"Be There in 5 Minutes..." Or Maybe a Year Later?

How a 5-Minute Zine Took a Year to Complete: A Tale of Overthinking, Imperfection, and Finally Letting Go

I’ve always been late for everything—meetings, deadlines, even coffee with friends. It’s a hallmark of my personality at this point. Naturally, my first-ever photography zine—aptly titled Be There in 5 Minutes—is no exception.

What was supposed to be a quick and fun project, taking just a few weeks, somehow stretched into an epic, year-long odyssey. Along the way, I learned a lot about the process (and myself). So here I am, rushing to finally put this out into the world. The irony is not lost on me.

But let’s talk about the journey and the lessons learned while creating my very first zine (only available digitally).

That “new, shiny” Side Project

It all began with a simple idea: a photography zine documenting my life and, well, my talent for being perpetually late. The concept felt personal, punchy, and fun. In my mind, putting this together would be straightforward—a quick passion project to launch into the world after just a couple of coffee-fueled evenings behind my laptop and printer.

Multiple iterations of the digital version

And of course, I immediately overestimated how simple printing your own zine actually is. From choosing the right photos to figuring out layouts, covers, and even fonts, I quickly realized this wasn’t going to be a weekend project. And then...life got in the way.

Overthinking Kills Momentum

One of the biggest hurdles? My own brain. I got caught in the cycle of what-if.

What if it looks too amateurish?

Are these the perfect photos, or are there others I should consider?

Should I experiment more with color schemes, paper types, and typography?

I redesigned Be There in 5 Minutes not once, not twice, but countless times—hence the decidedly unpoetic final filename: be_there_iteration_jeremy_03.pdf. Yep, you can tell from the title alone how indecisive I’ve been. Jeremy is a friend of mine who I chose to bug this time. Thank you, Jeremey.

Overthinking not only delayed the project, but it also dampened some of the initial excitement. The charm of a zine is in its rawness, and here I was, striving for perfection in something that’s inherently about imperfection.

Printing: A Challenge of Its Own

Samples of physical zine printouts and bamboo paper I used

Once the design was finalized (and by finalized, I mean I forced myself to stop making tweaks), reality hit. Printing is a whole other beast.

Options like size, binding, and paper texture became their own mini rabbit holes. Do I go glossy or matte? Should I print it myself or seek professional help? And oh, the cost! When you’re printing in small batches, every decision adds up. Plus, since I wasn’t running with a publisher, I was figuring it all out solo.

It was humbling, to say the least, but also gave me newfound respect for independent creators. I’ll elaborate in a lot more detail in a future article.

Final Thoughts

Making this zine has been a whirlwind. What started as a quick project spiraled into a comedy of errors, overthinking, printing woes, and second (and third) guesses. But in the end, it’s here. And much like me, it showed up late—but it did show up.

Here’s to the creative process: messy, imperfect, and totally worth it.

If you’re as late to projects as I am, or if you've ever overthought something to death before finally letting it see the light of day, I hope this little zine resonates—and maybe gives you permission to embrace imperfection in your work too.

You can grab a copy of Be There in 5 Minutes here: https://betherein5minutes.byhermen.co

A special thank you to my friends (Jeremy K. White & Mariana Gomes) for your talents and patience with me.