A Look Back on 10 Years of INK

by Virginia Bradford, on behalf of the INK Staff

         This issue is dedicated to all the INK editors of past and present who have contributed to our magazine, giving  Thornton Academy a creative, organized way to “show off our talent”. In the ten years that Barbara Barklow has guided us editors to making a beautiful platform on which to showcase our artwork, a lot has went on behind the website, behind the social media, behind the colorful posters. INK editors have their own little world behind the magazine, in the INK club.
         INK has evolved over the years— on our “About Us” page, it describes how we have put our magazine on several different websites, floating around the Internet in these ten years since INK began. Right now we’re floating around Weebly, but you can view  an example of a past publication here.
        One thing that has stayed the same, throughout all the years and platforms since 2008, has been the pure passion and drive behind the INK editors that keep this issue moving. We are Thornton Academy students, working to make sure we always get out the next issue. And INK Club has traditionally been a place where creative students walk in and out, showing off their talent and appreciating that of others. Laura Talbot, Class of 2013, reminisces on her time in INK as a place where she learned to open up and speak more often. She also fondly remembers looking through the submissions before publication.
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"I affectionately remember sorting through the newest submissions for INK and navigating Weebly to edit the official website. Every meeting we got to learn about and admire the hidden talents of our peers and to share their wonderful creativity on a wider platform."

     There has been a lot of work involved in the creation of INK— many meetings, many different places to meet— but there has also been significant fun. There have been publication parties with cupcakes, lots of laughs and joyful conversation between hard-working individuals with a love for art in common. Sean Speckin writes, “Our team went from strangers to a well-oiled machine and, after two years, a family.” His full essay can be read here.
          One of the INK founding members, Carly McCarthy '10, also contacted us during the making of this issue, describing how INK helped foster her creativity, and that she is "incredibly proud of how far it's come, and how hard its staff work to share Thornton Academy's creativity with the world". (McCarthy was the member who first expressed an interest in creating an arts and literature magazine at TA.)
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         INK has, for many of these alumni, been a short stop on the way to a creative career. Many of the skills involved with putting out the issues and bringing all the work together— writing essays, fixing mistakes, and making sure people submit their work at all— have also shown to be valuable skills in the career-minded world. One former member cites INK as the reason for eventually becoming a marketing director for a major Oklahoma newspaper company. 
     These 10 years of INK show just how dedicated and passionate all our INK editors, whether current students or alumni, have been to showing off TA talent, and how devoted Barbara Barklow has been to helping us along the way. We are proud to present our Spring 2018 issue of INK. 

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