Creativity comes out of your soul like a rocket

by Tom Johnson

One of the things that makes us truly human, besides drinking beer and watching football on TV, is our species’ penchant for art and culture. In fact, the earliest evidence we have from modern humans (40,000 years ago and earlier) includes cave art depicting animals. It seems as soon as the world saw things called homo sapiens, art and culture tagged along.

Art and culture also represent a way towards self-actualization for most of us. Indeed, it’s thought that art helped us evolve to work together because artistic and creative behaviors created a sense of community.

For me, my art is poetry. Some folks know I’ve published hundreds of poems in journals over the last decade, but even if I hadn’t published, I’d still write—each and every day. Not because I want to, but because I must. As the poet Charles Bukowski said, for true poets (or writers or artists or entertainers or anyone who is human), creativity probably “comes out of your soul like a rocket,” whether anyone is paying attention or not.

Welcome to this issue of Elevate, our own little rocket of art. There’s the story of Matt Lanz, a Hot Springs artist reminding us about our roles as stewards of the land. And the story of Leah Nixon Fitzgerald, who took a tragedy and used it to fuel her passion for illustration. And then there’s also the tale of Josh Miranda, who took some of the best of Austin and brought it right here to the Black Hills. Finally, we present you our cover story of Pine Ridge native Joe Pulliam, who has been forging new paths for collaborative space in downtown Rapid City.

What do all these stories have in common? Community. Purpose. Meaning. In other words, all the stuff that makes us human. Stay Safe and God-speed,