Happy New Year! In 2024, as we set out to rethink the look and feel of this magazine to celebrate its 25th anniversary, we found ourselves returning to the simple words first shared by Carla Frank — founding design director of O, The Oprah Magazine and owner of a namesake design firm — during the redesign of Southwestern Missouri city magazine 417: “Clean it up. Calm it down.” With full credit — and gratitude — we borrowed that guidance because no other words captured our intention so clearly.
We have used similar words before — Todd likes to ask if we can make it “cleaner, neater, tighter” — but what really spoke to us was “Clean it up. Calm it down.” Those words informed every decision, from typography to color to white space, helping us create a magazine that feels more intentional, more breathable, and more at ease. Now, we’re extending that same borrowed wisdom beyond the page and into our lives. The feature story, “Get It Together,” applies “clean it up, calm it down” to the spaces we inhabit every day.
In our household, we spent the greater part of last year talking about decluttering. “You know, all of this stuff used to be money” is what I say — another piece of borrowed wisdom. But we do get things done. We’re perennially cleaning out the garage, the primary closet, and the “sports” closet. The problem is, we’re not getting rid of enough stuff as we reshelve and reorganize. I do make regular trips with donation bags to World Wide Missions Consignment Store and Evansville Goodwill Industries. Still, the input seems to be greater than the output.
I absolutely love the gorgeous cover photograph of ramen by Zach Straw. Creative Director Laura Mathis and Staff Writer Maggie Valenti joined Zach at the photo shoot at Randy Hobson’s Downtown Evansville restaurant 2nd Language on one of those extremely cold December days. They sampled what they photographed, but only after Randy insisted on making fresh, steaming bowls. Maggie teamed up with Senior Writer John Martin to produce the feature, “Every Bowl Has a Soul” — another bit of borrowed wisdom. Selena Ye, manager of Hokkaido Ramen House, used the phrase “every bowl has a soul” to explain the dish’s appeal is that each guest feels it was made just for them.
Recently, we began surveying Evansville Living readers after publication of each issue. While we conduct an annual reader survey and have through the years polled readers on a variety of topics, our methods of gathering feedback typically are organic — hearing from readers on the streets, at events, through social media, etc. If you subscribe to our weekly digital newsletters, you will certainly receive a survey. Please take a minute to answer the questions; respondents’ names are included in a drawing for $100 prizes from local eateries and retailers. You can sign up online for Monday’s Navigator business newsletter and Thursday’s Insider lifestyle newsletter.
As always, I look forward to hearing from you!
Kristen K. Tucker
Instagram: @kristenktucker
Email: letters@evansvilleliving.com
