Being a part of Élan this year has opened my eyes to art and writing in so many new ways. Before, I think a lot of my perception of art was limited to what I’d seen at Douglas Anderson because I hadn’t really been to many art galleries before or seen professional artwork in an environment outside of the school. Being on the staff, though, I got to read pieces and view art that was completely different than the things I’m used to seeing. At first I was surprised by the pieces because they were nothing like those in the various art galleries at DA, these pieces were more abstract and vibrant. However, I came to appreciate them for their raw talent and how looking at them made me feel like I could create something like that as well.

The same goes with the writing that we read as a staff as well. It’s kind of cliché to say, but I was used to the “doom and gloom” that often comes from the depths that the creative writers around me reach into themselves to put into their writing. Knowing that there’s more to write about, different voices to speak from has really opened me up to trying new things on my own time. I’ve been more inspired to write on my own more this year than I have in all three years I’ve been at DA, and I owe a lot of that to Élan and the many artists who submit to the magazine.

I also learned what it means to be a part of a team this year. Of course, I’ve been on teams before so I know the importance of working together, but this year taught me how essential that skill is. If we don’t work together and tell each other what we need we’ll sink, and we’ll all sink together. Communication is the most important part of being a team because if you don’t tell each other your needs, nothing can get done.

I really hope to bring the same amount of passion and dedication to the staff next year that I’ve experienced this year. Having a smaller staff will be a challenge, which will require more dedication and commitment. However, I really enjoyed the staff this year and I know that I’m ready and willing to dedicate my time to keep it afloat next year.

I also hope to bring a better unity to the staff next year. This year, I sometimes felt out the loop when it came to community events or things going on in class. I know that it’s not a priority to keep the people who aren’t a part of an event in the immediate know, but if an extra hand is needed and we have to pull someone in, it’s better if they come in knowing what to do so things will go easier. More importantly, though, I just hope to continue the legacy of Élan successfully and that the coming years continue it as well.

–Kinley Dozier – Website/Submissions Editors

Being on the Elan staff has shown me that there is more to being a writer than just putting words to paper. By that I mean writing is a craft that takes practice to be improved on. Earlier in my life, I never really practiced writing. It was never something I did for myself, it was mostly just a prompt I was handed or an assignment due in the next class. Writing like this can make it feel more like a job and less like an art. On the staff, I saw the work put in by other members and realized that being a writer involved work outside a pen and paper. Production of work is very important, of course, but if there is no outreach, no work towards spreading the arts to the community in and out of the walls of the publication, then there is no publication.

On the staff, I was exposed to a lot of writing in different genres from very different voices. This exposure has impacted my own way of writing. I think it is very true that to be a better writing, one has to read. I use to think reading published work from masterful writers was what improved another writer’s art. Being able to read the work of young emerging writers has taught me techniques of stylistic choices and character in all genres.

What I hope to bring to the staff next year is what I’ve learned personally as a writer and what I learned in my positions on the staff.  Again, as a writer, I learned the importance of reaching people with writing, taking our art to the community. Through the positions I held, I learned what it is to take responsibility for this outreach and what it means to be a member of the staff.

-Lindsay Yarn – Website Editor/Creative Non-Fiction Editor

Even though I knew being part of the Élan staff would be a unique experience, I didn’t know the extent to which this experience would impact me. Before joining the staff, I knew that I would write for the rest of my life after leaving Douglas Anderson. That was pretty much a given ever since I first decided that I enjoyed writing, even before getting into this high school, and regardless of the fact that I will pursue a mechanical engineering degree after I leave this school. But Élan made me realized that not only did I want to write after leaving the public education system; I wanted to be part of writing. By this, I mean that I now have a goal to continue my involvement with the literary community following my departure from high school.

One of the things that I have actually considered through my college decision-making process is the quality of each college’s literary magazine. I want to be part of something big, and to help spread the word using my own skillset that I have developed through my time in Élan. I want to make a contribution to the literary community through more than my own writing, and I know that I would not have felt this way if I hadn’t been part of the Élan staff.

On a lower scale, I wouldn’t have thought of myself as a huge team-player type of person in terms of responsibilities. But the first year that I was part of the staff, I shared the Social Media Editor title with two other people, Dwight and Claudia. I had to learn how to both delegate and handle tasks in order to make the social media branch of Élan function. Even this year, social media is split between me and McKenzie Fox; I handle Facebook and Instagram, and she takes care of Twitter. We depend on each other to make sure each platform has been communicated to, and together, we have helped the follower count for each of these platforms to rise significantly.

I know that the legacy that I leave for Élan is the type that must be maintained. What I mean is that the status of our social media reach is in the hands of the person who will take over control of that branch of our magazine, and my accomplishments within this branch are not necessarily permanent. But I think that I gave a lot to our magazine this year in terms of my editorial position, and aside from that, I was one of the main players in the creation of our National Poetry Month Reading and Gallery event. So I leave the responsibility of keeping this legacy alive to the next people to join the Élan staff. It’s kind of hard to let go when I’ve been a part of this magazine for the past two years, but I know that I have to move on to different things, and contribute to different parts of the literary world. And I think that with new staff members, our magazine will continue to grow. So good luck, newcomers! It’s a hefty job and you’ll love every second of it!

–Logan Monds – Social Media Editor