HEME LETTER

Dear Reader,

This year’s iliad theme, “Flourish,” conveys the growth of plant life as a metaphor for the creative process. We have divided the magazine and its content into three subsections, “Revive,” “Grow,” and “Thrive,” and each piece is sorted into one of these three sections. “Flourish” mirrors the creative process with “Revive” representing an initial creative idea, “Grow” representing the development of this idea, and “Thrive” representing the completion of a creative endeavor and the effect it has on an individual’s creative identity.

The “Revive” subsection conveys the transformation of a plant from the decay phase to the seed and germination phase of a plant’s growth. This section reflects the initial spark of creativity that is the beginning of the creative process. Pieces in this subsection may reflect elements of new beginnings, youth and childhood.

The next stage of a plant’s life is growth. In this stage, plants are coming into their own, yet haven’t yet fully integrated with their environment. Thus, in the “Grow” subsection, many pieces focus on one primary subject. There are many obstacles in the growth process so pieces in this section will also reflect the challenges one faces that ultimately results in growth.

The final subsection, “Thrive,” shows a plant in its peak form, fully intertwined with its environment. In terms of the creative process, “Thrive” represents the completion of a creative endeavor and the effect that it has on an individual’s creative identity.

We hope that through reading “Flourish,” the reader will experience the creative process shown through the metaphor of a plant’s life cycle.

Kaija Gilbertson Hall Editor-in-Chief

Ethan Caspary Poucher Managing Editor