During a period of widespread magazine closings (Blender, Domino, Teen, O at Home, Radar, Men’s Vogue), designer Addam Winsenburg decided to launch his first media endeavor: I Heart Magazine, a street photography hybrid of journalistic images and artistic snapshots. No text, all substance. The designer invested two long years of his life in the project, starting with a petition that attracted submissions from 25,000 aspiring and established photogs. Eighty-eight photos from the original slush pile were chosen, all for their answer to the question, "What’s happening in your world today?". The photo content is entirely black and white. Some emotive images, some disturbing, all encompassing a spark that’ll surely pull you in. We chatted with Addam, who currently resides in the Lower East Side, about his inspirational pet project. Final vote: genius risk. Get a preview of I Heart in the gallery, and check out our interview after the jump.

How many people are working with you on this project? I'm a one-man army. Starting a magazine was a dream of mine for a long time. It took over two years working on and off in my free time to put out the first issue. I'm really proud of the magazine and think I've created something unique and entertaining for people of all ages. It's fun to watch people's reactions to the photography as they flip through the magazine because the photos express a range of emotions. At some point I usually hear "holy shit," followed by a lot of laughing.

How many issues of I Heart will come out this year? I plan to put out another issue this winter. I've already received over 60,000 submission to be considered for Issue B.

How'd you get the word out to get so many submissions? I have been lucky enough to have so many rad people around the world support my vision for I Heart Magazine. In the beginning, it was a lot of me scouring the internet and contacting photographers I liked or asking friends for recommendations. Luckily word has gotten out, and people around the world are sending in the stories of their daily lives in photographs. I curated Issue A from 25,000 photographs down to the 88.

In the back of the issue, there's a section called "Products We Heart." How'd you select these goods? The idea was to feature as many photography-related products as possible, and oddly enough, the majority of submissions weren't photography-related. They did however make my life a little more enjoyable and hopefully will do the same for the magazine's readers as well.

Where’d you find the startup capital to get going? The magazine was self-published with every cent I had and half I didn't have, but a credit card company did. You can't put a price on following your dreams. Any odd, disturbing, or bizarre photos? Those are the photos that did make the cut. I wanted to make the magazine as pure and true to the essence of street photography as possible, which is all about the moment, no matter how alarming, disturbing, or bizarre it may have been.

Are you on the prowl for advertisers? I am looking for anyone interested in helping make Issue B a reality. What if this fails -- then what? I'll dance my cares away, worry another day, let the music play, back at Fraggle Rock. And if it succeeds? All my wildest dreams are belong to me.

What were you doing before the I Heart days? I was living in San Francisco, taking long walks on the beach, and daydreaming of starting the world's most mind-blowing intergalactic photography magazine ever. Mission Accomplished.

If you have a submission for I Heart Magazine, check out: the website, Flickr, Facebook group, or MySpace page.