There are some creative projects that become more than a publication, a platform, or an event. They become part of the cultural fabric of a city.
For me, Birdy Magazine is one of those things and they need our support!
Jonny DeStefano, co-creator of Birdy alongside Krysti Joméi, has been a major force in my creative life since the mid-90s. Long before social media, before websites, before influencer culture and algorithms… there was Denver’s DIY creative scene. And it was electric.
Back then, I was the merch girl for Jonny and his brother Sam’s punk band. That season of life taught me some of the greatest lessons I’ve ever learned about grassroots marketing, community building, promotion, and what it means to truly believe in creativity.
This was before Instagram.
Before Facebook.
Before digital flyers and boosted posts.
We were hanging posters by hand, passing out flyers, talking to people face-to-face, building scenes through real human connection, late-night conversations, zines, music, art, and passion.
Jonny also helped get my own band, B.Sue, up and running. Looking back now, I realize how much those early experiences shaped not only my creative career, but also the heart behind Fashion Denver itself.
That same DIY spirit. That same desire to create platforms for artists. That same belief that creative people deserve spaces where they can be seen and celebrated.
That is exactly what Birdy has continued to do for nearly 13 years.
Issue after issue, Birdy has remained independent, artist-run, and community-centered. They’ve created a platform that has uplifted thousands of artists, musicians, photographers, writers, designers, and creatives across disciplines. In a world increasingly driven by speed and algorithms, Birdy has remained intentional, tangible, and deeply human.
And that matters. Especially now!
Independent creative publications are not easy to sustain. They require enormous amounts of unseen labor, sacrifice, heart, funding, coordination, and belief. Jonny and Krysti have poured themselves tirelessly into Birdy for years because they believe creative culture matters.
And it does.
If Birdy has ever featured your work, inspired you, connected you to another artist, sat on your coffee table, lived on your studio wall, or simply reminded you that independent art still has a place in this world, now is the time to support them.
Because publications like Birdy don’t survive through algorithms.
They survive through community.
Print is still here.
Print is undead. 🖤
And Denver’s creative heartbeat is stronger because Birdy exists.
