Salty at Heart’s founder Kirstin Thompson felt something was lacking in the women’s magazine niche. So she set about filling it – with a magazine dedicated to and inspired by women, adventure and the sea.
“When Kirstin saw a void in the women’s space that spoke about the good things that women did within the world and the powerful impacts that they made, after careful thought and consideration, and much research, she decided to bring Salty at Heart to life. And she’s awfully glad she did,” explains Samir “Mr. Magazine” Husni in an interview with Thompson.
“The magazine is filled with beautiful photography and uplifting and vibrant content that won’t be denied,” Husni notes. “Much like Kirstin’s call to action to get the publication off the ground wouldn’t be denied, proving that those who listen to their heart’s passions are often rewarded with their dreams.”
The magazine is a mermaid’s dream come true in print. As Thompson explains, “I felt like the voices of women were not being heard, and I felt there was no space where I could enter and learn about the inspiring things that women were doing that had nothing to do with what they were wearing and how they looked.”
“I would get surfing magazines and flip through them and the only women that I would see in there were these women in bikinis, and the only time they spoke about women in surfing magazines, it wasn’t necessarily inspiring,” Thompson notes. From that void, she began what she describes as a journal, a bi-annual print magazine that talks about sea life, sustainability, art, wonder and awe in inspiring editorial and beautiful imagery.
For a lot of women, that idea has profound resonance, and the beautiful magazine will soon be appearing at Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million outlets, as well as single copy sales.
As to why this had to happen in print, and not digital, Thompson is clear on that answer.
“Of course, print isn’t as big as it was before technology came onto the scene, but I think it could come back and it could be something that people are craving,” she explains. “But they may not realize they’re craving it until they hold something like this in their hands and they say, wow, this is really different from flipping through my phone or reading something on Kindle.”
Have any mermaids on your gift list? This is a sure-fire winner.