Many people see the art world as continually shrinking in size – probably due to the many cuts of these programs in public schooling. However,ittle do these people know that the art world cannot be stopped – save for a lack of passion, integrity, and hard work.

But rarely do we find a lack of these components in the art world, a world that is so much larger than people know. Whether it is recreational, vocational, personal or other types of art, it is all art, and it is held lovingly and responsibly by the millions of humans who share (at the very least) one thing in common: they care.

Two of these people, Morgan Martinez and Becky Yeker, have claimed space in this world, not just for themselves but for all artists and especially those who have never been allowed their own space.

Martinez and Yeker lead Hooligan Magazine, a Chicago/Milwaukee-based e-zine that has signed its soul to celebrating art and, even more remarkably, giving people a space for their voice. The two of them, Martinez as the Founder and Editor in Chief and Yeker as the Managing Editor, have put in countless hours of dedication to this magazine and have now released ten gorgeous issues.

They have featured innumerable amounts of incredible artists (of all sorts), and have established themselves as one of the most passionate, professional and precious magazines of today’s art and literary worlds. I was fortunate enough to get in contact with these two incredible humans to talk about Hooligan’s life so far, where it intends to go, and the spirit that helps it thrive.

First, tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? When did you first involve yourself with art?

Martinez: I’m from (and currently residing) in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It’s about the third largest city in Wisconsin – next to Madison and Milwaukee. I’ve never had a problem living in this city – I know a lot of people who really hate where they’re from, but I really love it. I met some of the most wonderful people I grew up with here. Despite my undeniable love, my heart belongs in Chicago.

I first involved myself in art between the ages of 13 and 15. I’ve always loved writing and photography. At 15, I really started to immerse myself in taking photos. I started photographing a lot of live shows and connected with a couple different publications. These included AMP Magazine, New Noise Magazine and few other online sources. Through the years of contributing to different publications, I really learned how to network and talk to industry individuals in a more professional way. This is kind of when I started coming up with the idea to make something my own.

What was your inspiration for starting Hooligan and when? Did you reach out to anyone to help you get it started?

Martinez: After making connections and living in Chicago for a semester, I knew more than a handful of just incredible, passionate artists. Some of them knew I had contributed work in the past to publications, and I would often get questions like, “Where do I start? How do I connect with people? Where can I get my work shown?”

And it really started to dawn on me that I hadn’t come across a publication out there that really gave artists who were trying to establish themselves a voice and a chance for exposure. How could I know so many artists who just wanted a space for individuals just like them? Whether they had similar interests, or were looking for more inspiration, it was evident that creating something that gave a chance to everyone could be something that really that could be beneficial in every aspect.

I woke up one day, and I kind of just had this idea. I had worked on projects in the past that kind of fell through because of the lack of help. I knew I wanted Hooligan to be special, especially because the name itself is based off a Facebook support group full of women that had basically become my sisters. They were my family, so in retrospect, I wanted to build a publication where the people who were a part of it felt like they had a safe space and a family who believed in their work and believed in everything they were doing.

So I started to present the idea to people, and I believe it was on Facebook that I posted a call for help to be a part of it. I had met Yeker, my now managing editor, at one of my best friend’s birthday parties on a beach. She had seen my post on social media and contacted me further to discuss more about it.

From the beginning, she was more than dedicated in developing my idea into something even more real and significant, and she’s truly become the spine of what is surfaced on. We’ve grown together so much as business partners, as best friends, and I’ve never met a person so passionate and so driven in what she believes in and works on. I couldn’t ask for a better managing editor.

What was the first year like, trying to claim space in the art world? What kind of responses did you receive?

Martinez: Trying to prove yourself in the art world, regardless of the art, is definitely difficult in any aspect, especially if you’re a woman. We really were so inspired to make a change and provide a space for artists, especially marginalized artists, that we really just pushed through any hardship or difficult standpoint as a team.

We worked so well together with everyone we took on to help us that it just felt so easy. The ideas never stopped flowing, and there is always content for us to provide. I’d say something that put Hooligan on hold for a while was when my best friend passed away. I really had focus on myself and how I could come back to Hooligan better than I ever was. It gave me the opportunity to really look at how we could grow from it and we already have grown so much. We had our one year art collective full of artists we had featured in previous issues in Chicago in February of 2015 and the turnout was unreal.

