Linked: Wanderer Magazine
Welcome to Linked—insights from the unbreakable chain of store owners, print-makers, film labs, podcasters, indie brands and creators who bind our photo community. Less gossip column, more pub-talk. First to claim the bar stool is Wanderer Magazine mastermind Amber-Rose Layton.
Photos: @amberroselayton
Though mortified by her early attempts at design, copywriting and photography, Amber-Rose Layton’s year 12 HSC project was the unlikely genesis of the thriving print publication, Wanderer Magazine. A perpetual celebration of creative youth, the magazine invites emerging and established artists to take centre stage, share and inspire.
On the eve of their ninth issue, Which Way Now, we turn the spotlight 180° exploring Amber-Rose's passion for tangible media, the evolution of Wanderer Magazine, and of course, where to fetch a cold one in Bellambi. Heads up, the mag kicks ass! You should definitely bag a copy.
Which Way Now launches Saturday, 11th October, 7pm–11pm, 16 Bellambi Lane, Bellambi, 2518 NSW. Secure your tix, HERE.
Amber, welcome! Please introduce yourself.
Hello hello, thank you for having me! I’m Amber-Rose Layton, the founder of Wanderer Magazine, based in Thirroul in Dharawal Country. I started the magazine at the back end of 2019 and haven’t been able to put it down since.
Wanderer started as your HSC project. How has it evolved since?
Yeah, the first issue of Wanderer was my Year 12 HSC Design and Technology project, and it’s evolved in the most beautiful way. For one, I can’t really stand to look back at the earlier issues anymore… My design, writing, photography, and ‘trying to run a business’ skills have evolved a considerable amount. But more importantly, the community that now surrounds the mag is amazing—as well as the people I’ve been able to meet and the experiences I’ve gained, which have been unmatched.
What’s one misconception about print publishing in 2025?
Oh man, well, I think everyone knows it’s real expensive to print and that there’s a whole lot of love and time that goes into it. But another thing is, you don’t really have to have any sort of backing to be publishing books. If you have a bit of cash saved for print, a patient and understanding printer, and some sort of idea you think will resonate, that’s all you need to get started. I very naively just gave it a go after releasing the first issue, because once I finished high school it was COVID, and I didn’t go to uni or anything, so I had all this time that I just put towards making the mag happen on my own for the first three issues. Then other people noticed and helped me with the stuff I wasn’t so good at.
Your last issue, #008, focused on perspective. How do you choose a theme?
Each issue of Wanderer is selfishly a bit of a discovery project for myself, where I get to ask questions based on things I’ve been thinking a lot about at the time.
Issue #008 theme was Perspective and it stemmed from a trip to America a few years back. When I was there, I had this constant inner dialogue of if I grew up here, would I still be me, or has living and growing up in Australia moulded me into who I am… what if I grew up somewhere completely different... So Issue #008 came to fruition because of my own curiosity, and we got to chat with people (who all live in America) about how their environments may affect how they perceive things and how it affects their creative processes and practices. Having a solid theme also helps us to think a little outside the box in terms of what we’re asking our interviewees, too, and I find it brings out a more vulnerable conversation with people, as you ask for their perspective on something they may not have really shared in an interview before. It also feels good to read through once the interview copy is ready, and it helps come to some sort of a conclusion for myself, which I hope translates to the reader too.
Have you always been drawn to analogue practices? When and where did this fascination start?
I guess I’ve always loved creating and making things with my hands, and I always loved magazines because I feel like it was the most authentic way to not only find out about new artists and practices, but being able to see the people behind the practice, their stories and why they create and make things. And from reading those magazines, I was exposed to a lot of film photography. The way the photographer would interact with film as a practice intrigued me. So at maybe around 15 or 16 I went searching to buy a film camera, and naturally I asked my family if anyone had one lying around before I was gonna spend all my month’s pay on a second-hand camera from an op shop that I didn’t even know would work. My aunty had an old Minolta SRT lying around that she gave me, along with a bunch of different lenses—which I had no idea how to use. All I knew was that it was heavy and I found it so wild that it could still function without a battery.
So I just watched a bunch of videos online figuring out what each button did and when to use them, and started taking a bunch of photos of my friends and the things around me. I guess from growing up around digital cameras where you can instantly see and critique the image, the slower process and excitement of not knowing what you were capturing allowed me to be more present and confident in what I was shooting, rather than constantly shifting and changing things.
You’ve still got that Minolta? Describe your attachment with it. How many rolls have you put through it?
I do, yes. It’s the main film camera that I use. I don’t really replace any of my things until they’re completely broken, and I think this camera will live with me forever and ever. The amount of times I’ve dropped it on the floor, smacked it into a wall, left it in a bag full of sand… We have a mutual respect for each other now, and I think we’ll be friends forever. Man, the amount of rolls I’ve put through the thing—hmm, a lot. It’s been with me… coming up to 10 years, and we’ve gone through many test rolls, festivals, concerts, parties, backyard photoshoots. You name it.
