Why Joplin?

“So how’d you end up here?”

It’s a question I often hear one resident ask another. Sometimes, I’ve asked it that way myself. And it’s kind of funny that we say it the same way a prison inmate asks of another, “Whatcha in for?”

Referring to our city as a prison is a great way to make it feel like one.

While I didn’t grow up IN Joplin, I’ve lived near it all my life. And I too once had the thought “I gotta get out of here.” So, like many others, I did. I went to a bigger city. There was more to do. It felt more relevant, culturally updated, artsy. Everything was, technically speaking, bigger and better. But the truth is, I couldn’t bring myself to feel at home there. An unexpected thing began to happen; I started to see the good in Joplin. Joplin visits felt increasingly more like a homecoming. Every thing that annoyed me about the city became easier to overlook.

Joplin’s kind residents sent a wave of sentimentality that stood in strong contrast to the people I’d interacted with in a bigger city. Yes, drivers actually went the speed limit (sorry Rangeline drivers), but they also cut you off and never let you merge into their lane. There was a wider range of things to see and places to go, but people didn’t tend to smile at you in those places and they didn’t really take the time to get know you.

My wife felt the same about our new environment. It was a great place, but it wasn’t “us”. Over some time, we came to realize we weren’t big city people and maybe, just maybe, Joplin would be ok after all.

That leads to another phrase I’ve both heard and said myself… “Joplin sucks you in.” When we hear that, at first it can be uttered out of frustration, but then when it is in reference to those who have left and then made the conscious decision to actually come back, It’s said with a shrug and a smile of contentment. With the acknowledgement that sometimes it feels there is an almost supernatural force that commands people to BE here from unexpected corners of the earth.

The attitude change that accompanies the prodigal-son-return is a conundrum in itself. Is the change in perception a result of leaving, then coming back and being able to appreciate something anew? Or is it the result of thought coming from action, a shift in perception brought about by investment? [time, tythe, talent, the three forms of cultural investment mentioned by Eric Haun in our issue 1 toadcast].  

Something certainly changes when folks decide to put up or shut up; to contribute to their local culture, to not only think but DO positive things- to start small businesses, create cool events, vote in local elections. join groups. brainstorm and pick up trash in the street.

My own perception has followed this same chain of events. When I used to ask “how’d you end up here,”  it was with the thinking, “but you’re interesting. So how could you be here in our little nothing midwest city?” The thing is, you ask that question enough times and you begin to realize that Joplin is chock-full of extremely unexpected, interesting people.  And since a city is most characterized by its people, Joplin is actually a very interesting city indeed.

I didn’t know that at first. What changed my attitude more than anything was that I too had to leave and come back- not only come back, but decide to invest, to do cool things, to help  create new experiences, and to fix bad ones.

To those on the outer edges of extremes- lifelong residents on one side, newcomers from bigger cities on the other- Joplin can probably still feel lame sometimes. The first group is dying to get out of a town they’ve always known, the latter wants to go back to where they came from. But the fact is, I’ve personally watched this city change dramatically over the past 15 years, and I don’t hear those sentiments of “needing to get out of here” or being “stuck” very much anymore. Yes, the city itself has grown in amazing ways- suddenly we’re bursting with public art, great musical acts, amazing food, an independent cinema, more than one local coffee shop- but the real change, I think, isn’t all the STUFF. It’s the attitude.

When people buckle down, decide “I’m going to better my community instead of complaining about it”- when they start looking for the positives and filling in the gaps where they see things missing- amazing things can happen.

That’s happened here. And this publication is two things: a celebration of such people, and an effort to fill in a gap itself.

SO WHY THE TOAD….?

I hang out with artists on a regular basis. Maybe it’s because I spend my time in coffee shops… caffeine seems to attract creativity (God help me now that we have 7 of them). In that environment, I’ve slowly realized something: while I wouldn’t necessarily call the city itself extremely creative, Joplin is abnormally full of creative people. Not just creative people. Really really talented creative people. Some of them don’t even realize how good they are yet- part of the humility of the area- and that in itself excites me. For every practiced artist, there’s 10 more just starting to get up the courage to start making things.

For years I’ve wondered two things:

1: How can I encourage artists toward collaboration? What can we create together that pools all this talent in one direction?

2: How can we contribute to the city? As creatives, we’re meant to help drive the culture. What does that actually look like for a ragtag group of writers, illustrators, photographers, poets, musicians, directors and other assorted weirdos?

Recently these thoughts about artists and the city came together in the form of an online magazine. I gathered a team and we decided to make it a creative challenge, to nudge folks to collaborate and freely create whatever they wanted for the project- as long as it’s quality and it’s Joplincentric.

Our goal is to create something that is artist driven and clear of the advertising-first mindset. This frees us up to create outside a box, collaborate well, and love the city in an honest way.

Joplin isn’t always a prince charming, and we’re not calling it perfect. That’s why it’s not the more sleek and stylish, “Joplin Frog.” But it’s still beautiful, and we sure love it… warts and all.