On a Wednesday like any other, something piqued our curiosity on a friend’s living room. A magazine that looked like a book with a cover, on which the photo of the Northern Lights made us unable to take our eyes off it.
Yoke won us over since the very first moment we touched its pages. It was probably its unique way that left us mesmerized. The least we could do was talk to some members of the team. Founder & Creative Director Christiana Athanasiadou answers everything we need to know!
1.How did the concept of Yoke started and what was the inspiration for its name?
The idea originally started as my dissertation for the School of Journalism and Mass Media in the university. I have always been interested in press and radio, which belong to the conventional media. However, some things during my studies discouraged me from believing that a career in this field was possible. When the moment came to submit my dissertation in my 4th year of studies, I decided to work on a project, a magazine. What lead me to that decision was the thought that I would never have the opportunity to work in a magazine – if you consider that we belong to the crisis generation, when everyday another media business was being shut down – so I just wanted to add it on my CV. Then I left for my Erasmus studies and my original concept, which was to create a women’s magazine, kind of got lost in the way. Thankfully. So, later when I got an internship for digital marketing in Barcelona – I was about to leave the media industry – I started my dissertation project all over again.
In 2020, while I was ready to go abroad again, the second quarantine came up. I had completely turned my back to journalism. I didn’t know how to get back in touch with media and all I had done at that time was Yoke. So I decided to share this project. I thought to myself let’s introduce it to the public and see where it goes. I presented Yoke as my dissertation in July 2020, under the name and sections it has to this day. Then, I released it online.
There were no guidelines for the name that we were working out for a long time with an expert, it was just a name that suited me from the first moment. I was looking up words online and came across it (Yoke). There is, however, a story behind the interpretation of the name – when the time came for it to become official and indeed to say that this is our name – it has a meaning, which is very much identified with the project: it is the yoke; metaphorically connecting two different things together. So it was a perfect fit, because we basically connect things to come up with a final result. So that was our name and we would never change it!
Social media – however that may sound – actually helped. In my own microcosm it went viral. All my friends shared it, and when you share something, it’s like it starts to exist. In November 2020 the e-shop was created and the first issue of Yoke became available in February 2021. It went incredibly well! I knew that I had caused something that I wanted to exist and I had laid my eyes on a great opportunity. Ideally, I would like it to be a venture that exists and I am a part of it, so I decided to bring it to life and give journalism another chance.
This year, our structure has changed from its core. Although it started as a one woman show, the help of partners was always valuable. We employ 3 people, while the network of external partners still exists.
2. Your magazine deals with various topics, such as lifestyle, wellness, eco-living. What is your theory, your purpose? What do you want to be able to convey to the world?
As far as the sections of the magazine are concerned, it is a lifestyle magazine with a variety of topics. The magazine includes the world, human stories, culture, wellness and ecology columns.
Our goal was for it to be gender neutral, so that we can all keep up to date and for our topics, although lifestyle, to leave a social message.
For us, the glass is always half full. When you read our magazine, our aim is to make you feel puzzled but always by also giving you an optimistic note, maintaining our honesty. We want to make it an illuminating product. And all our items – not only the magazine – we want you to see them in your everyday life and feel the spark. Be happy. And this applies to everything, from the service which we want to be personalized to our social media presence. I feel like reality is an endless battle which you should always try to make it look beautiful somehow. And you should find a way to do things that will make your life better. Our goal is to include topics that will give you the motivation to shine bright, to learn and discover something new, to think about a trip – if you can’t go on this trip – to feel that your mind opens a little through the pages. This is all we want.
3. Yoke started and operates as a magazine, however today the brand has grown by creating products. How did you make the decision to make this ‘turn’, taking yoke one step further?
First, although optimistic, I knew from the beginning that the magazine is not financially viable on its own. Thus, the idea arose to enrich our collection with some more items. All our products are produced by Greek family businesses. The magazine is the core of the brand, where we pour all our passion and love, but we want, in combination with all the objects, to have a more complete presence of the brand – and a more complete experience of those who will trust us. That’s why all the products existed from the beginning of our operation.
4. The main goal around which the magazine operates is to achieve inclusivity at a social level. Do you think that media is now trying to be more inclusive or does this field still have steps to take?
