“The idea behind Salt is to add flavor to people’s lives. It can’t be too little or too much. Sometimes my friends ask, why do you persist, when it’s so tough to put out this magazine? I can’t really explain why. People say if you really want to do something, you have to just make it happen. I guess that just about sums it up.”
– Songbing, designer / Co-founder and editor-in-chief of Salt
盐巴，是给生活加点味道的意思，但须有，无须多。有些朋友问我，这本杂志做得那么别扭，为什么还要做。其实我也说不清楚。“心里想要做的事，就去做出来”，我想，大概就是这样吧。
—— 松饼，设计师 /《盐巴》创刊人之一、主编
It all began with a simple idea: Songbing and Juzi, whose nicknames mean “muffin” and “tangerine,” wanted to publish their own magazine. The two women didn’t worry much about the business side of it and went ahead and launched Salt. It’s about finding joy in the simple things. With a friendly, intimate tone, it offers readers reflections on lifestyles and thoughts for how to live.
Busy city dwellers can open Salt and find a moment of respite, with practical tips and artisanal techniques – the little things in life that are the most important. It showcases products, but its real focus is on the creators who make them.
Following the positive reception of their 2011 inaugural issue, “An Ambiguous Life,” they released a series of issues centered around a narrow theme. So far, they’ve covered natural dyes, botany, needlework, printmaking, and with their latest release, hand-woven textiles. The writing is like the scent of grass after a fresh rain: it’s earthy and simple and lingers in your mind.
两个女生松饼和桔子，因为一个简单的念头， 就想去做一本独立杂志。她们没有考虑太多的市场运营，就这样开始了《盐巴》的生命，不断尝试去探索生活中的小确幸，用亲切自然的方式娓娓道来，和产品使用者共同分享对生活方式的解读以及对生活的思考。
对于忙碌的都市人而言，打开杂志的那一刻，内心会进入一个独特的宁静国度，生活常识、手工艺技巧，这些都你生活中最重要的小事。不仅如此，相比那些生活的产物，《盐巴》更关注的是产物的创造者。
自 2011 年创刊号“生活分不清”之后，“草木染”、“种植”、“针线活”和“版画”的主题也接踵而来，一期一个主题，在这些生活甚至市井的主题下，每个文字都透露着雨后青草香气的清新，扑鼻而来，质朴却留痕。
Honestly, cultivating your own individual habits isn’t easy. Salt seeps through the cracks in your life, and becomes that little bit of flavor you can’t give up.
Independent magazines are often considered niche publications that cover obscure, non-mainstream topics. Through the medium of paper, they’re a vehicle of self-expression. But how does Songbing define indie magazines?
“Independent magazines are just a different method of expression,” she says, drawing on her years of experience as an independent publisher. “Just because someone creates a magazine or decides on its content by themselves doesn’t make it independent. If they have something to say, and if their understanding of what’s true, what’s right, and what’s beautiful is untainted by commercialism, they’ll be discovered by more people.”
坦白说，培养一个人的习惯其实并不易，然而《盐巴》却洒进你生活的缝隙，成为那个戒不掉的“小味道”。
有人说，独立杂志，远离日常视野的小众读物，关注主流之外，以纸张为载体，书写自我主张。那么，独立杂志到底在松饼眼里是什么？
“其实独立杂志只是一种途径，一种方式，”松饼用她几年的运作经验告诉我们，“独立杂志不是说你自己独自参与其中，内容你自己说了算，就是独立的。而是你要有所表达，没有被商业控制的价值观伴随着你对真善美的理解，被更多人发现。”
Unlike many other independent magazines, which are a collective endeavor, Salt is often written entirely by Songbing. “A lot of my friends would ask if the magazine was still active. I’d joke and say, ‘Yeah, but it’s an annual publication now.’ I’m an optimist and can laugh at myself. It helps me endure the stress and loneliness.”
不同于很多独立杂志的团队操作，《盐巴》更多时候是松饼独立执笔完成。“不少朋友问我杂志还在进行中吗，我也开玩笑地回答是呀，变成了一本年刊了。我总是习惯乐观地开自己玩笑，这样一来才不会被所背负的压力和孤单击倒。”
What’s kept Songbing going are her devoted readers. But an abrupt two-year hiatus had many of them asking, “Did she give up? Did she get sick of it?” To these questions Songbing replies:
“As your worldview changes, so do the topics that interest you. You can’t stay in the same place you started from. I don’t want to be repetitive. I want to start again and introduce a new Salt to the world. So after the two-year break, Salt’s relaunch marks the beginning of a new chapter for the magazine. The new narrative-driven approach makes every story that much more immersive . . . The willingness to experiment and overcome new challenges is the essence of life. I believe that good things come to those who persevere, and this belief has led to many surprises and delights along the way.”
对于松饼和她的《盐巴》来说，有读者有聆听，就是她坚持下去最大的理由。可是突然间，熟悉的“小味道”消失了，而且一去就是两年。是放弃了么？是疲惫了么？面对各种各样的疑问，松饼是这样说的：
“当你对世界的看法在改变，所感兴趣的领域也发生了改变，你就不会还只是停留在原地。我不想重复自己，我想再次出发，带来了一个完全不一样的盐巴。于是两年后的再次出发，全新的故事性架构让我们看到一种更生动的方式……还能尝试和挑战新的东西，这就是生活该有的姿态，继续坚持下去，最好的总会出现，要这样相信，就能得到生活给予的惊喜。”
Fitting to the name, Salt adds a certain piquancy to the blandness of everyday life. It’s a jolt of savoriness that helps bring out the complex flavors of life. There’s not too little and not too much. It feels just right.
The sixth issue of Salt is now available on the Neocha Shop in limited supply.
正如杂志名《盐巴》，翻开第一页到合上最后一页的过程里，它留给你的，好似淡白开水里加了一点盐，就是那么一点两点，舌尖突然有了滋味。生活看似平淡，细细品味，总有着简单的深刻。正是那所谓的“但须有，无须多”。
《Salt》第六期现已于 Neocha商店限量发售。
Product Details:
- Year of Publication: 2017
- Number of Pages: 196
- Dimensions: 18.5 cm x 25 cm
- Price: 24 USD
详情：
- 出版年份：2017
- 页数：196
- 尺寸： 18.5 x 25 厘米
- 价格：150 RMB
Additional Recommendations from Salt’s Editor-in-Chief
“I’m actually not that in tune with indie magazine in other parts of Asia. But within China, I’d recommend LOST, Be Water Journal, and Chengdu’s Keyi. Especially Keyi – the design of every issue is so creative. And if Seeds hadn’t folded, it’d be one to follow.”
《盐巴》主编推荐
“关于其他亚洲独立杂志，坦白说我关注的并不多。国内我比较推荐的，《LOST》、《水象》，以及成都的《可以》，特别是《可以》每一期都在工艺上有很多创新。無早的《Seeds》如果能一直做下去，也很值得持续拥有。”
