Chris Brown has never been one to follow the rules of publishing. When he launched Refueled Magazine nearly two decades ago, it wasn’t with mainstream templates or strict editorial calendars—it was with instinct, curiosity, and a drive to capture art, style, and culture on his own terms. What began as a personal journal evolved into a collectible publication that feels as much like an art piece as it does a magazine.

Over the years, Brown’s work has reached far beyond the printed page. He’s taken the stage at TEDx, appeared in Netflix’s Making of the American Man, and collaborated with a wide circle of artists, brands, and makers. But at the core of it all, Refueled remains rooted in his belief that print isn’t dead—it just needs to be reimagined.

In this conversation, Brown opens up about his creative process, why he’ll always come back to print, and what independent creators can do to find their own voice. 

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Refueled began as what you call a “personal journal.” What does that approach let you capture that a traditional magazine structure might miss?

Refueled began as an experiment. It was a think tank of ideas, a design discipline, and an outlet for subjects such as art, style, and creative people that surrounded me. It was more or less a continuation of a zine I created in the 90s titled Automatic Buzz, but with more emphasis placed on a worldwide release.

Approaching it as a “personal journal” allowed more freedom, a unique voice, and a structure to grow slowly and organically. Magazines like Raygun, Beach Culture, and Bikini in the 1990s broke the mold wide open for a more personal and niche audience.  

What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone hoping to turn their project into something they can sell or share more widely?

Find your own unique voice, share what you’re passionate about, and present it in ways you might not have seen before. Refueled was originally shared and presented digitally online for the first couple of years. It was a great way to find an audience, fine-tune, and refine the look and feel of the magazine—but for me, print will always be king!

Community, heritage, and discovery are your three guiding pillars. How did you build your creative community, and what advice would you give to other independent creators who want to collaborate or connect?

Community, heritage, and discovery are what Refueled was built on. It would be easy to repeat the old saying “Build it and it will come,” but the “10,000 hours to master” method is a bit closer to the truth. 

It’s true that Refueled captivated and grew a large audience fairly quickly, but that itself could have been attributed to the creative community that surrounded me and the work I was doing. My TEDx talk also put me at the forefront of folks who shared a similar vision. 

I built on that early exposure by partnering with brands that felt a connection with me and doing in-store appearances, magazine signings, and hosting events. It all felt like a real grassroots movement—taking it to the streets, as it were. 

I am surrounded by creatives. Most of my friends are artists, photographers, makers, actors, writers, and directors of some sort, so there is no shortage of ideas, projects, and collaborations floating around at any given moment. I love meeting new people, and I’m always open to connecting and sharing thoughts.

You’ve said “Print isn’t dead—it’s tired. It just needs to be refueled.” In your view, what can print still deliver to readers that digital will never replicate?

I was instinctively drawn to print at a very early age. Having grown up in the ’60s and ’70s, LIFE magazine could be found in just about every household. Its large format, full spread photography, and clean, bold aesthetic spoke to the early graphic designer in me. 

There is just something about holding a physical printed magazine. How it feels in your hands, the smell of the paper and ink, and the ability of being able to tear pages out and tack them up on a mood board or share with a friend. I can still vividly remember the smell of my MAD magazines from childhood, reading them under my blanket at night with a flashlight. Kids can’t replicate that today with their iPads.

Walk us through your entire creation process—from first spark to finished magazine in the bookstore.

I work very organically. There are no editorial calendars, no set release dates, or regular layout design grids. No two issues have ever looked the same—which is something any traditional publisher or distributor would have a stroke over, and steer you clear of. But it’s these things that keep it extremely exciting, free-flowing, and worth it for me.

I keep many journals. Some just for design ideas and inspirations. Others for random words, writings, poems, or life observations. I operate completely on gut feelings, which I think makes the creative process clear and easy. There will always be something that tells me “this should be an issue.” 

Once an idea is fleshed out, I will begin curating content (interviews, photography, writings, etc.). I always start with the cover design, which dictates the look and feel of the issue. I will then start the interior layouts—a process that usually takes a month or so, as I will keep going back to completed pages and ensuring that they communicate the feeling or message I have envisioned. 

After eighteen years of publishing, Refueled is still going strong. How do you bring in new readers while keeping longtime subscribers engaged?

After all these years, it really is still a mystery to me. I feel like Refueled is still in its grassroots stage, still developing and growing by simple word-of-mouth. I can say that the Refueled worldwide audience is a very dedicated one. I feel my job is to create and let the work find its way in the universe. 

Indie publishing has exploded in the past decade. What’s one common mistake you see newcomers make, and how would you coach them to avoid it?

So stoked to see more and more indie publications hit the scene. If there is one piece of advice I share with other creatives, it’s this:

A creative starts at the bottom of a circle, gains experience, and moves through an education of their craft. It’s when you move beyond that and start going back down the circle, forgetting everything that you’ve learned, that you come back to a place where you’re trusting your instincts and your unconscious voice.

Share who you are, what shaped you, what inspires you, and share from the heart. Tell those stories from within, and you will find your audience. Trust your gut. If it feels right, you’re probably on to something.

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At Blurb, we believe stories like Chris Brown’s are what make independent publishing so powerful. Whether you’re crafting a one-of-a-kind zine, building a collectible magazine, or producing a book that captures your creative vision, Blurb gives you the tools to make something that matters—and share it with the world. Ready to start your own project? Create a free Blurb account today and see where your story can take you.