I hope that the motivation to encapsulate the essence of Elan remains within my legacy. As the Layout and Design Editor it is my job, with the junior editor, to bring about the physical book, whether it be online and in print. It needs to come alive, and have a face, and become a home for the work of many emerging writers and artists who want to share their words. It is an important duty, and the process takes much time and effort and meticulous review, and in the end having that physical book in your hand is one of the sweetest things that can be received. This is because you work for the book. And I want the legacy I leave is that you’re going to need to work hard for the book, because the people who share their artistry with us work hard. They weave their experiences, knowledge, and questions into the work that is produced. So it is our job to work hard for these young voices that have pushed themselves, because there is in vulnerability in sending off work to anyone.
When I first came into Elan, I wasn’t aware of the weight of these things. Of course nobody can be completely aware to anything until they actually become entangled deeply with something. I became Layout and Design Editor originally because I like to work with the aesthetics of things, and be a part of the conceptualization of a creative process. And I did learn how to do these things, and to teach these things because those who come after me need to be a seed that has taken root.
I became very close to the process of how the art and writing is selected, and how these things exist in this space of this book and there needs to be a balance of these pieces, as well as room to breathe and reflect that is offered up within these pages as well.
The people who submit work to any publication, are putting their trust in us, that if we do pick their work to be showcased, that it will be respected and loved the same way that the creator respected and loved the work. There is the notion, that it is exchanging hands in a sense, because that is how art is circulated. It moves from one place to the next until someone else obtains it, and then really absorbs it, and then shares is genuinely to others, and with love. Art is one of the purest forms of human expression. It is beautifully aware, as well clueless, art has all the answers and then in the same moment, only questions.
The legacy of Elan that I want to share, is that fact, that in the end, we are all creators, and we are all a part of the larger human narrative, and there is pride in having the ability to combine many difference experiences, and thought processes, and have them converge in one place that can really inspire another. The cyclic process of creation can only be fed if it is able to be shared. And if people feel like they have the means to share.
– Kiara Ivey, Senior Layout and Design Editor