4 minute read
Letter from the Publisher
Recently, I came across a meme which asked, “What is your hometown famous for?” So like a normal person, I ran straight to the comments, and most went a little something like this: “drugs”, “crime,” “snooty stuck-up rich people,” or maybe, if the town was lucky, a celebrity had grown up there and moved away. You get the picture – and it’s not a very inspiring one.
Immediately after that depressing montage, I saw a video post that showed men just frolicking in a field. While the first meme made me sad, that next one had me smiling from ear to ear.
It made me think about a famous saying: “There are two wolves in our life, everyday. The positive one and the negative one, and the one that grows is the one you feed.”
Unfortunately, because of our innate need to protect ourselves, negative news and negative opinions are what spread the fastest and widest on social media.. It’s why many news outlets focus on “bad news,” and why you hear people complain that our ‘city is going to hell,’ or “there’s nothing to do here but go to bars,” and “I can’t wait to leave this place.” Yet these are sentiments you can hear echoed in every city, across the land. People are drawn toward negatives because our brains tell us to be hyper-aware of them, so we can be prepared and protected. But stewing in those thoughts can lead to some bad outcomes. It can distort reality, and make us think things are worse than they are.
Sure, we are not perfect. But here at The LocaL, we share the positive stories, and there are many of them. So much so that we can barely keep up. There is an unending amount of art, music, food and fun here, and there are so many ways to learn about them.You can read more about the growth of our city, our amazing local artists, fantastic eateries, events and the wonderful people giving the most and so much more, from our great peers, and I implore you to check them out as well: The Columbusite, Electric City Life, Visit Columbus, Seven Zero Six, SVM magazine, Chattahoochee & the Valley, and the list goes on.
In this month’s issue, we share the music of the Shelby Brothers and spend time at a local antique store, The River Market, which has seven (yes, seven) unique museums inside. Visit a newly-opened and one-of-a-kind local shop and wellness sanctuary at Aglow Apothecary, where your total health and wellness is top of mind. Connect with local tattoo artist James (JBird) Gannon and learn how he survived the worst part of himself to not only rise to the top as an amazing family man and business owner of Electric Panda Tattoo, but how he has brought a whole team with him. Look through the eyes and talent of local artist Butch Anthony while his work is shared at the Do Good Fund. Share a laugh with the comic art of Matt Szabo and take part in the many (and I do mean many) events in this month’s calendar.
You’ll also find lots of awesome local Mom & Pop businesses through our advertisers. They are 'The Juice' … that keeps us all going.
I encourage you to Feed The Positive Wolf, take part in what we have to offer and share it with others. If you’d like to include us, we are @thelocalcolumbusga on Facebook and Instagram.
Thank you for reading,
Monica Jones
What We Are All About.
The mission of the LocaL magazine is to bring you the best in art, music, food and fun from Columbus and the surrounding area. Locally owned and operated, we work to improve and expand community relationships through promoting positive events, people and stories. When good things are happening, we will be here to help you get involved. Our monthly print issues feature stories and events that comprise and drive the ongoing surge toward a more beautiful community. This magazine exists because we who work on it believe in actively engaging with community improvement, and we invite you to join us, not only by reading these pages, but also by taking part in any of the many wonderful events we feature.
Work by artist Butch Anthony