I think we are still very much in the dark and only a minority is trying to bring about change. Without being absolute, though, or negative to this change. I think steps are being taken. Compared to other countries – I have lived in Spain and I can speak for it – I don’t think we are inclusive enough. I think we need to get to the point where these things are self-evident and people won’t need to fight to be included whether they have other sexual preferences or have some kind of special need. For me, as long as this has not been achieved – it may sound romantic – we are far behind and both collective and individual work needs to be done.
There are certain perceptions and habits, which clearly cannot be changed in a day, because we have been carrying them for so many years; for example, in the media industry we have learned that in the newscast they talk in a certain way that rejects inclusivity, that in an entertainment show such and such messages about women are passed and this is legitimate. This to change not only requires time, it requires observation, treatment, determination. Unfortunately, what we have learned is not inclusivity. This is something I want us to do before we get to the point of being forced to.
I think that from the politically correct era we must see the quintessence and cross over to the other side, of substantial and practical change. Fortunately, I also have the pleasure of knowing that my views are the same as those of our columnists.
5.Yoke is published twice a year. Why is this? What is the idea behind it?
Yoke is a living organism that evolves, grows, and shows us its own way, each issue sets a new goal. The speed at which it spreads can delay or accelerate the production of the next one. We listen carefully to when the audience needs to read our next issue. It is released twice a year, partly because we want there to be a blank space where we can recharge our batteries and find new inspiration to tell new stories, and partly because seasons also play a role. Ideally, we would like to release two collections: an autumn-winter one and a spring-summer one. Basically, we go a bit with the flow of things, mobility, and feedback.
6.The magazine also organizes various events, such as online yoga or meditation classes, which people seem to embrace. What do you love about this interaction with people?
These events started last year in Thessaloniki and continued more actively this year in Athens. A project like this that started in the midst of quarantine now thirsts for its place within the rhythms of daily life, to meet the people who embrace it, and to expand. All of this was something completely new for us, as the e-shop keeps you at a distance. We effortlessly started to run some events, like informal meetings, because self-improvement concerns us both as a team and as individuals. Today, we get to organize at least one online event per month. There are people who live in the countryside and have the need to also feel a part of a bigger circle. Getting together online with people from completely different regions of the country makes me feel so fulfilled. It offers great motivation while enabling us to maintain strong bonds with each other. So, I feel like we initially did it clearly to get to know each other.
7.During the workshop for the pre-event of TEDxAUTH, a live quiz is going to take place where attendees will get in touch with concepts like independent press and lifestyle. What is your objective for participants to gain from this process?
I can’t tell what everyone will ultimately gain because this experience will trigger each one of us differently. It will certainly be media-related information. Of course, each person takes anything that a workshop has to offer and translates it their own way. During our workshop, we will reflect as to whether journalism is a vocation, whether we trust it and what is the relation of a young person to it. If a person who doesn’t know Yoke comes to the workshop, they will definitely learn what we do and start becoming more critical on the piece of information they have already consumed. If we manage to leave an impact on how we view the lifestyle media, we will be very satisfied.
8.What made you say yes to working with TEDxAUTH for its pre-event with the theme of “SPARKS”?
First, I think your event stands out in Thessaloniki. It’s an opportunity for a great partnership and we can share ideas that will inspire.
Yoke is an ambassador magazine of the slow media movement.
But what does this term mean?
Slow media is a movement that came about to change the way we “consume” media. Through it, they seek to pass on messages and ideas that are timeless, that continue to express us over time and give us the choice, depending on our perceptions, to stand at a different point each time. This movement is strongly connected to concepts such as diversity, inclusivity and local communities.
Slow media focus on quality. They have no time limit. They require time in order to become credible. Although one might think that they are not relevant to this day, if we look at the needs created in every aspect of our lives and the concept of slow living, we will realize that they are not far from the present.
At a time when the internet and mass media have set their own way of transmitting information, there are some who struggle to stand out. To follow a path not so ordinary. To convey concepts and values that may have been hidden somewhere along the way.
Our conversation with Yoke was inspiring. We, in turn, look forward to seeing them at our pre-event and hearing, somewhere in the back, these slightly different voices calling out to us. Let them lure us, then, into a little brighter tomorrow.
