Vol 3 No 3 | Summer 2022

Letters from the Editors

Map of ArtWorks in This Issue

The Artworks

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Bait/Switch Magazine: Vol 3 No 3

[Evolve] Summer 2022

Letters from the Editors

Have you read Octavia Butler’s “Earthseed” books? The protagonist is dedicated to spreading a philosophy that she developed which states (among other things), “All that you touch you Change. All that you Change Changes you. The only lasting truth is Change. God is Change.”

As Lu and I were looking over the pieces in this issue, searching for a general theme, transformation seemed to be a common thread. Some of these works express a physical change, maybe something visible and dramatic, whereas others suggest something less visible, an emotional or psychological transformation. That’s when I thought of Octavia Butler. “All that you Change Changes you.”

I’m fascinated by the idea of an artist being changed by the work they create. It’s easy to think of a creator as having complete control over the significance of their creations. When I make toast in the morning, is it a transformative experience for me? Hardly. But I don’t apply anything more to making toast than is necessary. Put bread in toaster for desired time. Add butter or jam. Mission accomplished. However, if I were to treat it like an art form, put thought and care into precisely what texture I want and what combination of flavors I want to top it with based on what messages or emotions I want to impart to the consumer, then I imagine it may have a real impact on me. It’s the intention to communicate that makes the act of creation transformative.

So if you truly do make the hell out of that toast, it’s a work of art, you’re an artist, and you’ve probably at least changed yourself in the process, if not the greater world. As your body of work grows, you’ll see that not only have you evolved as an artist, you’ve evolved as a human.

As we look through this fresh batch of switches, let’s take note of how the act of creation may have Changed the creator, as well as how we, by touching these works, are Changed ourselves.

Cody VanWinkle, Art Director

Sometimes the word evolve feels like something passive. A gradual change over a long period of time that can only be seen in retrospect. Whether the change has occurred globally, culturally, within a family system, or in the interior landscape of a single individual, we can always come back to the question, how did we get here?

But there is also another type of evolution, which feels more active. This is the kind that invites a different kind of question, which is more forward-looking. What kind of world do we want to live in? What kind of future do we want to contribute to building? How can we use our unique gifts to create the change we wish to see?

The best definition I’ve seen for the word ‘evolve’ includes the following: “to open and expand; to disentangle and exhibit clearly and satisfactorily; to develop; to derive; to educe.” This suggests that evolution is a process of more thoroughly becoming ourselves. It also suggests that the act of evolving continuously aligns us to some deeper truth.

Many of the artworks in this edition grapple with these themes, and ask important questions about how we got here and where we’re going. Questions about evolving human relationships with nature and spirituality. The resilience of individuals as we all pass through change. Evolution of narratives in the collective consciousness. What the world could look like beyond Colonialism. The journeys we take in the dreamworld and in waking life.

The prospect of evolving can feel daunting on a personal level. The classic caterpillar to butterfly image feels more complicated when you consider that ugly goo phase that happens in between, inside the chrysalis. But for all evolution, be it personal, societal or global, there is no way to get around that messiness – the only way to the other side is through. So let’s walk together, and be gentle with each other, because we’re all growing and changing.

As always, we are so delighted to share this incredible collection of artwork with you. Stay strong, stay safe, and stay awesome.

With love,

Lu Valena, Executive Director

Map of Works in This Issue

Bait/Switch is an interdisciplinary exquisite corpse project. Every work is a creative response to a piece made by another artist. The project is divided into three branches- cyan, magenta and yellow. This map/diagram shows how the works in this issue fit together, and what came before. You can see the entire corpus on our maps page.