We had live music performances, poetry readings, stand-up comedy and more. There was a point where no one could even move in the venue. Everyone was so happy and having so much fun. As far as online presence goes, we always have room to grow but I’m pretty happy with how far we’ve come. We’re always open to new ideas, suggestions, and feedback that could really help us establish ourselves even more.

What does it feel like to have released 10 issues now? Do you have a favorite so far?

Martinez: It feels AMAZING! It’s truly surreal. We’ve featured such an array of outstanding artists that every day we are just truly so grateful. I think one of my favorite issues ever was the “Spring Cleaning” issue where we featured a handful of powerful, talented poets.

We had the opportunity to interview spoken word artist Andrea Gibson, and it was just so wonderful. They had said something in the interview that really resonated with our readers that read: “Commit to loving yourself completely. It’s the most radical thing you will do in your lifetime.” It gained over 25,000 notes on Tumblr, and it’s still growing.

Can you give us a little insight as to what it’s like behind the scenes to build each issue?

Martinez: There’s so much hard work that’s put into each issue. Every issue is different, but comes together the same. Although it can be exhausting at times with our schedules, it’s so worth every bit of time that’s put into it. To hear the feedback we receive and to watch it evolve has been such a wonderful experience. I feel humble every day for what we’ve created and how many people we’ve brought together.

As far the more technical sides of creating the issues go, we develop and brainstorm in group chats, Google docs and long FaceTime calls. All the content itself is updated in an official Google doc and that’s where we build from. We create each issue in Adobe InDesign and use issuu.com to host each interactive issue.

Hooligan is now on track to release its eleventh issue, and we are all waiting anxiously. What can you share with us about it before it is released?

Yeker: We’re working on getting a cover artist that’s international, inspiring and full of wisdom. We want a role model – someone as ambitious as us. With each issue, we like to make sure we get at least one small business of some sort, a few different kinds of artists including musicians, poets and illustrators and at least one article, plus the spilled ink column. While I don’t want to reveal too much info, the theme is going to focus heavily on individuality.

Aside from celebrating art, you and your team have said that you try to feature marginalized artists. Can you tell us more about this?

Yeker: Hooligan was created to be a platform for those that don’t often get the opportunity to be heard. While we will consider work from any kind of artist, we are typically more interested in work that speaks on different walks of life. We want to hear from those that come from all backgrounds, cultures, identities. There are so many artists in the world and not enough people willing to listen, thus creating an unnecessary hierarchy of “good” and “bad” artists, or power structures within art – a place that is often expected to be a safe space. We want to recreate the space.

Recently you have started sharing daily blog posts. What inspired this?

Yeker: Martinez, the editor-in-chief, and I, the managing editor, are both very busy, but Hooligan remains a number one priority for the both of us. We wanted the extra help and ambition to help us consistently post high quality material while also showing the diversity of what Hooligan is capable of. Hooligan is more than just a magazine, it’s a space for emerging artists to meet other artists and thrive. The blog posts are our way of saying, “Hey! We’re here, and we’re loud about it. But don’t forget, we want to hear you too!”

What can we expect from Hooligan as time goes on? Without any restrictions, what is your ultimate vision for Hooligan?

Yeker: Martinez has this idea of Hooligan to “one day have offices in Chicago that have artist lofts/spaces for artists to create work/work on current projects and they can come in and speak to our staff about advice and how we can market them and feature them and be a business that agencies and even larger artist showcases look at for raw, passionate talent that will take them far. Half the building would be those offices and artist studios/the other half would be a music venue.”

She always talks about it, and I’m all for it, but on a real level, I really just want Hooligan to be the outlet that people go to when they can’t fight their urge to share bone-rattling work, to run to Hooligan when they have an opinion they can’t hold back. I want people to come to us yelling, because I am always screaming with passion.

I have so much I want to do and say and I want to be able to provide a platform for people to light their own fires. There’s so much in the world and existing means nothing without learning that other people love life for the same reasons you do. Art is not escape, it’s facing reality with wide eyes and open arms, and Hooligan is giving you a blank page to come to terms with that.

A big “Thank you!” goes out to Martinez and Yeker for giving us their time. Hooligan is currently accepting submissions of all sorts, so make sure to get your art out to them. Send your submissions to [email protected]. Be sure to read Hooligan’s daily blog posts on a large array of topics at http://www.hooliganmagazine.com/blog/, and be on the lookout for Issue 11, out in September!