

Sometimes they're like, yeah, this isn't me at all. And I don't feel comfortable. I'm like, that's fine. The last thing I want to do is make anybody feel uncomfortable. It's very collaborative because it is an opportunity for people to share their story and being authentic to themselves. So we have that initial conversation. Then I'll bring a few options over and on the day there will sometimes be just one piece that they absolutely fall in love with and we’ll go with it, but I always like to provide options when I can.

The connection you build with your guests really helps everything fall together seamlessly and makes the whole experience way more authentic.

I was reading an article actually on Medium, and it highlighted an interesting point that, the more effort we exert into something that we do, the more potential reward.

You're putting a lot of effort into the magazine by picking your guests, arranging for the interviews, styling for the photo shoot, and putting it all together to create a beautiful magazine issue.

Obviously, this reaps a lot of rewards and should make you more passionate about what you do, which makes me very happy to see.

Q: What have been some of the most influential books or podcasts that inspire you for V magazine?

Serena: So actually, one of my latest issues was for a podcast called To My Sisters. The sense of community they've managed to build I think has been amazing. On top of that as well, is their authenticity. And I think it's super important to develop authenticity. So I think that has definitely been a big podcast.

Heart of the Matter is another podcast from one of the girls that I interviewed. She was really big on having that level of authenticity, but also bringing in faith.

There are other publications such as Magnify Collected, which again, go deep into conversation about faith and bringing that into culture. So I'd say those are definitely the podcasts.

And then just in terms of books, if I'm honest, it would be the Bible because of my faith.

I'm a big believer in learning your craft. When it comes to writing, styling and the fashion aspect, I would be crazy not to mention Vogue and how Anna Wintour made an amazing brand as well.

I find also The Cut has been quite interesting and their formatting of it as well. I’ve also really loved Who Wore What, and the founder actually started off as a blog as well.

I like learning about people who have been smart in their areas or who have succeeded in those areas and learning from them. There is also Emma Grede who is literally the mastermind behind Good American and Skims. She's like the low-key partner that nobody really, I think knows as much. And I find that completely inspirational. Her business mindset as well.

So for me, it's definitely been those aspects and actually listening to a lot of them and their stories, especially as women. I think we need to learn from other women who have come before us and who have succeeded and what have been their shortcomings and learn what the avoidable mistakes are.

Also, hearing their stories would obviously really comfort us to know that, you know, a lot of them started from scratch and to see the mistakes they made, their journey and their vulnerabilities just helps us to continue, because a lot of us often have a lot of dreams and visions in the beginning. Obviously not everything takes off quickly. It might start slowly, and they may start doubting themselves immediately and deciding to quit. Listening to stories of other women who have made it and seeing that it doesn't have to happen quickly. For some of them, it happened slowly and they continued. The perseverance and grit that all made it happen. And it's just it's really empowering in a sense.

Serena: A hundred percent. Also, Amelia the one that does the Chicken Shop Date, actually started interviewing people that weren't very well known. Now she's on red carpets and she was consistent in her craft and it was literally just by learning from her that I need to be consistent because sometimes, we can despise humble beginnings. We can say that this isn't where I want it to be, so we can actually resent our story because it isn't happening fast, as you said. By listening to these women you realize that the best things actually aren't rushed.

What would you say to females that are afraid to outwardly express themselves?

Serena: Oh, that's a good question. There have been times in my life when I felt like I had to restrain a side of me. It’s important to ask yourself why. The reason I say ask yourself why you're afraid of expressing it outwardly is it can actually be an indicator of something that's completely different. So it might be a case of being scared that people will reject you for who you are. It’s about asking yourself why am I afraid? And I think sometimes the fear of something tends to be worse than the actual thing.

I think that sometimes the fear of it can be paralysing. Any fear can be paralysing and stop you from doing something. When we restrict ourselves or hold ourselves back, we actually prevent ourselves from truly being authentic. I think being authentic is the best gift that you can give to yourself and others. You cannot build authentic relationships. It's your truth that you believe in your faith and you'll be able to share something meaningful to the world.

I love seeing other females journey and growth, where they stopped apologizing for who they were. As long as you're respecting the people around you, and their different faiths, opinions and beliefs. You don't have to agree, but you're respecting them.

Q: Where is V Magazine heading in the future?

 Serena: I see it as two-fold. I see it continuing to produce media for women and to celebrate women and again, intertwining faith and community as well. Further, how to live life in a way that really glorifies God and your faith in everything that you’re called to do. I think a lot of the time we can treat faith as very separate like I was saying. I want to celebrate and make unique content. Sometimes when we think about content about faith it seems very limited, so I want to continue to find unique ways to express this. Whether it’s through podcasts, series or documentaries, I want to leverage the power of media.

Media is such a powerful tool, yet I feel that it is not necessarily leveraged by people in the faith and people separate the two. I would love to continue to use the tool of media to show what walking in faith can look like and how it can be such a beautiful thing and celebrating women in all these amazing industries whether it is in tech, business and many others. How can we celebrate that and say you can do both, whatever both is and not be less, and amplifying these stories by using media, so I would say that’s definitely one thing.

Another thing is just continuing to provide opportunity. I want other women to be able to write as well. I see myself creating multiple magazines for different target audiences. I think V Magazine is just the first. I want to be able to create a variety of things and I want it to be global. I feel like Vie magazine has a global story. I’ve had people from America message me and I always wonder, how did it get to them and I would love to create a global community.

It’s great to create content to help people, but I don’t want it all to be one-sided because even speaking with you, I’m learning a lot and I’m hearing from you as well and I want to continue creating a community that’s not just going to benefit from my stories or the writer’s stories but even from each other. I want this to be a global thing and some people think I’m crazy, but I see this rivalling with Vogue. It will be as big as Vogue because there are people of faith and from a business perspective there’s no reason why this can’t be as big as Vogue and that in itself IS a story, that you can be authentically you and speak about faith and still excel.

I think my faith has taught me that nothing is impossible. I want to show that and for me a life well lived is a life with impact. I want to have impact and I really want to show women that whatever it is you’re doing you can have an impact, again the width and depth of it varies, but that’s my dream and my aspiration.

Check out Vie Magazine ! ❤️

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