​It's that open and optimistic mindset above that Taylor has, which ultimately lead her to start her own magazine. A South Carolina native and visionary, Taylor Czerwinski, created a music and art magazine called 9 to 5 Magazine, which covers bands in and around the Charleston, South Carolina area. Charleston's music scene is  rapidly growing and Taylor saw it as an opportunity to write about the talent in the area.

The name of the magazine is pretty much inspired by the "typical" American 9 to 5 job schedule. Taylor was not happy with her own 9 to 5 job, so she decided to follow her heart and start this magazine and instead focus on something she likes. Desert of my Eye is also like 9 to 5 in the sense that we like to portray the rapidly growing music scene in our city with the hope of spreading the message elsewhere and one day being able to travel to places to discover new bands. I hope everyone enjoys the project that is 9 to 5 Music and Art Magazine and realizes how important it is to support things like this. Supporting independent magazines like this is basically supporting the local bands featured on it as well. You never know when you will find something you like. 

​The first issue of the magazine is available for pre-order and will be sent out and physically be available in January. 9 to 5 also has a website that includes a more detailed description of the magazine, it's purpose and it's future endeavors. Pictured above is the cover of the first issue of 9 to 5 Music and Art and Magazine, which futures a picture of the band Heyrocco. Heyrocco also happens to be one of the bands that inspired Taylor for this project to begin with.

Taylor hopes that everyone enjoys the magazine as much as she and the 9 to 5 team has enjoyed making it. It's full of great content and beautifully taken pictures. The 9 to 5 Magazine website also has it's own blog and I encourage people to go and read and see what's up in Charleston, South Carolina. Below are a few pictures of the bands that will be featured on issue number 1. 

​Sara Dungo is a girl from South Carolina who is currently "seeking grace". In doing so, she has created some very rad things whether it is her temporary tattoo business called Transient Collective or her new home on wheels as pictured below. Sara is currently living in a 90's Ford airport shuttle, which she is continually modifying it until it is fully livable. She calls the van Eva, named after the girl robot from WallŸ E. In explaining her projects, Sara mentioned that Eva is "a nomadic studio, a spaceship for my travels both terrestrial and astral, as well as my tiny home on wheels. Generally my projects revolve around creation. Photography, drawing, exploring, connecting with others to name a few. Out of all of this was born Transient Collective, my hand drawn temporary tattoos and jewelry. The tattoos are a symbol of life’s impermanent beauty. The need to incorporate a connection to earth within my business was a necessity, which is why every tattoo sold helps fund planting one tree through reforestation efforts." 

I believe people take trees, life, tattoos (to name a few) for granted and it's people with a project like this that have an impact. Sara said that a lot of events in her life have lead her to make these decisions like living in van, striving for a better world, and staying true to  herself. Deep down, she always knew she would end up doing something like this. Sara said that she had been in the house-cleaning business for a long time. She cleaned houses for people who were never home and just slaved away at work all day. She couldn't help but notice everything wrong with that. "Throughout college I had always been on the go and semi living out of a jeep, but always gawking over school bus conversions, airstreams and the likes. A few years later, life presented me with a choice; choose to settle down and accept a marriage proposal with a destructive relationship, or... run. So I ran. All the way across the country from the east coast to the Hawaiian Islands…. Hawaii completely changed my life. It exposed my senses to the beauty that still exists on our planet and the importance of protecting it. Living on Maui was extremely healing."

I really admire what Sara is doing. Her story and choices really resonate with me. Not everyone has the cojones to put their life savings in a van and fulfill their dreams. She admitted that she initially regretted buying the van, but once she bought it she fell in love with it. She admits that even the struggles she faces with it will help her learn, move on and keep on pushing. She hopes that she can achieve a life that aligns with her "values and notions." 

​To anyone doubting whether they should go chase their dreams, she has this to say: "If there is something someone is trying to chase their dreams but they are unsure, I would ask that person: "Will this endeavor affirm impact for your life and therefore spread positivity outwards?" If the answer is yes; then don’t hesitate. Be persistent and knowledgeable in taking steps today to begin the personal journey of following what feels right. And most importantly, be patient with yourself."

A huge thank you to Sara Dungo for taking the time to tell me about her project and for sharing her light with the world. Follow her projects on Instagram: 
@a.strayproject
@transient.co

Toucanfilms otherwise known as Drew Gardner is a photographer from Charleston, South Carolina. Drew does all kinds of photography, but lately he has been doing film and lifestyle freelance photography. As a photographer, he would rather focus on telling a story through a photograph rather than doing what is expected. He mentioned that he likes to "express a person's personality" with a picture and if "a photo doesn't have a story, then it doesn't have an impact." 

Drew got into photography around the age of 10-11. He mentioned that his uncle had "a 35 mm film camera and during one thanksgiving my uncle gave me one of his cameras." From there, Drew taught himself how to use it and it wasn't until high school that he took an actual photography class. From the moment that he stepped into the dark room to develop pictures, he knew exactly what he wanted to do when he got older. 

Years passed, he graduated college, and he bought a digital camera. It was that moment where he felt like he had to decide what direction he wanted to take in life. Upon recalling a memory of his , he said that his friend Johnny Delaware (from The Artisanals) moved to Charleston and Johnny wanted to record an album.  Johnny asked, "Drew does your camera take videos?" Drew answered "yes" and he filmed a video for Johnny for about a month. He remembered that after the video came out, it got picked up by the city paper and that people were impressed by it. Johnny encouraged Drew to do it full-time and he has been doing it since then. 

As mentioned, Drew wants to convey a story through his photography. He wants people's personalities to shine through and to build relationships. It's not about the money and if it were up to him, he would still rely on a system of pure trade. He hopes to one day have a van and just travel across the U.S and take pictures and live the experience. 

A big thank you to Drew for lending his time to Desert of my Eye. I hope everyone can go follow him and check out his work!
Instagram: toucanfilms


Check out some pictures below!!