As evidenced here, Extol’s Art Director Adam Kleinert often goes above and beyond to help out behind the scenes.
Photo by Tony Bennett
So often in life what happens behind the scenes goes unnoticed, and we’re only privy to the end results. We see a happy child but never glimpse the sacrifices of his parents. We shake the hand of a successful entrepreneur but never hear about the years she spent struggling to make it. We join in on the public shaming of someone who has screwed up instead of taking the time to learn what led up to the poor decision. We judge a person’s Facebook post without acknowledging there has to be more than meets the eye.
That’s why we’ve gone behind the scenes in this, our final issue of 2015, and scratched well below the surface. You’ll find that in our story about childhood hunger (page 12), which should appall you. You’ll see it when fashion designer – and Southern Indiana native – Gunnar Deatherage opens up about his latest collection (page 16). It’s definitely evident in the articles about Orange Clover owner Rachel Smallwood (page 22) and a 7,000 square foot home in New Albany (page 26).
Rising country duo Dave and Whitney look like they have the world by the tail, but their continued success didn’t just happen. Read their piece to find out the rest of the story (page 33). Walk into Koerber’s Fine Jewelry, and you’ll quickly see it’s undeniably beautiful, but there’s far more to this jewelry shop than most people know (page 36). Spend a quick moment with Brad Sea, and I guarantee you’ll never know he’s gone through hell and back (page 40). Ever want to know what it’s really like to be pregnant? My husband did and in this issue (page 44) he gets candid about the personal experience. Ask Carpet Corner’s Jennifer Yennes-Vizhnay who was behind the scenes guiding her path all along and she’ll easily answer, “God” (page 48).
As we head into the holiday season and the New Year, may we all feel compelled to look more deeply at each other, at our circumstances, at the world. Imagine what would happen if we stopped judging what we see only on the surface and started trying to understand what happens – and why – behind the scenes in our own lives and in the lives of others, if even for a moment.
“Finding My Father”
In January 2015, just as we were preparing to launch Extol Magazine, my husband and I went on a trip to search for my biological father – accompanied by a camera crew. The experience was life-changing and will be chronicled in an episode of the new series “Finding My Father” that airs at 9 p.m. Dec. 30 on Oxygen. While I have no idea how the multi-day journey will be portrayed in the one-hour program, I look forward to sharing behind-the-scenes details in the next issue of Extol.
