About the Tonic

About Us:

We met in college and quickly bonded over a love of Chanel and black coffee. If we could, we’d spend all our time reading, writing, and talking with people who care about what they are reading, writing, thinking and doing. Sometimes, we collaborate, but we’re also always hard at work on creative projects of our own.

Unfortunately, it’s been our experience that doing creative, meaningful work isn’t always easy. Between self-doubt and making rent, there isn’t much time for passion projects. And talking about creative, meaningful work can be even harder, as the world we live in is a crowded and difficult space. But the way we see it, we could either complain that there’s no space for us, or we could get to work and create one. The Tonic is our answer to closed doors, rejection letters and self-doubt; a platform where we can speak and create without censure.

About You:

And here’s the other thing, there are so many people out there that deserve to have their voices heard. We’re talking, in particular, about many all of the young people we know; many all of whom are dedicating what time they have in their lives to thoughtful, idiosyncratic, creative, often selfless endeavors. Who often find themselves stuck in rather monotonous office environments. Who are often told that they are not experienced enough, not something enough. We have been told that we are lazy, un/underemployed, entitled, and incapable of focusing on anything while being bizarrely obsessed with social media.

If you are one of these aforementioned young people (sometimes referred to as millennials), here’s what we propose: let’s celebrate each other.

About the Tonic:

We want the Tonic to be a platform for young people to speak authentically about themselves and not be defined by roles that have been crafted for them. We will work hard to collaborate with writers, musicians, artists, and workers of all stripes to make sure this space is continually informed by a variety of voices.

Honestly, what we want to do above all is to demonstrate what we know to be the truth. That it is possible to be young, dedicated, creative, and well-informed while also recognizing our flaws and the gaps in our knowledge and experience. We think it’s okay to admit when you don’t know the whole of something. We think it’s fine if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, especially at this age and, really, at any age.

And while we’re going to keep it mainly about the art, The Tonic is also an occasional space for pure sass and silliness. Because if there’s anything we know about our generation, it is that we are an ironic bunch. At least, that’s what we’ve been told.

Let’s Talk:

If you’re interested in contributing, or would just like to share your thoughts, we encourage you to get in touch! We do our best to respond to blog comments quickly, and are always available at talk.tonic.blog@gmail.com.