With Naomi Sawatsky aka Jebs Junk

Motivation art by Jebs Junk

I came across Trashcan Media about a year ago through one of their calls for art, and it stuck with me right away. There was no pressure to fit into a certain style or meet some unspoken standard, just an openness to whatever form artwork wanted to take. I really value opportunities to share work, especially when you can tell the people running them are doing it out of pure love of creativity and community.

When I started Crafty Calm, I was inspired by Trashcan Media and wanted to reach out to learn how they built something so welcoming and how they keep going in a time when arts funding for community projects seems to be constantly shrinking. What they’ve created is a foundation for finding community and connection through art, while also making that connection accessible online. It reaches people who live all over, including those who might not be able to leave their home or access in-person community spaces, and that kind of openness and inclusivity is something I deeply admire.

Here are the amazing insights from Jebs and the Trashcan Media team:

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The Origins of Trashcan Media

• How did you come up with the name Trashcan Media, and what does it represent for your collective’s mission and values?

Jebs:

Trashcan Media’s name and the magazine title ‘Beautiful Trash for Beautiful People’ came from a dislike comment in March 2022 and a late-night chat with a friend in early 2024. To me, they symbolize letting go of shame and fully accepting ourselves. It’s about embracing our unique experiences and even finding joy in what might be considered messy or ‘trashy’ parts of our lives. 

The comment that started it 

When we say “Make more trash art,” we simply mean keep creating and expressing yourself, even in environments that try to limit or control how you share your ideas.

The origins of the publication name

• S:  When you first launched Trashcan Media, what was your original vision for this community publication and the kind of audience or community you wanted to build?

Jebs:

‘’A singular positive effect’’. The birth of this collective for full transparency came about during a difficult time following a health diagnosis that changed how I saw myself. The urge to create a space where anyone anywhere could share whatever they needed to, be celebrated for being around and hopefully make connections with others. The goal was to make a place without barriers, where all art is celebrated.When we first put out a call for people to share their work, we weren’t sure what kind of response we would get—we just hoped to reach even one person., since our first call out we’ve had tremendous interest from coast to coast.  The incredible artwork people share and the trust they put in us to display it never ceases to amaze me.

Being a queer led team we cater to making our publication open and accessible to our community , though our publication is open to all. Our goal is to highlight and support creative voices that are often overlooked 

From left to right. top: Hailey Iris, Danielle Rozali, Magda Baker. Bottom: Jasmine Provins, Naomi Sawatsky

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Building an Inclusive & Accessible Online Space

• S:  How do you support and encourage artists who feel shy or isolated to participate and share their work in your online spaces?

Jebs:

What a lovely question! Every volume, we’re learning new ways to improve what we do. We use social media as our main tool to connect with folks in our circles, in other cities and through the land. Unfortunately, typical social media, specifically meta, is unreliable and increasingly unsafe for a lot of folks, keeping that in mind we increasingly  look for ways to reach artists from coast to coast.  Recently we started a bimonthly e-mail newsletter! It has been an exciting way to talk with a larger audience and more personalized communications, trashmail is written by our in house writer Magda Baker. 

Proposed ‘contract’ of collaboration with Magda Baker

• S: With many cities getting funding cuts to community arts and local publications right now, how has Trashcan Media adapted to sustain its work as an accessible community publication?

Since the conception of Trashcan Media , we’ve paid for everything ourselves without outside funding. It’s been really difficult to get grants or financial support, especially since we’re a non-traditional queer group. Fortunately, we’ve been lucky to have friends who have supported us by volunteering their time, giving us supplies, or letting us use their spaces to help us continue.

Many thanks to Monster Imprints, the James Black Gallery, and the Vancouver Public Library

• What does the creative collaboration process look like within your team when producing each issue or project?

Jebs:

 An exciting typhoon haha. It feels like we have a new idea to share at 2 a.m., or maybe sleepovers during busy times where we sort pages together and help each other out, like taking a day or even a month off. Even though we all have our own roles, we share the work by teaching each other new skills or asking for help. I’ve learned amazing things about design, organization, and writing from my teammates. Things can get a little chaotic, but it’s also been some of the most fun I’ve ever had.

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The Future of Trashcan Media

• S:  What advice would you give to someone interested in starting their own accessible community publication or artist collective?

Jebs: 

Do it your own way! Comparison is the thief of joy or whatever that old quote is.When I first started, I spent a lot of time borrowing books from the library and researching other businesses trying to replicate how they operated. But those businesses had different values and resources than us. Staying true to your unique practices and values will be your north star.Keep moving forward and learning, but also remember to give yourself time to rest and make changes as needed.

Some amazing people whose works have taught me about accessibility and community are as follows: Activist Gerald ‘Spike’ Peachy. authors Leah Lakshmi Piepnza- Samarasinha and Alice Wong. My support group ‘the Commisertes’ my old home ‘The Moss Portal’ and countless friends

• S: What new online projects or initiatives are you most excited about as the future of Trashcan Media?

Jebs:

We love dreaming big! We’re very excited about finishing our new website! We hope workshops will start happening in more cities, and that we’ll be able to support new programs. Our lives are always changing, like recently, I moved to Winnipeg, officially making us a team working in multiple cities. I’m now studying art therapy so I can offer free art and wellness support to my neighbors. Many of my teammates are also starting school or special training programs. The future of Trashcan Media is always evolving, with new projects and lots of energy. We’re not exactly sure what 2026 will bring, but we’re excited to discover it together with our community!

Support Trashcan Media on Instagram!

Naomi Sawatsky (aka Jebs Junk) after first public arts and crafts event at BlueSide Studios