The LIMITS Issue
Cover story: In Conversation with Sueki Yee.
EDITOR’S LETTER
HELLO!
Welcome to the first issue of BRAZEN MAGAZINE! Phew, it's such a thrill to finally get to say that, after almost two months of quiet but passionate work.
The idea for this magazine first came about in early April, when the Movement Control Order (MCO) here in Malaysia forced me to take a good look at my life and decide what I wanted to do with it. Out of that deep dive came the realisation that I love being inspired and inspiring others, and that there were plenty of people like me out there who realise that the world is an incredible place, but don't know where they fit into it just yet.
That's where BRAZEN comes in. In a way, creating this magazine is a purely selfish undertaking — I want an excuse to speak to cool people, to have a place to explore my ideas and things that inspire me, and to challenge myself to grow as a person. But what would be truly selfish would be to keep all that valuable inspiration to myself. Really, I would much rather share it with you.
My wish for you, as the reader, is that you will be able to take away some inspiration and food for thought to apply in your own life. Through the questions, experiments, interviews, essays and recommendations we share, I hope you will be left with a couple of ideas on how to chart your own path to self-discovery and personal fulfillment.
This is by no means a self-help magazine or a manual on how to live your life. Everyone's journey is unique, and it's nobody's place to tell you what it should look like — only you have the power to decide that. This can be both liberating and intimidating, and my aim with this magazine is to address both sides of that coin. We will take a peek into the lives and journeys of other people — people who have achieved great things, people with strong characters, people just like you and me — to understand what makes them tick and what peaks and valleys their paths have led them through. We will question our own journeys and beliefs at every step of the way, so that we may grow from the answers — or even from the act of asking itself. We will experiment with our own experience, to prove to ourselves what is possible and what isn't. We will be brave enough to challenge what is comfortable and safe, for the sake of what is exhilarating and true. We will risk failure, for the sake of victory.
In this first issue of BRAZEN, we explore the theme of limits and limitations. It seemed only natural to choose this theme, given that this issue was conceived when billions of people around the world were in lockdown. It was also a sort of challenge to myself, to see if I could make this magazine happen on my own, with the limited resources I had at my disposal — a smartphone camera, an old shared laptop and whatever money I had to spare. It's definitely been a great learning curve!
THE LIMITS ISSUE is all about the role of limits and limitations in our lives. We speak with a dancer who has sustained her determination and creativity through injury, self-doubt and more. We experiment with limits as a tool to encourage creativity and innovation. We explore the idea of using them to help us master our craft and learn new skills. And we question the role and necessity of limits within our already finite, limited lives.
Ironically enough, it seems that the conversations we can have about limits are quite limitless. That's why we'd like to invite you to keep it going even after you come to the end of this issue, by connecting with us on our social media pages. Write to us, share your story with us, let us know what you think of this issue and what you would like to see in the coming ones. And let us know if you'd like to be part of them! There is so much to explore, and we'd love to do it with you.
Without further ado, it is with great pride, joy and gratitude that I present BRAZEN: THE LIMITS ISSUE. Enjoy!
Love and peace,
SHANITA LYN KUMAR
Editor-in-Chief
