There are but a handful of moments that alter one’s trajectory. For more than a decade, TOWN has been my anchor and my creative home. When I became editor in chief in October 2012, everything clicked into place and my wings unfolded.
Over the next decade, I couldn’t predict the gifts that were to come. Beyond the great responsibility and opportunity of leading this publication, I have met many lifelong friends through the course of my time here. My creative partner and soul brother, Paul Mehaffey, has been by my side from day one, and even before then when we worked together at G Magazine. Our collaboration has been, and will stand as, one of the best of my life. We came along with founding editor Jack Bacot, who breathed life into TOWN with Mark Johnston and the fine people at Community Journals.
Our first issue in April 2011 was the Arts Issue, and Greenville’s Judy Verhoeven created our cover—to date, Judy has been our most featured cover artist. It is fitting that my final issue as editor in chief is the Arts Issue. Life comes full circle, and the divine timing of this transition—during spring, the visible season of renewal—couldn’t be more meaningful.
Now is the time for newness. Directing this publication for nearly ten years has fueled me as an artist and professional. Having access to experiences and people, collaborating with our region’s most talented creatives, spotlighting artistry and invention, style and fashion, history and community impact in more than 130 issues, has been invigorating, challenging, and deeply gratifying.
Creativity is within us all, from our earliest moments to our last breaths. To communicate is to create. As the currents of my creative life move me, I feel called beyond this experience.
Greenville is home. Our community is growing in wild and bold directions, and I fully intend to take part in its evolution. This isn’t the end of TOWN’s story, and it isn’t the end of mine. It’s the beginning—again.