Have you seen the “viral” $39 Kmart camcorder? Why do you think younger generations are gravitating to outdated technology?
I think it’s just another way to get off our phones and make things a little more difficult for ourselves, haha. We weren’t meant to have the world in our pocket 24/7. So I think it’s cool to see people using other mediums to document things and having fun messing around and learning how to use old technology. I think, too, having that kind of unperfect look is more desirable in a world where everyone is trying to be so perfect all the time.
Wanderer mag is the antithesis to screentime. Why do you think screens are so magnetising?
Haha, yes, I’m trying to be! It’s just so easy to fall into that quick dopamine hit, and it also can be a way of feeling like you’re a part of something—connecting and keeping up with what your friends are doing—when really it can be just a big waste of time that you genuinely get sucked into.
Do you have any tips for those struggling to curb their screen addiction?
The best thing I’ve found that works for me is to have the first few hours of your day off socials. Waking up to scroll just feels like you’re setting yourself up for a bit of a bad day; it makes me feel like I’m already not doing enough even though I haven’t even gotten out of bed. Another thing would be to get completely off it, find some publications or mailing lists you like to stay up to date with what your interests are and forget about the rest. A bunch of my friends have gotten rid of their Instagrams recently and don’t miss it at all.
Who else is in the Wanderer team?
We have Emma, Lewis, Matilda and Finn. It’s been so much fun getting to know and work with everyone. It’s so fun. We all get along so well. At this stage, we all kind of run around and do a bit of everything and work super collaboratively, but Emma helps me a lot with our client load, she loves an email and helps out a bunch with our socials. Lewis is our main music writer; he also pretty much fronts our free monthly mini zine by interviewing for that and has helped edit a bunch of our interviews and copy for the upcoming issue. Finn is our graphics guy, designs all our gig guides and helps out with some fun video concepts too. And then Matilda—who is currently overseas—but has been around helping out with the mag for the last five years. She’s pretty much taught me how to write and made my crazy weird words make sense. And that’s us!
You’re based in Bellambi, Dharawal Country, where do you all blow off steam?
Well, we are very lucky in Bellambi and have a few options way too close by. We have this amazing old pub pretty much across the road from us at the studio, which we will be frequenting way more with summer coming up. On Fridays, there’s a brewery open in the warehouse where the studio is, so we can bring beer back to our desks. Otherwise, we head over to another local brewery called Reub’s in Tarrawanna—the best beer and tacos around! We’re so fortunate to also be close to Bellambi Beach which, when the weather’s too hot, it’s easy enough to hop in the car, have a dip, and be back in the studio in less than half an hour. And for when we need to stay in the studio, we tend to grab a few takeaways from the bottlo to get us through the last couple of hours of work. It can be a little dangerous but we obviously do it in moderation!
Wanderer the Studio is your commercial production arm, care to share your favourite 3 projects? What made them so special?
Hmm, that’s hard! It still feels pretty fresh, but I’ve worked on designing a magazine with AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience), and that was the most insane, amazing and creative project I’ve ever worked on—I learnt so much! Other than that, I just got back from working on a festival in Tasmania for the last two weeks, which, funnily enough, I did their social media and graphic design for, which was cool to see deeper into how those bigger events function. I’ve also worked on some album art, merch and posters—that’s been fun also.
How do you navigate creative burnout? Both passion projects and commercial work?
I probably won’t give the best advice on this, because I tend to value client work more than my own passion projects. I pretty much just work on whatever the priority is, and if there’s nothing on a tight deadline, then that’s when you’ll see more stuff happening for Wanderer.
I’m trying hard to figure out a balance where they can co-exist together and I have enough time to invest in both properly, but it’s been quite the challenge. In terms of navigating creative burnout, I turn to old magazines a lot to be re-inspired, I look at Pinterest a lot and listen to music to regain feeling inspired. I also find that I like jumping around tasks—if I feel stuck on something, I’ll just move onto something else. Sometimes giving projects a little bit of space allows you to see it in a different way when you come back to it.
Any teasers for issue #009?
Well, we are only days away from going to print now, and there’s still so much to do! But this issue’s theme, Which Way Now, has already been the most well-received theme we’ve done so far—a topic that’s been really relatable to everyone. Like other issues, this one also navigates a theme relating to a part of our lives that all of us in the Wanderer team now find ourselves in. Issue #009 is about being in your early-mid twenties and not really knowing what’s next, while being faced with existential questions and life-altering decisions, and being pulled in every direction. We especially hold a magnifying glass to where creativity fits in this equation—pursuing a creative career and the balance between art/life/work. It’s led us to many very interesting conversations with people who inspire us, that will draw you in from the get-go and hopefully leave you with lasting realisations.
Any recommendations for those wishing to contribute?
Email me and follow me up! I’m not the greatest person at texting, emailing and calling back, but I’m trying hard to be better. My email is amber-rose@wanderer-magazine.com
Pre-order issue #009, HERE.
